Carrot cake

Gelatine mass

1. Pour the powdered gelatin into a clean container and add cold water. Gently stir with a whisk.
2. Place the mixture in the fridge for 10-15 minutes for the gelatin to swell and bloom.
3. Then take the mass out of the fridge and melt it. If there is any foam, remove it with a sieve.
4. Put the mass back into the fridge to set completely. Then cut it into cubes with scissors so it can be weighed and worked with more conveniently. The ratio of gelatin to water should always be 1:6 (one part of gelatin and six parts of water).
5. You can make the gelatin mass in advance and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days.

TIP: If you are using gelatin leaves, take the same weight of them as you would with powdered gelatin and soak them in cold water. The gelatin leaves will absorb the right amount of water they need. Then squeeze them and use them as required.

Carrot puree

1. Wash the carrots, peel and cut them into little chunks.
2. Then combine all ingredients except the orange juice in a saucepan, cover it with a lid and cook on low-medium heat for about 15 minutes until the carrots soften completely.
3. Remove the spices (vanilla pod and cinnamon sticks) and add the orange juice.
4. Transfer everything into a measuring cup and blend into a smooth puree.
5. Pass it through a fine-meshed sieve.
6. Use the puree right away or cool it down and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Cream cheese chantilly

1. Heat the milk, sugar and gelatin mass in a saucepan until about 80 °C / 176 °F.
2. Transfer the cream cheese into a measuring cup, then pour the hot milk mixture on top.
3. Process everything with a hand blender until smooth.
4. Transfer the mixture to a separate bowl, add the cold whipping cream and mix with a spatula until combined.
5. Cover the Chantilly cream with plastic wrap touching the surface and put it in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours, better overnight.

Orange cream cheese crémeux

1. Mix the sugar with the egg yolks and the orange juice in a bowl with a whisk. Set this mixture aside.
2. Pour the whipping cream in a saucepan and warm it up to about 80 °C / 176 °F. Then gradually pour it onto the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk.
3. Transfer the mixture back into the saucepan and cook it on low-medium heat to 82-84 °C / 180-183 °F, making sure to stir well all the time.
4. Then add the Cointreau liqueur and the gelatin mass to the egg preparation and mix with a silicone spatula until the gelatin has dissolved.
5. Transfer the cream cheese to a measuring cup, strain the warm egg mixture over it and process everything with a hand blender until smooth.
6. Transfer the finished crémeux to a clean bowl, cover it with plastic wrap touching the surface and refrigerate for 6 hours, better overnight.

Carrot crémeux

1. Mix the sugar with pectin and Natur Emul using a whisk.
2. In a saucepan, combine the carrot puree and milk, then gradually sprinkle in the pectin and sugar mixture while whisking constantly. Bring everything to a boil on medium heat and cook for about 30 seconds.
3. Remove the mixture from the heat, transfer it into a measuring cup and process with a hand blender for about a minute.
4. Cover the bottom of 4 cake rings d=12 cm with cling film and place them on a tray.
5. Pour 100 g of the crémeux into each cake ring, freeze.
6. Once frozen, peel off the cling film and unmold the crémeux layers. Keep them in the freezer until assembly.

Candied carrots

1. Pour water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Peel the carrot and slice it thinly using a vegetable peeler.
3. Put the carrot slices into the hot syrup and cook them over low heat for about 30 minutes until they turn soft and translucent. Drain the syrup.
4. Arrange the carrots on a tray lined with a silicone mat. Put it in the oven preheated to 100 °C / 212 °F for 10 minutes.
5. Let the carrots cool down slightly and then shape them, while they are still warm and flexible. Keep the decoration at room temperature until assembly.

Chiffon sponge

1. Pour the grapeseed oil, honey, egg yolks and egg whites (1) in a measuring cup and process with a hand blender until smooth. Transfer the mixture in a separate bowl and set it aside.
2. Sift the flour, potato starch and baking powder, mix them briefly with a whisk. Add the dry mix to the egg mixture, mixing everything with a whisk.
3. Whip the room temperature egg whites (2) in a stand mixer on medium speed. When they start foaming, gradually add sugar and the orange water-soluble food colorant on the tip of a knife. Keep whipping for about 7-10 minutes until soft peaks are formed.
4. Gently fold the meringue into the egg yolk mixture using a silicone spatula.
5. Pour the batter onto a 40×60 cm baking tray lined with a silicone sheet and spread it using an offset spatula.
6. Bake the sponge in the fan assisted oven, preheated to 150 °C / 302 °F, for about 20-25 minutes.
7. Once baked, immediately cover the hot sponge with parchment paper, flip it over and leave it like this at room temperature until it cools down completely. Then remove the silicone mat and parchment paper.
8. Cut out 4 discs d=14 cm. Then cut 2 sponge strips l=50 cm and w=6 cm.

TIP: To prevent any browning on the bottom of the sponge, bake the sponge on 2 baking trays, placed one over the other, and with a Silpat mat placed between them.

Assembling

• 2 pcs of sponge strips
• 4 pcs of sponge circles
• Stabilized orange cream cheese crémeux
• Frozen carrot crémeux

1. Prepare 2 cake rings d=16 cm and h=6 cm. Line them with an acetate strip.
2. Put the long sponge strips inside the cake rings creating the sides of the cake. Then place a sponge disc in the bottom of the cake ring.
3. Stir the stabilized orange crémeux with a spatula and transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a round tip d=9 mm. Apply 100 g of the crémeux to the sponge layer.
4. Then place a frozen carrot crémeux disc on top and press to level it. Pipe another 100 g of orange crémeux over it.
5. Cover with a second sponge layer, apply 100 g of orange crémeux and then add another disc of the carrot crémeux.
6. Put the cakes in the fridge for 1-2 hours to stabilize.