Brown Butter Carrot Cake With Whipped Cream Cheese Ganache
This brown butter carrot cake is incredibly moist, lightly spiced & topped with a whipped cream cheese vanilla frosting. It’s easy to make & perfect for all occasions.
This post contains affiliate links.
This brown butter carrot cake is incredibly moist, is lightly spiced with classic carrot cake spices & coated in a light, cream cheese vanilla frosting that’s made like a whipped ganache. It’s a bakery style layer cake that’s easy to make at home & is perfect for all occasions. Whether you’re making it at Easter, for a birthday party or just when you fancy a delicious homemade cake, this cake will always deliver.
This moist carrot layer cake recipe has taken many attempts to perfect. That’s not a bad thing though when you love carrot cake as much as I do! The focus has always been on using brown butter in the sponge which gives it a deep, nutty, caramelised flavour that works perfectly with the carrots and spices. I’ve played around with different butter to oil ratios, the amount of raising agents & different sugars to finally arrive at a carrot cake that’s soft, fluffy & perfectly moist, with loads of flavour.
You can’t have a carrot cake without cream cheese frosting, right?! Instead of the traditional type, I’ve gone with a fluffy whipped cream cheese ganache that’s lighter, smoother & creamier than regular frosting and it works perfectly with the spiced carrot sponge. There’s some crunchy crystallised nuts & cinnamon sugar carrot crisps on top as well, for some extra crunch, to contrast the soft, moist sponge.
For more baking recipes, check out every growing baking recipe collection! There’s plenty to choose from here, from chocolate chip cookies & brownies, to homemade breads, pastry & loads more.
Components Of This Carrot Cake
Carrot cake & cream cheese frosting is a classic pairing & is easily one of my favourite cakes! You don’t need a lot of components & it’s best to keep things simple. I’ve gone with a moist brown butter carrot sponge, a fluffy whipped cream cheese ganache frosting and some crunchy crystallised nuts & fried carrot chips to go on top.
- Brown Butter Carrot Sponge – A classic moist carrot cake sponge that’s lightly spiced & full of finely grated carrots. For extra flavour, the butter in the batter is browned first.
- Whipped Cream Cheese Ganache – A cross between a classic cream cheese frosting & a whipped white chocolate ganache! It’s light, fluffy & super creamy.
- Crystallised Walnuts – Crunchy crystallised walnuts are added on top of the carrot cake, for extra crunch. I like to use walnuts as a decoration instead of putting them in the cake, just to make it easier to cut the sponge layers in half.
- Cinnamon Sugar Carrot Crisps – Crisp fried carrot ribbons, tossed with cinnamon sugar! These look fantastic piled on top of our cake & they add some extra spice & crunch.
Ingredients For Brown Butter Carrot Cake
There’s a few ingredients that you’ll need to use for this recipe that will really make a difference & set your brown butter carrot cake apart from a regular carrot sponge. Here I’ve added substitutions that can be used & where there might not be any.
- Carrots – The main component of a carrot cake! For this cake batter, we’re going to be grating them finely then weighing them out afterwards. This is a more accurate way of weighing our carrots for carrot cake! Make sure to peel the carrots as well, as the peel can taste bitter. Also, don’t use pre shredded carrots as they won’t taste as good & won’t be fine enough!
- Butter – For the best balance between texture & flavour, we’re using a mix of butter & oil. It’s best to use unsalted butter as this is easier to brown & it means that we can accurately add salt in.
- Oil – A neutral vegetable oil is best for carrot cake. Oil stays liquid at room temperature & in the fridge, so it makes carrot cake stay moister for longer. The oil’s there for moisture & the butter for flavour.
- Sugar – For the best flavour, we’re using a mix of dark brown sugar & caster sugar. Light brown sugar will work instead of dark brown but the flavour won’t be quite as rich.
- Sour Cream – Adding sour cream to cake batter gives the sponge a softer, more tender texture. Sour cream can be found in most supermarkets & I wouldn’t recommend leaving it out or swapping it for something else.
- Spices – We’re using classic carrot spices for this recipe; cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg & allspice. Just enough is added to lightly spice the sponge but not over power it.
- Eggs – You’ll need large eggs for this cake batter. Each egg should weigh around 50 grams out of the shell.
- Flour – Plain flour (all purpose) is used for this cake then we’re adding raising agents in ourselves.
