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–+ 8-inch cake layers

Carrot Cake with Pecan Butterscotch Filling

Spiced carrot cake layers infused with a refreshing orange simple syrup then layered with cream cheese Swiss meringue buttercream and homemade pecan butterscotch filling!
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Prep Time: 27 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: carrot cake, cream cheese Swiss meringue buttercream, pecan buttersotch filling, thanksgiving dessert
Servings: 3 8-inch cake layers
Author: Ainseanlea @ The Stush Kitchen

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Equipment

  • 3 8-inch cake pans or 2 10-inch pans
  • stand mixer with whisk and flat beater attachments
  • grater

Ingredients

Carrot Cake

  • 18 oz whole carrots
  • 13 oz all-purpose flour
  • 11 oz brown sugar
  • 12 oz unsalted butter 3 sticks
  • 3 oz neutral-flavored oil
  • 12 oz whole milk plain Greek yogurt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 TBSP baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp cardamom
  • zest from 1 medium orange

Orange Simple Syrup

  • juice from 1 medium orange 4 oz total needed - top up with water if necessary
  • 4 oz granulated sugar

Pecan Butterscotch Filling

  • 4 oz unsalted butter
  • 6 oz brown sugar
  • 6 oz heavy cream
  • 3 oz chopped pecans
  • 1 tsp salt

Cream Cheese Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • 6 large egg whites
  • 12 oz granulated sugar
  • 14 oz unsalted butter cut in 1-inch cubes
  • 4 oz cream cheese powder
  • 1 ½ TBSP lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Carrot Cake

  • Preheat oven to 400°F and roast the carrots whole for 30-40 minutes until you can easily poke through them with a fork.
    Once done reduce the oven temperature to 325℉
  • Once cool enough to handle, grate the carrots and then add to a bowl along with the all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt. Mix to evenly incorporate then set aside.
  • Add the butter, oil, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, nutmeg and orange zest to a mixing bowl and beat on high speed until pale and fluffy.
  • Add all the eggs and beat again on low-medium speed until the eggs are fully incorporated.
  • Add half of your flour/carrot mixture along with half of the greek yogurt and beat on low speed. Once mixture is smooth, add the rest of the flour/carrot mixture and the rest of the greek yogurt and mix again until smooth.
  • Prepare your baking pans with baking spray or other cake release spread/spray and divide the batter equally among 3 8-inch baking pans (or 2 10-inch pans).
  • Bake for 24-30 minutes at 325°F until a toothpick come out with just a few crumbs.

Orange Simple Syrup

  • While the cake layers bake, juice the zested orange from earlier and, if needed, top up with water until you have a total of 4 ounces.
  • Add 4 ounces of granulated sugar to the orange juice and stir until the sugar is melted. You can microwave the mixture in 2-030 second bursts to help dissolve the sugar.
  • Once the cake layers have been removed from the oven allow them to rest for 5 minutes then using a toothpick, poke holes in the cake and evenly pour your orange simple syrup across the top. Use about 3-5 tablespoons of orange simple syrup per 8-inch cake layer.
  • Cover the cake with plastic wrap, placing it flush to the surface of the cake to help trap moisture that escapes as steam. Allow the cake layers to cool completely before decorating cake.

Pecan Butterscotch Filling

  • Bring a pan to medium heat then add your butter and chopped pecans. Allow the butter to melt until frothy.
  • Add the brown sugar & heavy cream, stirring until smooth. Allow the pecan butterscotch to gently bubble and reduce for 2 minutes then immediately remove from heat.
  • Add the salt, mixing to evenly incorporate then transfer the pecan butterscotch to a heat resistant storage container until ready to assemble cake.

Cream Cheese Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • Add the egg whites along with the salt, lemon juice and granulated sugar to a large bowl and over a double boiler, whisk until the sugar has dissolved completely.
    To test, touch the mixture to your fingertips - it should be sticky but smooth. If you feel a grainy texture, return to the double boiler and continue to whisk til smooth.
  • Once the meringue mixture is smooth, whip on high speed for 5-7 minutes or until firm glossy peaks form. The meringue should be at room temperature by this time.
  • Add the butter one chunk at a time, waiting until the previous has been completely incorporated before adding another.
  • Once all the butter has been added to the meringue, add the cream cheese powder and vanilla and whip again until the buttercream is smooth and fluffy.
    Store in an airtight container if not using immediately.

Assembling the Carrot Cake with Pecan Butterscotch Filling

  • On an appropriate sized cake circle ,spread a thin layer of the cream cheese frosting.
  • Place the first cake layer down in the center of the cake circle. Using an offset spatula, spread a layer of the cream cheese Swiss meringue buttercream across the top while making a small well in the center.
  • Spoon the pecan butterscotch filling in the buttercream well created in the last step.
  • Repeat, the above steps, stacking each cake layer on top of the other.
  • Using the offset spatula again or a cake scraper, crumb coat the cake by spreading a thin layer of the cream cheese Swiss meringue buttercream across the entire surface of stacked cake.
    Refrigerate the cake for at least 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
  • Once the crumb coat is set, decorate your cake as desired with the remaining buttercream. I opted to cover the cake again in another layer of buttercream also adding a border along the top to hold an additional layer of pecan butterscotch.
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