Brown Butter Carrot Coffee Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Cake:

• 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter
• 1 TBSP milk powder (optional)
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated or cane sugar
• 1/2 cup (110g) light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream - room temp
• 1 1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled if not using a food scale to measure the flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon powder
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground all spice or cloves
• 1 cup (110-120g) carrots, peeled and shredded (don't use pre shredded carrots!) 

Cinnamon Brown Butter Streusel:

• 3 TBSP (42g) unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup (65g) light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1/4 cup (30g) chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Vanilla Icing:

• 2 oz (56g) cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup (90g) powdered sugar
• 1-2 TBSP milk or heavy cream till desired consistency
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean or pure vanilla extract
• pinch kosher salt

Brown the Butter Once

There is brown butter in the batter and in the streusel. You can brown the butter separately for each layer, or brown it all at once and divide it after. To do this, start with 11 TBSP (155g) unsalted butter total for the entire recipe.

1. Cut the butter into even pieces and add to a light-colored saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter turns deeply golden and smells nutty.
3. Immediately pour into a heatproof measuring cup, scraping in all the brown bits.
4. Let cool for about 10 minutes. The butter should feel warm, not hot, like bath water.

Divide the browned butter:

• 73% for the batter
• 27% for the streusel

Streusel

Make the streusel first so it can chill while you prepare the cake.

1. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, vanilla and salt till well combined. Add the browned butter used for the streusel and pour over the mixture.
2. With a spoon or clean hands form both small and large buttery clumps.
3. Add the walnuts till combined.
4. Chill in the refrigerator to set while making the batter.

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch square pan with parchment.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk the cooled brown butter used for the cake batter and add with both sugars. Mix till combined, it will look like wet sand.
4. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
5. Whisk in sour cream.
6. Fold in dry ingredients (*see notes) just until combined. Do not overmix.
7. Gently add in shredded carrots until combined.
8. Spread the batter into a lined 8-inch square pan. Top with the chilled brown butter cinnamon streusel.
9. Bake at 350°F for 35–40 minutes, until the center springs back lightly and a toothpick inserted shows moist crumbs but no wet batter.
10. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Glaze

1. While the cake is baking, whisk together the softened cream cheese and pwodered till smoth a paste like consistency is formed.
2. Add milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt, mixing until creamy.
3. Add more milk for a thinner drizzle consistency.
4. Pour over the cooled carrot coffee cake.

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Notes: 

*How to Measure Flour (Correctly)

Measuring flour properly makes a big difference in how baked goods turn out. For best results, use a kitchen scale and measure in grams. This ensures consistency and prevents adding too much flour, which can make the cake dry.

If you don’t have a scale:

• Do not scoop flour directly with the measuring cup.
• Use a spoon to gently fill the measuring cup.
• Level it off with the back of a knife.
• Do not pack the flour down.

Storage:

Room temperature: 2 days
Refrigerator: up to 5 days
Freezer: up to 2 months

Tips: 

Brown the butter first and let it cool.
Warm brown butter can affect batter texture and cause greasy pockets. It should be cool to touch.

Use freshly shredded carrots, not pre-shredded.
Pre-shredded carrots are too dry and thick, which can lead to dense or uneven crumb. And remove excess moisture by lightly squeezing shredded carrots with a paper towel so they are moist but not wet. Too much moisture can create a gummy texture.

Do not overmix the batter.
Mix just until ingredients are combined to keep the cake tender.

Chill the streusel before baking.
Cold streusel creates better crumb structure and prevents melting into the batter.

Check doneness carefully.
The cake is done when the center springs back and a toothpick shows moist crumbs, not wet batter. After 40 minutes bake for an additional 2 minutes and check the cake until it's done.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes.
This allows the structure to set and prevents breakage when removing.

Cream cheese icing should be added only after the cake is fully cool.
Warm cake will melt the icing and cause it to soak in.