- Raising Agents – For the best rise, we’re using a mix of baking powder & bicarbonate of soda. Bicarb needs acidity to activate which in this cake is in the sour cream & brown sugar.
- Salt – Don’t skip the salt, it amplifies the flavour of the carrot sponge!
- Orange – You don’t have to add orange zest to your carrot cake but it works really well with the carrots, spices & sugar.
- Raisins – I like raisins in carrot cake but if you don’t, feel free to leave them out. It’s best to soak the raisins overnight, in rum, black tea or boiling water as they’ll be plumper & juicier and won’t suck up any moisture from the cake batter.
The Key To Making Moist Carrot Cake (But Not Too Dense!)
This brown butter carrot cake couldn’t be easier to make! We’re using the style of cake batter where you mix the wet ingredients together then mix in the dry ingredients, followed by the mix ins (carrots & raisins in this case). This is my favourite way to make cakes, as it’s just so easy!
When you eat a carrot cake, you expect it to be moist, soft & fluffy. Carrot cake should be slightly denser & moister than a regular sponge cake but not overly so! The key to making a moist carrot cake is to use a mix of oil & butter, for flavour. The carrots should be grated finely as well & I also like to add some sour cream into the batter, to increase the fat content slightly & make the sponge more tender. For this recipe, we’re going to be browning the butter as well, which adds a nutty, caramelised flavour to the carrot sponge.
To avoid making the batter too wet, we’re going to be draining the grated carrots by sitting them on top of kitchen paper for 30 minutes before using. This just removes excess water from the carrots, preventing the sponge from having a dense texture. As the brown butter needs to cool before we use it, we let the carrots drain in the meantime then everything’s ready to go at the same time! Oven temperature is crucial when baking, so make sure to give yours plenty of time preheat as well.
Whipped Cream Cheese Ganache Frosting
Regular cream cheese frosting is great but do you know what’s better? Whipped cream cheese ganache frosting! This is made a similar way to my whipped peanut butter ganache but we’re using cream cheese instead of mascarpone and we’re not adding peanut butter. Although that would be good!
To make our whipped cream cheese frosting, we start by making a ganache by warming double cream, butter, golden syrup, vanilla & a pinch of salt over a low heat. Once warm (not boiling!), we stir in soaked gelatine leaves then pour the cream over some chopped white chocolate. We stir this mix to melt then add in cream cheese and use a stick blender to blend it all together. Once made, the ganache gets transferred to a shallow dish then it needs to be chilled overnight in the fridge, to set.
Just before using the frosting, we need to whip the ganache in a stand mixer for 3-4 minutes, until it’s light & fluffy. The frosting should have a similar consistency to softly whipped cream! Be careful not to over whisk it though!
Optional Toppings
Once you’ve frosted your carrot carrot with the cream cheese frosting, you can stop there and you’ll still have a next level layer cake! To take it to another level though, I like to top mine with something crunchy to contrast the fluffy cream cheese frosting & moist carrot sponge. The most popular way to do this is by sprinkling candied nuts on top, which we’re going to be doing. We’re also making some crunchy fried carrot ribbons which we’re sprinkling with cinnamon sugar!
The crystallised nuts can be made a day or two ahead of time but it’s best to make the cinnamon sugar carrot chips just before you need them, as they’ll start to soften over time.
Crystallised Walnuts
Crystallised walnuts are made by cooking toasted walnut halves in sugar & water until a crunchy, snowy white coating forms on the outside. These crunchy, crystallised nuts are super easy to make, you just need to make sure that you don’t over cook them as they’ll turn into caramelised nuts instead! That’s not a bad thing but it’s not what we’re after here!
Cinnamon Sugar Carrot Crisps
Thin ribbons of carrot, deep fried until crispy then tossed in cinnamon sugar! You will need a deep fryer for this (or a large pan of oil) but they’re surprisingly easy to make & look fantastic piled high on top of our carrot cake. To make them, we use a veg peeler to cut ribbons down the length of a carrot then we fry them in hot oil for a couple of minutes until crisp & golden. Once cooked & drained, we toss them in cinnamon & sugar then let them cool completely before using. I like to make these whilst the cake chills, before you apply the final coating of frosting.
