Carrot Cake

• Preheat oven to 325°F.  Prepare two 8″ cake pans, or three 6″ cake pans by spraying with baking spray and lining the bottoms with parchment rounds.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. 
• In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oil and both sugars until well combined and smooth.  Next, whisk in the eggs, one at a time, then add in vanilla.
• Using a spatula or wooden spoon, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until there are no dry streaks remaining.  Fold in grated carrots and chopped nuts.  Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.
• Bake 8″ pans for 30-40 min OR bake the 6″ pans for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Let cool for 15 minutes before removing cakes from the pans.  Allow cakes to cool completely before leveling the tops and frosting.  (Tip: Chill the cooled cakes in the fridge for at least one hour, wrapped in plastic wrap, to make leveling the cakes easier.)

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

• Place the butter in a small saucepan and cook over a medium heat.  The butter will bubble and foam.  Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter begins to brown in color and smell nutty.  You should see small brown particles on the bottom of the pan.  Immediately remove from the heat and transfer butter to a measuring cup.  Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the counter.  Then place in the fridge until the butter becomes solid but still a soft room temperature consistency.  Check the amount of butter in the measuring cup, as some of the water content will have evaporated during the browning process.  Add in enough additional butter to bring the amount back up to 1/2 cup.  (I needed 2 tbsp for this.)
• Using a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the browned butter and cream cheese together until smooth and well combined, at least 3 minutes. 
• Add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing on low speed at first then increasing to high speed.  Add in vanilla extract and pinch of salt. 
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated and whip the frosting again for a few minutes until it is light and fluffy.  (If needed, add in whole milk or heavy cream if the frosting is too thick, 1 tsp at a time, until you’ve reached the desired consistency.)

Assembly

• Level the chilled cakes to remove any doming.  Place the first layer on a cake board or serving plate.  Use an offset spatula to spread on an even layer of frosting.  Repeat with the middle layer, if applicable.  Place the top cake layer on with the flat side up.  Spread frosting smoothly all over the top. 
• For a semi-naked look, spread a thin layer of frosting around the sides of the cake.  Gently scrape away the frosting with a cake scraper until sections of the cakes underneath are peaking through.
• Top cake with clean, organic fresh flowers if desired.