Cardamom-Pistachio Carrot Cake

Photo By Laura Murray, Food Styling By Susan Spungen

from Bon Appétit 

submitted by Anne Halsted 

preparation time: 2 hours 

serves many 

 

Cake 

Vegetable oil (for pan) 

3 medium carrots, peeled 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces 

1 cup raw pistachios 

3 large eggs, room temperature 

1 cup dark brown sugar 

¼ cup granulated sugar 

1 ¾ teaspoon baking powder 

¼ teaspoon baking soda 

1 ½ teaspoon ground cardamom 

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal or ¾ teaspoon Morton kosher salt 

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 

 

Glaze 

½ cup carrot juice 

½ cup heavy cream 

½ cup granulated sugar 

¼ teaspoon Kosher salt 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

 

For the cake: Place rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat bottom and sides or a 9 inch-diameter cake pan with oil. Line bottom of pan with a round of parchment paper and smooth to eliminate any air bubbles. 

 

Grate carrots on the large holes of a box grater. Measure out 2 ½ cups of the carrots; reserve remaining carrots for another use. 

 

Set a fine mesh sieve over a measuring glass and place next to stove. Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium until foaming, about 2 minutes. Add pistachios and cook, stirring often, until butter browns and nuts smell toasty, about 5 minutes. Pour mixture through prepared sieve, scraping in all of the browned bits; set nuts and brown butter aside. 

 

Crack eggs into a large bowl; add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat 3 minutes (mixture should be thick, pale, and increased in volume). Decrease speed to medium-high and gradually stream in reserved brown butter (including browned bits); beat until combined. Coarsely chop reserved pistachios. Using a rubber spatula, fold in flour until almost completely combined, then add nuts and carrots and continue to fold until everything is incorporated. Scape batter into prepared pan; smooth surface. Place pan on a clean smooth surface and give it a fast 360-degree spin (this pushes the batter up the sides of the pan and minimizes doming during baking). 

 

Bake cake until deeply browned and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cake cool in pan. Run a small offset spatula or butter knife around perimeter of cake to loosen. Place a plate upside down over the cake and invert cake onto plate, flat side up. Remove parchment paper. 

 

For the glaze and assembly: Place a small plate in the freezer. Cook carrot juice, cream, granulated sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over high heat (do not stir) until thick like lava, 8 to10 minutes. Mixture will initially bubble and foam vigorously and look like it’s going to boil over; but it won’t! Don’t be tempted to reduce the heat; the bubbling will subside, and mixture will thicken. You want it to be thick enough to stick to the cake, but do not let it brown. Test glaze by putting a small dollop on the cold plate; when you run your finger through the glaze, it should leave a defined trail. 

 

Once the glaze is thick enough, remove the pan from heat and stir in butter. Let cool until you can comfortably hold your finger in it, about 15 minutes. Stir glaze well and pour over center of cake, nudging to the edges with offset spatula or butter knife. Pop any air bubbles with a toothpick. Let glaze cool at least 10 minutes before slicing cake.