How To Assemble A Carrot Layer Cake
The key to making a perfectly stacked layer cake with even layers of frosting & sponge, is to take your time when cutting the sponges in half & when assembling/stacking up the layers. We alternate layers of cake & frosting then cover the whole thing in even more frosting. A handy trick is to have a slightly cloth to hand, for wiping up and frosting from around the base of the cake. This keeps presentation clean & tidy!
Before assembling the cake, we need to cut the 2 carrot sponges in half horizontally, to give us 4 thinner layers of cake. To make this step easier, we’re going to be chilling the sponges in the fridge overnight (this also helps develop flavour) before cutting them. I like to use a sharp serrated knife to cut my cake into layers but if you’ve got a cake leveller cutter, this will work as well.
- First, if you’ve got a cake decorating turn table, it’ll make your life a whole lot easier! So if you’ve got one, place a non slip mat on top followed by a cake board/serving plate.
- Next, spoon a small blob of frosting onto the middle of the plate, spread it out then place a layer of carrot cake on top. The frosting stops the cake from sliding around.
- Place 2 generous spoonfuls of frosting on top of the sponge then use a palette knife to spread it out into an even that completely covers the top of the cake.
- Place another layer of cake on top of the frosting then repeat the frosting & cake layers twice more. You’ll end up with 4 cake layers & 3 frosting layers.
- Next, spread a small amount of cream cheese frosting onto the outside & top of the cake, to make a thin crumb coat. This doesn’t have to be neat, it’s just gives us an even surface to spread on the rest of the frosting. The aim is to use 2 thirds of the frosting for the layers & crumb coat which will leave us enough for the final layer on the outside.
- At this point, it’s best to chill the cake in the fridge for an hour so that the frosting can set up slightly.
- Next, spoon the rest of the cream cheese frosting on top of the cake then use a palette knife to spread it all over the top & sides, in an even layer.
- To finish, I like use a palette knife to add some decorative swoops to the outside of the cake then I arrange crystallised walnuts on top, around the edge then pile up the carrot crisps in the centre.
The Best Way To Serve Carrot Cake
Like most layers cakes, carrot cake is best served at room temperature. However as carrot cake is coated in cream cheese frosting, it needs to be stored in the fridge. So when you go to serve your cake, I’d highly recommend letting it sit out of the fridge for 30 minutes before serving. If you’re not serving the whole cake, cut slices off, let them sit out but put the rest of the cake back in the fridge.
This carrot layer cake has everything that it needs to be eaten its own! You’ve got moist carrot sponge, a light cream cheese frosting & the crunchy walnuts and carrot chips. All of these components work fantastically well together so you don’t really need anything else. That being said, a scoop of vanilla ice cream would work really well. Or a hot cup of tea or coffee!
Tips, Tricks & Troubleshooting
Tips & Tricks
- Grate the carrots on the fine side of a box grater. Finely grated carrots will bake into the sponge more evenly & will add more flavour, moisture & sweetness to the cake.
- For the best balance of flavour & moisture, use a mix of butter & vegetable oil in the cake batter. For even more flavour, brown the butter as well!
- Add sour cream to the carrot cake batter to give the sponge a softer, more tender crumb.
- For the best rise, get the cake batter into the oven as soon as it’s been mixed. Also, avoid opening the oven too early & make sure to allow plenty of time for preheating.
- Chill the carrot sponges in the fridge overnight, to give the flavours time to develop. This also makes it easier to cut the sponge into layers as the cake will be slightly firmer.
- For even layers of sponge, weigh the batter into your lined tins!
- Make the cream cheese ganache the day before using, to give it plenty of time to set. It’s best to whip the ganache into frosting just before assembling your cake.
- Apply a thin layer of frosting to the outside of the cake before applying the final layer. This is called a crumb coat & prevents crumbs mixing into the frosting.
- To cut the cake, use a large straight edged knife that has been dipped in warm water & dried between cuts. This gives us the neatest slices of carrot cake!
Troubleshooting
- My carrot cake sunk – This can happen if you open the oven door too early or use too much raising agent. To prevent sinking, avoid opening the oven too soon (give the cake at least 30 minutes of baking first) & measure the baking powder & bicarbonate of soda out accurately.
- Carrot cake sponge is too dense – Carrot cake will be too dense if the batter contains too much moisture & fat or if not enough raising agent was used. To prevent a dense carrot cake, don’t add too much grated carrot or fat, measure out the raising agent accurately & avoid over mixing the batter.
