Carrot Snack Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9” x 9” square pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper to create a sling, with an overhang on all four sides.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt with a whisk. Add the eggs, oil, and buttermilk to the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Fold in the grated carrots, pineapple, and walnuts.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the center of the cake springs back to the touch (or a toothpick comes out clean). Allow the cake to cool completely at room temperature before frosting.

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting: While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. In a small pot, add the butter and melt it over medium-low heat. Stirring constantly, brown the butter until it becomes foamy on top and turns a deep golden brown color. You’ll know it’s done when you see darker brown bits on the bottom of the pan and the butter has a nutty aroma. Set aside to cool slightly.

Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth with no lumps remaining. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and brown butter and mix just until fully combined.

Assembly: For the piped carrots, color about ¼ cup of the frosting orange and about 1 Tablespoon green, using gel food coloring. Fill piping bags with the frosting and snip the ends or fit the bags with piping tips before filling.

Spread the remaining (uncolored) cream cheese frosting over the top of the cooled cake using an offset spatula and push the frosting just to the edges and corners until covered. Pipe frosting carrots with leaves all over the top of the cake.