Hummingbird Carrot Cake

Toast the Pecans

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 8–10 minutes, shaking halfway. Let cool completely, then crush them using a food processor or rolling pin until pea-sized.

Prep the Cake Pans

• Grease and line two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.

Prep the Pineapple and Carrots

• Drain the pineapple, reserving ¼ cup of the juice. Blend the pineapple into a puree.
• Grate the carrots using a box grater or food processor. Then, chop them slightly so no pieces are longer than ½ inch.

Mix the Wet Ingredients

• In a medium bowl, combine the pureed pineapple, grated carrots, pineapple juice, buttermilk, vanilla, and ginger. Set aside.

Mix the Dry Ingredients

• In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, cloves, coconut flakes, and crushed pecans.

Whip Eggs and Sugar

• In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld electric mixer), beat the eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-low speed just until the eggs are broken up. Then increase to medium-high and continue beating for about 4 minutes, until the mixture is thick, pale, and airy.
• With the mixer on medium-high, slowly stream in the oil until the mixture is smooth and emulsified. It may deflate slightly; this is okay.

Combine Everything

• Switch to the paddle attachment. If you're using a handheld mixer, stop here and finish mixing by hand with a rubber spatula. Add half of the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix on low speed until mostly incorporated.
• Add the pineapple-carrot mixture and mix gently.
• Finally, add the rest of the dry ingredients and fold in by hand until just combined. Don’t overmix.

Bake

• Divide batter evenly between the pans. Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Remove parchment paper.

Make the Brown Butter Frosting

Brown the Butter

• In a saucepan, melt 2 sticks of unsalted butter over medium heat. Stir and scrape the bottom constantly.
• When it stops sputtering and foams, watch for brown bits to form (about 6–8 minutes).
• Transfer the browned butter, including all those tasty brown bits, to the bowl of your stand mixer. Let it cool completely and solidify. (Speed this up with an ice bath, stirring frequently, but don’t let it fully harden.)

Make the Frosting

• Once the butter is solid but soft, add cream cheese and vanilla. Beat on medium-high for 3 minutes until fluffy.
• Gradually mix in the powdered sugar. Beat 2 more minutes until smooth and creamy. If the frosting is too loose, chill it in the fridge for 10 minutes at a time, stirring with a spatula, until it thickens.

Assemble the Cake

• Place one cake layer upside down on your serving platter. This gives you a flat surface for frosting. Spread about ⅓ of the frosting on top, then add the second layer, also upside down.
• Apply a thin crumb coat (a light layer of frosting that traps crumbs and smooths the surface), and chill the cake for 15 minutes to set.
• Optional: Skip the crumb coat if your cake layers were frozen. Frozen cakes don’t release crumbs like fresh ones, making it easier to frost cleanly right from the start.
• Finish frosting with the remaining cream cheese mixture, using loose, swoopy strokes. Chill for another 10–15 minutes before slicing for clean, neat edges.