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DRAMATIC BURNT HONEY CARROT CAKE
Everyone loves a good carrot cake! This dramatic burnt honey carrot cake will bring in the applause with the show stopping carrot crisps on top, drizzled in burnt haughton honey.
Packed with spices and depth of flavour.
Ingredients
The Cake
- 1 cup mild and fruity extra virgin olive oil (235ml)
- 1 cup brown sugar firmly packed (225g) or 1½ cups coconut sugar
- 3 eggs (150g)
- 1 tbs vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (13ml)
- 1¼ cup grated carrot firmly packed, about 2 large (200g)
- 1¼ cup parsnip firmly packed, grated, about 1 large (180g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves or cardamom
- 2 cup unbleached ap flour (250g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (4.8g)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (4.2g)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (5ml)
- ¾ cup greek yogurt 5% fat unsweetened (180g)
- ¾ cup roasted walnuts – optional (96g)
Salted Burnt Honey
- 1 cup Haughton Honey (340g)
- 1/4 cup tap water (118ml)
- 1/4 tsp salt (2.84g)
Burnt Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 oz cream cheese at room temp (452g)
- ¼ cup salted burnt honey or burnt orange blossom honey.
- 1 tbs vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ½ cup powder sugar (56g)
Carrot Crisps
- 1 lb carrots 5-6 large carrots, peeled (454g)
- 1/8 cup castor sugar (30g)
- 1 tsp ground ginger (2g)
Notes for the cook
To speed up the cooling process before frosting the cakes, place the cakes into the freezer to cool completely. This will reduce the cooling time by half.
The carrot crisps can be prepared the previous day.
Prep Time – 20 minutes
Cook Time – 45 minutes
Cook Time – 45 minutes
Cooling+Assembly – 20 minutes
Total Time – 1 hour 25 minutes
Instructions
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The Cake
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Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C
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Line two 8 inch/20cm round cake pans with parchment on the bottom and grease sides, set aside. For a single layer cake 1 large 10”/25cm round cake pan.
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In a large mixing bowl whisk together the olive oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, until smooth.
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Add the grated carrot, parsnip, and spices, and mix well. Then add sour cream and vinegar, mix well.
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Next, fold in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and walnuts.
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Now pour the cake batter evenly into the two 8”/20cm round cake pans, about 24oz/680g each pan without walnut or 25oz/728g with walnuts. Or, divide among four 6” pans with 340g of cake batter each pan.
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Bake at 350°F /180°C for 45 minutes for 8” pans. Bake 25 minutes for 6” pans, makes four small cakes.
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Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Salted Burnt Haughton Honey
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Precaution! Please read before you start. You will need an oversized saucepan and a long wooden spoon or heat safe spatula. This is a wonderful dramatic event, be prepared to stand away from the saucepan.
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Important! Do not taste this until at least 30 minutes after cooling. This is a very high temperature affair.
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In an oversized heavy bottom saucepan add the Haughton Honey on high heat for 5-6 minutes, without stirring, until bubbly, frothy and darkening, but not to a smoky point. Immediately turn off off heat!
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Prepare to stand away: Add the salt to tap water. With your long spoon or spatula, add the water, and quickly stir your now little “volcano” of burnt honey (off heat) until all the froth settles and bubbles are gone.
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Transfer to a heat safe vessel. I like a wide mouth mason jar for easy spooning later. Set aside to cool completely.
Burnt Haughton Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
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Mix the room temp cream cheese using a stand mixer or hand beaters until smooth.
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Add the vanilla and ¼ cup of the completely cooled burnt honey (or ¼ cup honey), beat until smooth.
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Add ½ c powder sugar, beat until smooth. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.Carrot Crisps (also try: parsnips, sweet potato, and beets)
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Removing the outer skin of the carrots, peel carrots in long thin strips down to the root core, moving your vegetable peeler up and down in a continuous motion.
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Arrange the carrots that have been peeled into long thin strips onto a paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with the combined ginger and sugar, and gently toss, leaving little curly piles.
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Bake for 2-3hrs hours on 200°F/150°C or until dry. Preferably with a fan if you have convection. Make sure to check your carrots every 40 minutes to lift and toss them gently into new piles to allow more wet carrots on the bottom to become exposed. Plan for it to take up to five hours if you do not have a fan. Carrots will be paper thin, and feather weight crispy. Set aside to cool until ready to use. This can be done a day ahead.
Assembly
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Be sure the cakes are completely cool before frosting.
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Place one of the cakes onto a serving plate and add half of the frosting to the top.
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Smooth with an offset spatula or back of a spoon.
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Add the second layer of cake and gently press down.
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Add the remaining frosting to the top of the cake.
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Using a long offset spatula, smooth the frosting around the sides of the cake and the top until smooth.
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Decorate the top of the cake with the root crisps and drizzle with the remaining burnt honey just before serving.
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