CARROT CAKE SPHERE
Serves 6
The point of this dish is the sheer fun of experiencing transmogrification at the table. It’s a new way to enjoy carrot cake. We blended carrot cake with milk and cream cheese frosting, then put the mixture into a balloon and inflated it with nitrogen gas. The balloon is then spun in liquid nitrogen until the carrot cake freezes. The result is a hollow sphere, which we serve with candied walnuts and carrot praline. Then we pour a soup of hot frosting over it. The soup causes the sphere to collapse, providing a great visual effect and an ever-changing temperature contrast as you eat the dessert.
CARROT CAKE:
170 grams sugar
85 grams (about 2 medium) eggs
57 grams vegetable oil
161 grams all-purpose flour
4.5 grams baking soda
2.5 grams ground cinnamon
1.25 grams ground ginger
115 grams carrots, shredded
CARROT CAKE PUREE:
340 grams carrots
375 grams Carrot Cake
300 grams whole milk
10 grams ground cinnamon
8 grams ground ginger
CARROT CAKE SPHERE:
300 grams Carrot Cake Puree
FROSTING SOUP:
200 grams cream cheese, room temperature
40 grams confectioners’ sugar
300 grams whole milk
5 grams salt
CANDIED WALNUTS:
100 grams raw walnut halves, shells removed
20 grams maple syrup
10 grams sugar
0.5 gram salt
CARROT PRALINE:
100 grams carrot crumbs (leftover from juicing)
30 grams sugar
3 grams salt
1 gram ground cinnamon
1 gram ground ginger
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Masticating juicer
6 balloons
Whipped cream canister and NO2 charges (see Sources, here)
Syringes, at least 50cc
Liquid nitrogen (see Sources, here)
Insulated cooler or dewar
Dehydrator (optional)
CARROT CAKE:
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper and reserve.
Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, mix the sugar, eggs, and oil on low speed until incorporated. Put the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl, and whisk to blend. Add the carrots and mix gently. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix on low speed until a smooth batter forms. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spread the batter evenly in the pan with a small offset spatula. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cake is cooked through and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a rack. Once the cake is completely cool, turn it out of the pan and break it up into 1-inch pieces for making the puree.
CARROT CAKE PUREE:
Juice the carrots in a masticating juicer. They should yield 150 grams of juice. Drink any extra. Reserve the carrot crumbs leftover from making the juice for the Carrot Praline.
Put the Carrot Cake pieces, milk, carrot juice, cinnamon, and ginger in a blender and puree on high for 1 minute, until completely smooth. Reserve in a covered container in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the spheres, up to 3 days.
CARROT CAKE SPHERES:
Use a whipped cream canister charged with NO2 to inflate a balloon to the size of a softball. Immediately deflate the balloon, which will stretch it out to later inflate easily when you pour in the puree. Use a syringe to pipe 45cc of Carrot Cake Puree into each balloon. Re-inflate the balloon with NO2 to the size of a softball. Tie a knot in the bottom of the balloon to keep the NO2 inside. Repeat with the 5 remaining balloons.
Pour liquid nitrogen into an insulated cooler or dewar and put 1 balloon filled with puree inside the liquid nitrogen bath. Use your fingertips to quickly rotate the balloon 180° and allow it to sit in the liquid nitrogen for 30 seconds. Then rotate the balloon in a 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock circular motion for 30 seconds. Repeat for a total of 2 minutes in the liquid nitrogen, until a frozen shell is formed around the inside of the balloon. Store in the freezer until ready to unmold. Repeat with the 5 remaining balloons.
FROSTING SOUP:
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar on medium speed. Once they are light and fluffy, reduce the speed to low and gradually add the milk and salt, mixing until combined. Turn the mixer off and transfer to a covered container in the refrigerator until you are ready to heat the soup.
CANDIED WALNUTS:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and reserve.
Put the walnuts and maple syrup in a medium mixing bowl. Use a rubber spatula to mix the walnuts until evenly coated with syrup. Add the sugar and salt, and mix thoroughly. Lay the walnuts out on the prepared sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pan 180° after 5 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and allow the nuts to cool completely. Store the Candied Walnuts in an airtight container until ready to use, up to 5 days.
CARROT PRALINE:
Line a dehydrator tray or sheet pan with a silicone mat.
Put the carrot crumbs, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a medium bowl and mix with a rubber spatula until well blended. Spread the carrot mixture on the prepared tray or pan and dehydrate in a dehydrator at 140°F for 3 hours or in the oven at the lowest temperature for 2 to 3 hours, until completely dry. Remove from the dehydrator or oven and break the praline into small pieces. Store in an airtight container until ready to plate, up to 3 days.
TO FINISH:
Put the Frosting Soup in a small saucepot set over medium heat and bring to 165°F. Immediately put the soup in a thermal carafe or in a covered heat-proof pitcher set in a warm water bath, to keep warm.
Remove the Carrot Spheres from the freezer and use a sharp knife to carefully cut around the surface of each balloon. Let the balloons sit at room temperature for 1 minute to temper and then carefully peel the balloon from the outside of the carrot sphere. Put the Carrot Spheres on a sheet pan and put them back in the freezer.
Put 10 grams of Candied Walnuts and 10 grams of Carrot Praline in the center of 6 large, shallow bowls. Remove the Carrot Spheres from the freezer and place 1 on top of the walnuts and praline on each plate. Place 1 plate in front of each diner and then pour Frosting Soup over the Carrot Spheres at the table so your guests can watch the spheres melt away and then enjoy their dessert.
