Packed with carrots and dried cherries, this truly is the best ever gluten free carrot cake. It's frosted with the most luscious cream cheese frosting!
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans by spraying with nonstick spray and lining the bottom with parchment (or greasing and flouring). Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients (flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices). Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugars, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Add the carrots, dried fruits, and coconut and stir until well combined.
Gently fold in the dry ingredients.
Divide the batter between the 3 cake pans and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and place cakes (in pans) on wire racks to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pans to cool completely.
FOR THE FROSTING:
In a (preferably light-colored) skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Stir frequently until completely melted and bubbly and milk solids fall to the bottom. While constantly stirring, pay attention to the color of the milk solids. When they have completely browned, immediately remove from the heat and pour into a heat-proof bowl or container, making sure to scrape all the bits of brown, toasted solids from the bottom. Cool at room temperature (or refrigerate) until of a spreadable consistency.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a handheld mixer), beat the brown butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and continue beating until well combined and smooth.
With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, a little at a time (I like to "pulse" the mixer on and off so the powdered sugar won't fly out of the bowl), vanilla, and orange juice (if using). Increase the speed to medium high and beata for 3-4 minutes or until completely smooth and creamy.
When ready to assemble the cake, place one cake round on a turntable or serving platter. Top with roughly one cup of frosting and smooth to edges. Add the second cake layer and top again with another cup of frosting, smoothing to the edges. Place the final cake layer on top. Add frosting on the top and sides and decorate as desired. (For carrots, tint ¼ cup frosting orange and ¼ cup green and place each in decorating bags fitted with small round writing tips {I use Wilton #3 or 4}. Pipe carrot in zigzag fashion coming to a point at the end. Pipe 3 short lines on top of each carrot for carrot tops).
Serve cake cold or at room temperature, but store cake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Cake can also be frozen whole or sliced (well wrapped in double layers of plastic or one layer of plastic and one layer of foil) for up to three months.
Notes
***To make cake without added fruit, substitute the same amount of fruit (6 oz or 170g) with an additional 6 oz (170g) finely grated carrots.