Cake recipe adapted from Eat Fresh by Annabel Langbein
Course: Dessert
Keyword: carrot cake
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Candied Orange Peel:
3medium orangesthin-skinned navel or Valencia are best
1c/200g granulated sugar
¾c/175ml water
Cake:
¾c/150g granulated sugar
¾c/165g brown sugar
¾c/175ml vegetable oil
2lg eggs
1 ¼c+ 2 tbs/165g all-purpose flour
1tsp/3g cardamom
1tsp/3g ground ginger
¼tspsalt
1tsp/3g baking powder
2c/240g grated carrot
¼c/50g chopped candied orange peel
¾c/75g chopped walnuts
Frosting:
8oz/225g mascarpone
¾c/90g powdered sugar
¾c/175ml heavy cream
1tbs/15ml orange juice
To decorate:
Toasted walnut halves
Candied orange peel
Instructions
Candied orange peel:
Remove peel from oranges in large sections. I did this by cutting off the top/sepal end of the orange and scoring four quadrants before attempting to peel, using a paring knife to loosen any difficult bits.
Trim peels so that the white pith is less than or equal to the quantity of orange rind and there are no spots of flesh. Slice into 1/8” strips.
Bring water and ¾ c sugar to a simmer in a medium sauce pan. Add orange peel and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking as syrup reduces, 15-25 minutes.
Once syrup is very sticky and white pith is completely translucent, use a fork to remove peels from syrup and place separately on a silicon mat or parchment paper. Allow to cool completely – orange peels should snap when bent firmly.
Once cool, toss separated peels in remaining sugar to coat. Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. Any moisture will significantly reduce shelf life.
Cake:
Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare a muffin pan with liners.
Whisk sugars and eggs together until smooth. Whisk in oil and eggs.
Stir in flour, spices, salt, and baking powder until completely combined.
Fold in carrot, walnuts, and candied orange peel. Divide among muffin tins, I used just under ½ c per tin.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a tester comes out with a few crumbs. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes in pan before removing and cooling completely.
Frosting:
Whip cold mascarpone on medium-high for 1-2 minutes until light. Add sugar and orange juice and continue beating.
Once very light and fluffy, add cream and beat until very stiff peaks form. Chill until ready to pipe.
Pipe (or dollop) cream onto cupcakes and decorate with a large toasted walnut piece and a small piece of candied orange peel. Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 1 week.
Notes
You can certainly make this as a full size cake. I suggest a 8 or 9" cake pan and it will likely take closer to 1 hour to bake.