Brown Butter Zucchini Carrot Cake

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Author: Delphine Fortin
Prep Time: 35 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
Yield: 1 loaf cake 1x
Category: Cakes and Pies
Cuisine: American recipes

Prepared with brown butter and subtle spices, this zucchini carrot cake with walnuts and topped with a generous cream cheese frosting is beyond amazing.

Ingredients

Scale

For the cake:

6 oz (170g) unsalted butter, melted and browned
2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup (60 ml) homemade buttermilk*
3/4 cup (115g) finely grated carrots**
1/2 cup (110g) finely grated zucchini***
1 cup (125g) chopped walnuts

For the frosting:

2 oz (60g) cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (170g) powdered sugar
1 pinch of salt
2–3 Tablespoons heavy cream
2 Tablespoons roasted pistachios, coarsely chopped

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Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour a 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan and set aside.
For the brown better, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Butter will begin to foam and crackle as it melts. When the crackling subsides, the butter will begin to brown. Swirl the pan as the butter cooks. When the butter browns and begins to smell nutty, remove the pan from the heat and transfer the butter to a small bowl in order to prevent the butter from overcooking and burning. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla extract, and homemade buttermilk*. Stir in the grated carrots and zucchini. Whisk in the slightly cooled browned butter.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add the chopped walnuts and gently stir.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the pan for about 10 minutes, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting:

In a medium bowl stir together cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar and salt. Whisk in 2 Tablespoons of cream, adding more if necessary. The frosting should be thick and spreadable.
Spread the frosting over the cooled loaf cake, and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.

Notes

* To make homemade buttermilk, pour one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice in a measuring cup and cover with milk until you reach 1/4 cup (60 ml). Let sit for 5 minutes before using.
** about 3 medium carrots
*** about 1 small-medium zucchini