turmeric carrot cake

with a brown butter cream cheese "mousse"

Sep 26, 2024

Hi hi hello!

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but, I don’t really love the idea of putting out recipes for the classics that already exist in DROVES like vanilla cake, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate muffins (lmfao) or today’s carrot cake. Sure, I’ll share them but at the same time girl what’s the point!? When it feels like there is just so much overlap in these recipes. Do I even have something new to add or am I just sharing a carrot cake because it’s “that time of year”. We’re all just fighting against SEO and algorithms. Does this carrot cake even stand a chance?

We’ve pretty much seen every iteration of a chocolate chip cookie and nothing new has been added to the conversation since brown butter. Of course you can get “freaky” with the mix-ins, Molly Baz adding pistachios & halva, love it but like at what point is something not a chocolate chip cookie and rather something entirely different? That’s how I feel about this cake. Am I pushing the limit far enough to set this cake apart from the rest? Or am I just completely overthinking and over complicating this (yes, duh).

When it comes to ideal ratios for baking there’s kinda only so much room for a new way to bake. You know what I’m saying? I spend lots of time in Tik Tok comment sections and the amount of time I see comments like “Oh this looks like _______’s brownie recipe” it’s just like yeah, a lot of brownie recipes are going to look similar… because they all use… the same key ingredients… and you need them in certain ratios… to WORK. Recipes at the end of the day all all derivative of the ratios that make them work. *please* tell me there are other recipe developers out there who feel the same way, pleASE!

Ranty tangent aside, though I’m now considering a whole post outlining the struggles of developing and writing original recipes that actually resonate with people and get them wanting to bake!!! I’m literally sitting here thinking is it truly worth it to throw ANOTHER carrot cake out into the ether? Ultimately yes, because I do have one singular tip/ingredient that takes this cake over the top in terms of plush, bouncy, moist texture. Other than that it’s a pretty standard carrot cake, not the idea of a carrot cake that has been pushed so far it teeters on something else completely.

My ideal carrot does NOT have pineapple or coconut, though I will add these two ingredients/components when doing something carrot cake inspired. No raisins. Yes cream cheese, sometimes frosting and sometimes a whipped cream cheese mousse, depending on the mood. And no nuts, but yes nuts. That one’s complicated, because I hate the texture of whole walnut or pecan pieces in a carrot cake. Because these specific nuts are very fatty and meaty and already kinda soft as is. They really don’t do it for me texturally because they have this somewhat sogged element to them after being baked into the cake- right, you know what I mean? Obviously we love a super moist soft cake, I’m not opposed to soft textures. But, these nuts are supposed to be a textural contrast and they honestly ruin the vibe. Unless of course, they’re toasted and added to the top the cake and retain a little of that crunch factor.

I do though love the nutty flavor, so to have nuts but not have nuts I toast and then blend them up either on their own into a flour/meal or blitz them up with the buttermilk and oil until you have nut smoothie, yum I know. Because now the nuts are actually putting in work. The fats in these nuts give the cake body, a little bounce and a whole lot of tender!!

I also like to use a touch of a whole wheat flour to really amplify the flavor, I love Rouge de Bordeaux from Tehachapi the notes are a little cinnamon spiced. Rye also works well here and leans into the nutty vibe of the blended walnuts and pecans. As a general rule of thumb I swap about 20-30% of the total weight on the AP flour for a whole grain. This is a sweet spot for adding more flavor and nutrition to a bake without altering the final outcome. Whole grain flours tend to be a little “thirstier” due to their presence of the wheat bran, germ and endosperm, so add too much and it can potentially soak up all the hydration of the batter and dry out the cake. The recipe below calls for 50 grams of toasted rye flour, you can totally swap it out for AP if you’d like. Toasting the flour brings out even more of that flours flavor.

Then there’s the spice element to a carrot cake, which often times is just cinnamon sometimes a shake of two of nutmeg and allspice, maybe even a little ginger. Sometimes I feel like those flavors can overthrow the carrot of it all. So, for a long while, I would just leave the spices out, until recently. I started adding Diaspora Co Haldi Doodh Masala to the mix. This blend of Lakadong Turmeric, Makhir Ginger, Peni Miris Cinnamon, Iniya Cardamom, and Aranya Black Pepper really blends with the carrot, highlighting and uplifting the savory and more earthy notes of the carrots. The turmeric also deepens the color of the cake crumb to this beautiful shade of orange. The flavor of the turmeric really comes through strong on the back end the day the cake was baked, which if you’re not used to it in you cake may take you by surprise. Give the cake a day or two for the flavors to really meld and I promise you wont go back to just cinnamon in carrot cake. I almost always have this masala on hand, I drink it as a warm glass of milk with honey before bed 5 nights a week. But, if you don’t, you can mix your own blend for the cake, or ultimately leave it out or sub for a more classic carrot cake spice- if that’s your jam.