- Dry carrot cake – Carrot cake will be dry if the sponges were over baked. To avoid dry carrot cake, bake the sponges just until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- The whipped cream cheese frosting is runny – The whipped cream cheese frosting will be runny if you didn’t give the ganache enough time to set. To give your whipped cream cheese frosting the best texture, let the ganache chill in the fridge overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
- My carrot layer cake is wonky – Layer cakes will be wonky & crooked if the layers of cake & frosting weren’t stacked up evenly. To avoid this, carefully stack the layers up, ensuring that each sponge is placed on straight. Chilling the layer cake for 1 hour before applying the outer coating of frosting helps it hold its shape as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
To cook carrot cake in an Aga, bake the carrot sponges on a grid shelf placed onto the floor of the baking oven, with a cold plain shelf slid 2 sets of runners above. Use the simmering plate to warm the cream for the ganache.
Carrot cake gets its moisture from the grated carrot that is added to the cake batter, as well as vegetable oil. To avoid making the cake too moist & dense, it’s best to let the grated carrots drain on a piece of kitchen paper for 30 minutes before using. This step helps remove some of the water from the carrots.
A frosted carrot cake will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days but is best served at room temperature so make sure to let it sit out for 30 minutes before serving.
Unfrosted carrot cake sponges can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months then will need to be defrosted fully before being used. Make sure to wrap the cake layers in clingfilm, to prevent freezer burn.
Yes, the size of the grated carrot will affect the texture of carrot cake. Finer grated carrot will almost disappear into the cake & will impart more flavour and moisture into the sponge. Coarsely grated carrot won’t bake into the sponge like fine carrot will & won’t add as much sweetness.
Carrot cake will sink in the middle for a few different reasons. The most likely reasons are if the oven door was opened too early or if too much raising agent was used. Over mixing the batter or under baking the cake will cause it to sink as well. To avoid sinking, let the cake cook for at least 30 minutes before opening the oven door, measure the raising agents out accurately & don’t over mix the cake batter.
Sour cream is added to carrot cake batter to increase the fat content, without affecting the consistency of the batter. Adding sour cream to carrot cake batter gives it a moister, softer, more tender crumb.
Equipment Used
Please note that these are affiliate links & I may make a small commission if you make a purchase using these links, at no extra cost to you. For more information, click here.
More Baking Recipes To Try!
- Carrot Cake Hot Cross Buns
- Brown Butter Mini Egg Cookies
- Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake
- Pain Aux Raisin Danish Pastries
- Chocolate Cherry Swiss Roll
- Lemon Drizzle Cookies
If you have enjoyed this carrot layer cake recipe, it would mean a lot if you could leave a review & rating. And if you’d like to stay up to date with future recipes, follow us on Instagram & TikTok or subscribe to our newsletter!
Brown Butter Carrot Cake With Whipped Cream Cheese Ganache
Equipment
- 2 8" Round Baking Tins
- Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Box Grater
- Microplane/Grater
- Sieve
- Wire Cooling Racks
- Digital Food Probe
- Palette Knife
- Cake Stand
Ingredients
Soaked Raisins (For The Carrot Sponge)
- 200 g Raisins
- 60 ml Rum (Or Boiling Water – See Notes)
Carrot Cake
- 125 g Unsalted Butter
- 325 g Grated Carrots (Grated Weight – Roughly 4 Big Carrots)
- 200 g Dark Brown Sugar
- 150 g Caster Sugar
- Zest Of 1 Orange
- 70 g Vegetable Oil
- 200 g Sour Cream (Room Temperature)
- 3 Large Eggs (50g Each Out Of The Shell)
- 325 g Plain Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- ¼ tsp Ground Allspice
- ¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg (Freshly Grated Is Best!)
- 1 tsp Table Salt
Whipped Cream Cheese Ganache
- 2 Gelatine Sheets
- 800 g Double Cream
- 150 g Unsalted Butter
- 80 g Golden Syrup (Or Light Corn Syrup)
- 1 Vanilla Pod (Or 2 tsp Of Vanilla Paste)
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
- 300 g White Chocolate
- 450 g Cream Cheese (Full Fat)
Crystallised Walnuts (Optional – For Topping)
- 75 g Walnut Halves
- 50 g Caster Sugar
- 1½ tbsp Water
Cinnamon Sugar Carrots (Optional – For Topping)
- 2 Large Carrots
- 1 tbsp Caster Sugar
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
Soaked Raisins
- Add the raisins into a bowl then pour over the rum. Give the raisins a stir so that they're all covered then cover with clingfilm & leave to soak overnight. Drain the raisins the next day, just before making the cake batter.
