No Room For Square Plates In a Round World
Carrot Cake & Vanilla Semifreddo Sandwich With Salted Caramel Sauce
I swear with every ounce of my integrity to never serve anything on a square or rectangular plate. No good meal is made better by such earthenware prisons. The advocates for these plates cite space efficiency, modern aesthetic, and minimalism as their defense. These seem like noble causes to those who dream in gray. What do you benefit if you gain a few inches of cupboard spaces but lose your own soul?
Think of all the elements present at your dinner table. Linen, silver, porcelain, glass, meat, vegetables, flowers, water, wine, wax. No other daily occurrence gathers such a cast of characters that represent the cyclical nature of the Earth we live in. Square plates are in direct opposition to this beautiful cycle. All in service to the Little Boxification of you.
Look ⬇️
But squares have a purpose in dining. Think of the table. Square and rectangle tables are legendary. But even on the plate, I quite love when a square item of food (paté en croute, lasagne, tomato pie) gets placed with ease within the plate. Daring you to desire it, though it’s not natural. They say you can’t put a square peg in a round hole, but what if the square is made of…cake.
Which brings us to today’s recipe(s). Carrot cake semifreddo cake with salted caramel sauce. 3 recipes used together or used separately at your leisure. They all are quite nice on their own. I was inspired by a restaurant in Canada I saw on social media that served a version of this so had to give it a go.
My one problem with freezing the whole affair was the cake hardening much more than the ice cream, due to the water content in the carrots I suppose. But I’ll try to figure a work around and get back to you. But if you have suggestions let me know. Recipes below.
Carrot Cake Recipe
3 Large eggs
250g granulated sugar
185g AP flour
10g baking powder
15g ground cinnamon
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
8g salt
275g finely grated carrots
2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp freshly grated turmeric (optional)
160g vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 300F.
Whisk eggs, sugar together in a bowl. Add sifted dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt) and whisk to combine. Add carrots, turmeric, and vegetable oil to the bowl and which until combined.
Grease a loaf pan with nonstick spray or butter. Pour in carrot cake batter and bake for 1-1.5 hours depending on the oven and your pan. Check for doneness with a cake tester or toothpick until it comes out with no batter attached. Let rest before slicing.
Can also be done in other types of pans depending on the style of cake you want.
Vanilla Semifreddo Recipe
8 egg yolks
170 grams sugar (divided)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
1 cup heavy cream
5 egg whites
Whisk egg yolks, 1/2 of the sugar, salt, and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Whisk heavy cream to medium-stiff peaks. Fold into egg yolk and sugar mixture until no lumps. Clean and dry thoroughly the whisk and bowl. Whisk egg whites to just frothy and slowly add in the other 1/2 of sugar. Increase to full speed after the sugar is added and whisk to stiff peaks. Gently fold into egg/sugar/cream mixture until smooth and light. Gently pour into a container like a loaf pan. Cover and let sit in the freezer at least overnight.
Caramel Sauce recipe
250g sugar
2 tbsp water
juice of 1/2 a lemon
65g butter, softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and spices to taste
Add sugar, water, lemon to a pot and combine. Heat over medium heat (without stirring) until a dark amber caramel forms. Briskly whisk in heavy cream then pour into a heat proof container or bowl with the butter, whisk until the butter is melted and caramel is smooth. Season to taste with salt and any spices you may like.
Assembly
Day after. Cut the carrot cake in half at the equator. The do the same with the semifreddo if using a similarly sized loaf pan. Place the semifreddo slice in between the carrot cake loaf and press slightly to adhere. Cut your desired slices and enjoy with copious amounts of caramel.
