Carrot Olive Oil Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

For the cake: 

Wet Ingredients: 

3 eggs

1.5 cups olive oil (324 grams) 

1 cup sugar (200 grams) 

1/4 cup brown sugar (55 grams) 

1 1/4 cups buttermilk (311 grams) *I used the juice from the cheek of a lemon, just over 1 tbsp, to make my own buttermilk*

1 tbsp vanilla (ideally vanilla paste) 

Juice of 1 orange

5 medium carrots peeled and grated

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups flour (250 grams) 

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup chopped pecans (~ 150 grams) *I don’t like alot of nuts in my cake, but if you do add 1 cup* 

1/2 cup raisins (~100 grams) 

For the frosting:

8 tbsp unsalted butter

8 oz cream cheese (250 grams) 

1/4 cup heavy cream (~62 grams)

1 tsp vanilla 

3 cups powdered sugar (360 grams)

Pinch of salt

Instructions: 

Make the cake (you can do this the day before): 

1. Preheat your oven to 190 C/375 F. 

2. Mix the dry ingredients: Sieve the flour into a medium size bowl. Add in the salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk to combine. 

3. Prepare the buttermilk now if you’re not using storebought by adding the lemon juice to the milk. Let this set for 5 minutes. 

4. At this point juice your oranges, and squeeze the juice out of your peeled and grated carrots. 

5. Combine the wet ingredients: Whisk the eggs, olive oil, sugar, brown sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, and orange juice. 

6. Pour the well whisked wet ingredients into the dry and whisk to combine, just until all lumps are teased out. 

7. Fold in the carrots, pecans, and raisins. 

8. Place the cake in your baking dish, I used a 10x10 square cake pan, but you could use 2, 8 or 9-inch round cake tins as well. 

9. Bake the cake for 45 mins-1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is fully set. 

Make the frosting: 

1. Make the brown butter: Place 8 tbsp butter into a pan over a medium heat. Once the butter is melted and bubbling, whisk occasionally until the butter has fully browned. Place in the fridge overnight, or in the freezer until fully set. 

2. Combine the browned butter and cream cheese in a bowl and mix with a hand or stand mixer until fully combined. Add the heavy cream and whip again until it appears fully combined and whipped. Add the vanilla, powdered sugar, and salt, and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to combine, and then increase the speed and mix for about 2 more minutes.

3. Top the cooled cake with the frosting and enjoy!