Carrot Cake
- The next day, brown the butter. To do this, chop the butter into evenly sized pieces then place into a medium saucepan. Place over a medium heat & allow to melt, stirring regularly with a spatula. Keep cooking, until the butter starts to foam, smells nutty & you can see that the milk solids in the bottom of the pan have turned golden brown.
- Once cooked, transfer the brown butter to a bowl then set aside, to cool.
- Next, peel the carrots, trim the ends off then grate using the fine side of a box grater. Weigh out 325 grams of grated carrot then spread out onto a baking tray lined with kitchen paper. Leave to drain for 30 minutes, whilst the butter cools.
- In the meantime, preheat an oven to 175°c/155°c fan (347°f/311°f). Grease 2, 8 inch round cake tins with butter then line just the bases with a disc of baking parchment. Set aside for now.Make sure to give your oven plenty of time to preheat. The cake batter is quick to make!
- Next, add the brown sugar & caster sugar into a large mixing bowl then grate the orange zest in. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar.This step releases the oil from the zest into the sugar, adding more flavour!
- Add the cooled brown butter into the sugar, along with the vegetable oil then whisk by hand, to combine. Add in the sour cream & eggs then whisk again, until smooth & incorporated.
- Sift the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and the spices into a separate bowl then add in the salt. Whisk by hand (with a clean whisk!) to distribute the raising agents & spices evenly through the flour.
- Add the dry ingredients into the batter then whisk gently by hand, until mostly combined. Some streaks of flour are fine at this point, they'll be mixed in when we add in the carrots & raisins.Make sure not to over mix the batter, as this will make the cake tough!
- Add the grated carrot & drained raisins into the batter then use a spatula to gently fold in. Any streaks of flour should be mixed in now as well.
- As soon as the batter is mixed, equally divide it between the lined tins then bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.The bicarb will start to react as soon as the batter is mixed, so the cakes need to go into the oven straight away! If you'd like to weigh the batter into the tins, each one should have around 850g in.
- Once the cakes are baked, let them cool in the tins for 20 minutes. Then run a small, sharp knife around the edge of each tin before turning each cake out onto a wire cooling rack. Carefully remove the parchment then leave to cool until just slightly warm.Place the cakes top side down onto the cooling racks. This will give the cakes a flatter top!
- Once cooled, wrap the cakes in clingfilm then chill in the fridge overnight.Wrapping the cakes up when they're still slightly keeps them moist. Chilling them makes it easier to cut them in half when we assemble the cake.
Crystallised Walnuts
- If you're making the walnuts to go on top of your cake, it's best to do them straight after making your cake, whilst your oven is still on. To do this, place the walnuts onto a baking tray then bake at 175°c/347°f for 6-8 minutes until golden brown.
- Once toasted, set the walnuts to one side. Line another baking tray with baking parchment then set aside as well.
- Next, place the sugar into a medium sized frying pan then drizzle over the water. Set the pan over a medium heat, cook until the sugar has dissolved then add in the toasted walnuts.Try not to stir the sugar too often, as it dissolves.
- Cook the walnuts, stirring frequently until the sugar has crystallised. This will take around 3-4 minutes & the nuts will have a snowy white coating when ready.
- Once cooked, tip the crystallised almonds onto the lined baking tray then leave to cool completely. Store in an airtight container until you assemble the carrot cake.
Whipped Cream Cheese Ganache
- Fill a bowl up with cold water then add in the gelatine leaves, one at a time. Leave to soak whilst you warm up the cream.
- Add the cream, butter, golden syrup, vanilla pod & salt into a large saucepan then set over a low heat & warm, stirring frequently until the butter has melted & the cream is steaming hot. But not boiling! If you take the temperature of the cream, it will be around 80°c/176°f when ready.If using a pod, scrape the seeds out then add both the pod & seeds into the cream.
- Whilst the cream is warming, chop the white chocolate into small pieces (no bigger than 1cm) then place into a heatproof bowl.
