Moreish Spiced Carrot Cake Buns
Ingredients:
Carrot Cake
450g raw carrots grated
275g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp rounded ground ginger
Pinch of nutmeg
150g crushed pineapple (or pineapple rings blitzed with a soup blitzer)
200g vegetable oil
100g caster sugar
200g light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 med eggs
Butter and flour for greasing tins
Frosting
250g cream cheese room temp
100g butter (softened)
500g icing sugar sieved
2 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
Large handful of pecans
200g sugar
Method:
1. Preheat oven 180C, grease the tins with melted butter using a pastry brush and then dust with flour and make sure all the tins are evenly coated.
2. Grate the carrots into a bowl.
3. Then using another bowl add in the oil, sugars, eggs, vanilla extract and crushed pineapple and combine.
4. Then sieve in the flours and the spices and combine well. Then add in the grated carrot.
5. Then divide between the 12 moulds evenly, bake in the middle shelf of the oven for 25-30 min. Use a skewer to check when they are ready, should come out clean when it is fully baked.
6. In another mixing bowl, place the softened butter and room temperature cream cheese and vanilla extract in it, then using an electric whisk beat till fluffy and smooth. Then add the sieved icing sugar a bit at a time otherwise you will be in a colour of icing sugar, whisk with every addition till a smooth and creamy texture.
7. Then in a clean frying pan/pot toast the pecans till you can smell their delicious oil being released, watch they do not burn. Put these pecans to the side on a piece of parchment.
8. Clean this pan and add in the 200g sugar and put it on to the highest heat, wait for the edges to go brown then add in a large splash of the sugar syrup in the middle of the sugar, then swirl the pan so the syrup dissolves the rest of the sugar. Let this now bubble, once it turns a golden colour, take off the heat. Pour half of this caramel directly onto the pecans and quickly toss about using a fork so the pecans are covered. Once it cools, use a knife and chop it up roughly.
9. Over a couple of sheets of baking parchment and holding out a wooden spoon handle, in a quick back and forth motion pour the caramel in a thin continuous stream over the spoon this will cause sticky strands of sugar. This is your spun sugar, divide up, mould in whatever way you want.
10. The carrot cakes should be ready, ease out with a palette knife by running around the edges of each cake. Then place cooking rack on top of the muffin tin and flip out so they cool properly.
11. Then decorate with the cream cheese frosting, candied pecans and spun sugar.
