blaze // carrot cake with white chocolate cream cheese frosting

She wore a dress that was dipped in the colors of a bonfire – streaks of orangey-yellow melting into a gold so bright it looked white. The air around her was a shimmering pale gold, and her dress twinkled in the late afternoon light with every soundless step she took. She walked head down on the tips of her bare toes, careful to land her foot in the spaces between the yellow leaves that had long left their homes in the branches suspended above. There were so many of them they blanketed the soft earth underneath, she couldn’t possibly miss them all. She took her next step. A faint rustle. The girl sighed. Not that she wasn’t allowed to make a sound, she doubted anyone else would even care. They never do, too absorbed in their own reflections to notice a fireball hurtling across the sky if it ever did.

What would it take, if not a falling fireball? A web of lightning, or the pounding rain? Something pretty to look at, or something so shockingly hideous? The girl reached an old tree which trunk was painted in ebony, and she climbed up to the nearest branch on which she sat, her back to the trunk and her legs gently swinging back and forth beneath her, pondering, wondering.

Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

makes a 7 inch cake

For the cake:

187 grams all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

80 grams sugar

80 grams brown sugar

150 ml canola oil

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups coarsely shredded carrots

For the frosting:

150 grams white chocolate

200 grams cream cheese, softened but still cool

50 grams unsalted butter, softened but still cool

2 teaspoons sour cream

For assembly:

dried citrus fruits

toasted walnuts

Make the cake: Prepare a 7 inch round cake pan. Preheat oven to 170C.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk the sugars, oil and eggs until blended. Add the flour mixture and whisk until incorporated. Stir in the carrots. Scrape the batter into the pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly in the pan before turning it out onto a rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting: Melt the white chocolate in the microwave. Set aside until cooled.

In a food processor, process the cream cheese, butter and sour cream until smooth and blended. Scrape down the sides. Add the melted white chocolate and pulse for a few times until incorporated.

For assembly: Trim the top of the cake such that it’s level. Slice into 6 equal portions. Transfer frosting into a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip. Pipe blobs of frosting starting from the outer ring of each slice to the slimmest part of the triangle. Arrange the dried fruits and walnuts on top.