Place the eggs and 1 cup brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed for 8 minutes or until thick and doubled in size. Combine remaining ingredients—carrots, almond flour, coconut, dates, salt, spices, baking soda, oil, and vanilla—in a large bowl and toss to combine. Fold the carrot mixture into the beaten egg mixture, trying to drain the eggs as little as possible, and spoon the mixture into your prepared cake pan. Flatten the top of the cake so it is level.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, but please note: a toothpick inserted in the center will come out with no batter after just 35-40 minutes, but it won’t bake enough (i.e. the crumb might be soggy and even a little too appear slightly baked). in the middle), unless you need another 10 to 15 minutes. The cake forgives what you might think is over-baked, even if the sides appear dark.
Remove the cake from the oven and immediately run a knife around the cake to loosen any stuck areas. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment and allow the cake to cool, right side up, to room temperature. I usually rush this either outside on a cold day or in the fridge.
Prepare glaze: [See Note about cream cheese temps in the post] In a stand mixer, food processor, or handheld mixer: Beat or puree cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla paste and extract until creamy and light-colored.
For glazing and decorating: Spread 2/3 (just the eyeball) of the frosting onto the cooled cake and spread into a thin smooth layer. Put the remaining frosting in a bag and cut off the corner. Pipe overlapping flourishes around the cake until you run out of frosting.
Get ahead: Store leftover cake in the fridge. It lasts (without feeling dry, hooray) for 5 to 6 days.