To blend your own spices for this cake it’ll be 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper.

Enough yapping!! On to the cake, but first, of course, what’s a recipe a little playlist to set the mood ♡

Carrot Cake & Brown Butter Whipped Cream Cheese Mousse

Makes 1 thick 8” single layer snacking cake

Ingredients:

Carrot Cake:

85 grams walnuts or pecans, toasted
120 grams buttermilk
125 grams neutral oil
2 large eggs (100 grams)
150 grams dark brown sugar
227 grams carrot, finely shredded*
115 grams all-purpose flour
50 grams rye flour, toasted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, (1/2 the amount if using Morton’s!!)
2 teaspoons Diaspora Co Haldi Masala (or the spice blend listed in the head note, OR just cinnamon- whatever you wanna spice it with alright)

actually weight the shredded carrot btw, don’t grab 227 grams of whole carrots and assume it’ll be 227 after shredding, you loose some when you toss the nubs! OH, and use the fine side of a box grater to shred the carrots, you want something really fine for this cake rather than large flaked shred

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Mousse:

113 grams unsalted butter
226 grams cream cheese (1- 8oz package)
100 grams powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, (1/2 the amount if using Morton’s!!)
220 grams heavy cream

OPTIONAL

I give the final cake a little drizzle of miso caramel that I also infused with a little chicory, since I had it on hand. If you want to add that touch, here’s the link to the miso caramel recipe.

Directions:

For the cake:

Preheat the oven the 335F. You can toast the nuts and rye flour on a sheet pan in the oven while it heats up. Then allow them to cool while you weigh out all your other ingredients. Ultimately toasting the nuts and rye are optional, but we are all about the flavor here baby.
In a blender (or with an immersion blender) combine the 95 grams toasted walnuts/pecans, 120 grams buttermilk and 125 grams neutral oil, blend until the nuts are pretty fine and uniform in size.
To a medium bowl and your nut, milk, oil paste along with 2 large eggs and 150 grams dark brown sugar. Whisk to combine.
To the mix add 227 grams finely shredded carrots, whisk to combine.
Finally, add in the 115 grams all purpose flour, 50 grams toasted rye flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 2 teaspoons of Haldi masala (or the spices of your choosing, okay). Whisk just until no dry spots of flour remain in the batter, do not over mix.
Line the bottom an 8” cake pan that is at least 2 inches deep with parchment paper. Pour the cake batter in to the pan and smooth out with a small offset spatula.
Bake the cake for 40-50 minutes. Bake time ultimately depends on your oven, so it could take a few extra minutes. Cues to look for are a cake thats set in the center, and lightly bounces back when tapped in the center. A tooth pick inserted should come out with a few moist crumbs on it. OR, and this is my go to, an internal temp to 205F is achieved.
Allow the cake to cool before removing it from the cake pan and before frosting.

For the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Mousse:

While the cake is baking, brown the 113 grams of unsalted butter. (Should you not know how to brown butter at this point, here’s a great tutorial). Pour the browned butter into a heat safe bowl and set aside to cool.
Right before you’re ready to frost the cake make the mousse.
Add the cooled browned butter to the bowl of a stand mixer with the 226 grams cream cheese. Beat with the paddle attachment on medium-low until the cream cheese and butter become homogenous.
Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add in the 100 grams powdered sugar and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt to the mixer. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape the mixture into another bowl and set aside.
In the same mixer bowl now fitted with the whisk attachment, whip up the 220 grams of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add in the cream cheese mix and whip until evenly combined.
Use immediately to decorate your cake layer, however you’d like. Though a drizzle of caramel and a few more chopped and toasted nuts are a nice touch.
Store the decorated cake in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Allow the cake to temper slightly, about 10-15 minutes before serving.
enjoy!! xoxo, kassie ♡
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