Serve 12
Ingredients
Cake
1 c. whole wheat (or white whole wheat) flour
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
3/4 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/4 c. molasses
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 c. pureed cooked carrots or carrot baby food
1/3 c. melted butter
3 carrots (about 8 oz.) scrubbed, trimmed and coarsely grated
3/4 c. walnuts and/or pecans, toasted and chopped
Vanilla Brown Sugar Buttercream
2/3 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 c. confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/3 c. packed dark brown sugar
3 tbsp. heavy cream
Flaky sea salt, to finish
Directions
- Prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 8 1/2"-x-4 1/2" loaf pan. Line with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang to use as handles, then grease paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt.
- In a large bowl, with hand mixer or whisk, combine brown sugar, molasses, eggs, and vanilla. Add carrot puree; mix to combine. With mixer on medium speed, slowly pour melted butter into carrot mixture until well combined.
- Pour carrot mixture into flour mixture and stir using wooden spoon until just combined. Fold in grated carrots and nuts.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake 40 to 45 minutes or until center bounces back when lightly pressed and cake tester inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes in pan, then gently lift cake from pan using parchment. Discard paper; cool cake completely on wire rack lined with parchment.
- While cake cools, make buttercream: Place butter in a large bowl. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into bowl. With hand mixer, beat on medium speed until light and airy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down side and bottom of bowl as needed.
- Add sugars; mix on low speed to combine. Increase speed to medium for 30 seconds. Stop mixer, add cream. (Change to whisk attachment if you have one.) Beat on medium until combined, then beat on medium-high until airy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Frost cooled cake with buttercream; sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
