Carrot Cake with Cinnamon Citrus Cream (Thanksgiving Recipes)

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Step 5:

For the candied curls, use a vegetable peeler and peel off some different sized carrot peels.

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Step 6:

In a small saucepan, mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. Dump in your carrot peels and simmer until they darken and become translucent, about 15 minutes.

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Step 7:

Remove and place on parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Make little decorative shapes, and set them aside. They should harden up a little; if not, place them in a low oven (about 200 degrees) and let them dry out for 15 minutes or so. If they stick to the paper, put them in the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off. I also used the rest of the sugar mixture in the bottom of the pan and covered some extra pecan halves with the caramel (see the bottom and upper left corners).

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Step 8:

Now make the icing to top the carrot cake. You'll need mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, vanilla extract, an orange, cinnamon, and sugar.

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Step 9:

Mix about 1/4 cup of mascarpone with equal parts of heavy whipping cream, about 1 tsp orange zest, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 2-3 TB fresh orange juice, a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar, and whip to combine. I just tasted and adjusted. I also added a little fresh lemon juice for acidity.