- Once the cream is hot, take the pan off the heat. Squeeze as much water as possible from the soaked gelatine sheets then add into the cream & stir to dissolve. Remove the vanilla pod now as well (if using).
- Next, pour the cream over the chocolate, let it stand for 2 minutes then use a spatula to gently stir the cream & chocolate together until melted & smooth, starting from the middle, working outwards.
- Once the chocolate has melted, add in the cream cheese then use a stick blender to blend it into the ganache. The mix may look split at first but keep blending & it will come together, to make a smooth, shiny ganache.
- Transfer the ganache to a shallow dish, cover the surface with a piece of clingfilm then chill in the fridge until set. This will take at least 8 hours but overnight is best!
- Just before assembling the carrot cake, transfer the ganache into the bowl of a stand mixer then use the whisk attachment to mix on a medium speed for 3-4 minutes until it's light & fluffy and has reached medium peaks.The whipped ganache should have the texture of softly whipped cream. Be careful not to over whip it! It might look runny at first but keep whisking & it will turn into a fluffy frosting.
Assembly – Layers & Crumb Coat
- Unwrap the cakes then use a sharp serrated knife to cut each sponge in half, so that you end up with 4 layers. Or if you'd prefer, use a cake leveller cutter tool. Stack the layers up separated between parchment paper as you cut them.Once cut it's best to flip the top layers of cake upside down, as this will give us a flatter surface for the frosting.
- Next, spread a small amount of ganache onto the middle of a serving plate/cake board then place a layer of cake on top. The ganache stops the cake from sliding around. If you've got one, place the plate onto a turn table with a non slip mat underneath.
- Add 2 generous spoonfuls of whipped ganache on top of the cake layer then use a palette knife to spread it out into an even layer that reaches the edge of the sponge.
- Place another cake layer on top of the whipped ganache then repeat the cake & ganache layers twice more. You'll end up with 4 cake layers & 3 frosting layers.Make sure to stack the sponges up straight otherwise you'll have a wonky cake!
- Next, spread a thin layer of ganache onto the outside & top of the cake, to make a crumb coat. This doesn't have to be neat, it's just gives us an even surface to spread on the rest of the frosting. At this point, it's best to chill the cake in the fridge for 1 hour, to let the ganache firm up slightly.Pop the remaining whipped ganache in the fridge whilst the cake chills. Let it sit out for 15 minutes before using for the final layer.
Cinnamon Sugar Carrots
- If you're making the cinnamon sugar carrots, make them whilst your cake chills. To do this, first peel the carrots then trim the tops off. Run your peeler down the length of each carrot, to make thin ribbons. Turn your carrot a quarter turn every 2-3 ribbons so that they're all roughly the same width. Stop peeling once you reach the core.
- Place the carrots onto a tray lined with kitchen paper then set to one side. Line another tray with kitchen paper then set aside as well.
- Next, preheat a deep fat fryer to 180°c/356°f. Whilst the oil's heating up add the sugar & cinnamon into a small mixing bowl then stir to combine.If you haven't got a deep fryer, carefully warm a pan of oil up on the stove.
- Once the oil is hot, carefully add the carrots in then fry for 1-2 minutes until crisp & golden. Once cooked, let any excess oil drain off the carrots then transfer to the kitchen paper lined tray. To avoid over crowding the fryer, you'll need to cook the carrots in batches. Use a pair of tongs to separate the carrots as they cook, to stop them sticking together. Be careful not to over cook the carrots as they'll turn bitter.
- Transfer the carrots to a mixing bowl then sprinkle over the cinnamon sugar, tossing to evenly coat. Leave to cool completely before using.
Assembly – Coating & Decorating
- Spoon the remaining whipped ganache on top of the cake then use a palette knife to spread it all over the sides & top, in an even layer. I like to use a palette knife to make some decorative swoops on the outside of the frosting.
- Now you can decorate your carrot however you like! The way I like to do it is by placing the walnuts around the edge of the top of the cake then pile the carrots in the middle.
- Once assembled, serve the carrot cake straight away or store in the fridge for up to 3 days. It's best to serve the cake at room temperature. If it's been in the fridge, cut a slice then leave to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
- For the cleanest slices, the best way to cut the cake is to use a large knife that's been dipped in warm water & dried between cuts.
