- 12
Ingredients
- Cake:
- 1-1/2 C shredded carrot
- 2 Tbl fresh lemon juice
- 1-1/2 C all purpose flour
- 1-1/4 C sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 C peanut oil
- 3 eggs
- Frosting (makes 3 cups):
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
- 16 ounces ocnfectioner's sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Grand Marnier Creme Anglaise (makes 2.5 cups):
- 2 C half and half
- 1 vanilla bean
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/3 C sugar
- 4 Tbl Grand Marnier
- 6 oranges, cut into ckinless segments
- 12 mint sprigs
- Confectioner's sugar for dusting
Preparation
Step 1
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter and flour a 12-cup muffin pan.
Mix carrots and lemon juice and set aside. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl of electric mixer and blend well on low speed. Add oil and blend again. Increase the speed to medium and add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the carrot mixture.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each not quite full. Place in middle of oven and bake until edges of cake pull away from the sides of the cups and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Take out of the oven and cool to room temperature on rack.
Frosting:
Beat cream and butter together on medium speed until combined. Scrape bown and beaters. With mixer on medium, slowly add confectioner's sugar. Pour sugar at the edge of the bowl, not directly into the beaters to avoid creating a cloud. When all the sugar ahs been incorporated, beat in the vanilla.
Put frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip. Clice cakes in half horizontally and fill with thin layer of frosting, then replace tops. Pipe many little stars of frosting on top of each cake. Set aside for at least half an hour to let frosting harden slightly.
Anglaise:
Put half and half in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Split vanilla bean and scrape seeds into cream, then drop in pods. Bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside to steep for 15 minutes, then remove pods
Set medium bowl in larger bowl of ice.
In another bowl, beat together egg yolks and sugar until mixture is pale yellow. Whisking constantly, very slowly pour the scalded cream into the egg mixture until all in incorporated. Stir in Grand Marnier. Pour custard back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring slowly with a wooden spoon, until custard thickens. Do not boil. Remove from heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into bowl set in ice. Stir with a whisk while cooling.
To serve:
Fill center of dessert plate with creme anglaise. Place frosted carrot cake in center and arrange orange segments around the cake. Place a mint sprig on each and dust with confectoner's sugar.