Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Carrot cake

01 - 160g all purpose flour, sifted (1⅓ cups)
02 - ½ teaspoon baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
05 - 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice (or a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
06 - 100g granulated sugar (½ cup)
07 - 50g brown sugar (¼ cup)
08 - 2 eggs, room temperature
09 - 160g vegetable oil (¾ cup)
10 - 200g freshly shredded carrots, peeled (1½ cups)
11 - 100g toasted and chopped walnuts or pecans (⅔ cup)

→ Cream cheese mousse

12 - 5 gelatin sheets (1.7g gelatin per sheet)
13 - 120g heavy cream (½ cup)
14 - 130g granulated sugar (⅔ cup)
15 - 10g freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 tablespoon)
16 - 400g full fat cream cheese (1¾ cups)
17 - 360g cold heavy cream, 36% fat (1½ cups)
18 - 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

# Instructions:

01 - Preheat oven to 180°C/356°F. Prepare two 18cm (7-inch) pans with parchment paper or grease thoroughly.
02 - Using an electric hand mixer, whip together room temperature eggs, oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for 1-2 minutes until well combined.
03 - Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt, then fold into the wet ingredients. Add shredded carrot and chopped nuts, folding gently with a rubber spatula.
04 - Pour batter evenly into the prepared cake pans, weighing each to ensure equal distribution. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
05 - Allow cakes to cool completely on cooling racks. Once cooled, trim 1-2cm (0.4-0.8 inches) off around the edges of one cake, leaving the other intact. Briefly place both in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before assembly.
06 - Soak gelatin sheets in cold water until soft. Meanwhile, heat 120g cream with sugar over low-medium heat until just simmering.
07 - Squeeze excess water from the gelatin sheets and stir into the hot cream until dissolved. Add lemon juice and allow mixture to cool to room temperature (do not refrigerate as gelatin may form lumps).
08 - In a separate bowl, whip cream cheese with an electric hand mixer for several minutes until light and fluffy. Fold in the room temperature gelatin mixture using a rubber spatula.
09 - Whip the cold heavy cream to soft peaks. Gently fold into the cream cheese mixture using a rubber spatula, maintaining a light and fluffy texture.
10 - Set up an adjustable mousse ring to 18cm (7 inches) in diameter. For a smooth finish, line the interior with an acetate cake collar. Place the larger, untrimmed sponge inside the ring as the base.
11 - Using a piping bag, pipe approximately 2cm of cream cheese mousse over the base sponge. Place in freezer for 5 minutes to slightly set.
12 - Position the smaller trimmed cake on top of the partially set mousse. Pipe remaining mousse around the sides and another 2cm layer on top. Smooth the surface with an offset spatula, reserving some mousse for decoration.
13 - Refrigerate the cake and leftover mousse for a minimum of 4 hours until fully set.
14 - Carefully remove the mousse ring and acetate collar. Fill a piping bag fitted with a French star nozzle tip with the reserved mousse and pipe decorations on top of the cake. Dust lightly with pumpkin spice or cinnamon.

# Notes:

01 - Store the cake refrigerated for 2-3 days.
02 - For best results, ensure all dairy ingredients for the mousse are properly chilled before use.
03 - Allow the cake to sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving for optimal flavor and texture.

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