Candied Carrot Curls

Orange-kissed Carrot Cake

 

Not too long ago, I celebrated my mother’s birthday.  And, as always, I wanted to make her something special for dessert.  My mom is probably my biggest fan, so when I asked her what she wanted for a birthday treat she said, “anything you make will be just fine with me.”    

At first, I thought a chocolate, lemon, pound,  or cheesecake might work.  Then a better idea came to mind–Orange-kissed Carrot Cake.  For health conscious folks, it can’t be too bad–the carrots make it healthy, right?   My Orange-kissed Carrot Cake is a really dense cake packed with walnuts and raisins and iced with an Orange Cream Cheese Frosting (it’s yummy and divalicious).  To make the cake extra special, I decided to top the cake with candied carrot curls.  They take a little time, but they’re easy to make.   And, they make the cake look fabulous.  

Ingredients:

• 1 lg. carrot  (or two medium) 
• 1 cup sugar
• scant cup water
• 2 T orange liqueur

Equipment: Vegetable Peeler, Parchment Paper/Silpat, 1/2 in. wooden dowel*    

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees Farenheit and place rack in the center position.    

Peel layers from carrot lengthwise on only one side until the slices become wide stips–the wider the better.  Peel as many wide strips as possible.    

Measure the orange liqueur first then add enough water to make one cup.  Bring the water/liquer mixture and sugar to a boil in a small pan, stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Add the carrot strips and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.     

candied carrots, simmering

 

Using tongs or a slotted spoon remove the carrot strips and lay flat on a plate for 15 minutes (Note: strain and reserve the syrup for brushing on the layers of your carrot cake before frosting because this adds flavor and moisture).    

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, then arrange the carrot strips flat in a single layer.  Bake for about 30 minutes until dry but still flexible.  Take the carrots out of the oven but leave it on.   For each carrot strip, wrap it around the dowel making a loose spiral, slide the curl off and back onto the baking sheet, with the seam side down.    

spiraled candied carrots

 

Return the curls to the oven and bake 35-40 minutes until crisp.  Check the curls after 5 minutes to make sure they’ve held their shape.   If not, just curl them again and throw them back in the oven.  

      

   

*If you can’t find a dowel at the hardware store, you could try making spirals free-hand, it’s a little tricky, but doable.    

 As you can see, the candied carrot curls made mom’s cake extra special.  And, they taste great!  Try them and make your next carrot cake, divalicious.    

 

Happy Birthday Mom!

 

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Be sweet and Divalicious.

  

Desserts Diva

  

 

  
  
     

  

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

  

 

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