Can you fall in love with the dessert? I definitely can! When I saw Anna Polyviou 'commiting' this beauty on Australian Master Chef I thought "my God, this is dessert to die for, it must be". It is very complex (13components!) but as she says you must give it a go at least once. So I did.
This is original recipe. Mine is not as complicated. I dropped a few things on the way but it turned out fantastic anyway. My mum said that it is the best thing she ever tasted! (WOW)
CARROT CAKE
50g plain flour
40g light brown sugar
2g bicarbonate soda
1.5g baking powder
pinch of salt
2g cinnamon
1 egg
30g vegetable oil
40g grated carrot
20g grated green apple
12g chopped walnut
25g sultanas
Mix first six ingredients together in a bowl. Gradually add an egg and oil. Beat until smooth. Add remaining components and mix until they come together. Pour it onto prepared baking pan. I used a 37x25cm and spread it very thinly. You can use a smaller pan, when baked it will have to be sliced to about 5mm thick. Bake in 160C for about 15 min.
APRICOT INSERT
70ml apricot puree
40ml carrot juice
10g caster sugar
5g gelatine
Bloom the gelatine. Put the puree and sugar in the pan and heat until sugar dissolves. Add gelatine and carrot juice. Pass through the sieve and pour it into a mould, not too thick. It will be the same size as carrot cake. Put in the freezer.
RICE CRISPIES DISC (or square)
20g dark chocolate 72%
100g hazelnut paste
5g rice crispies
16g feuilletine
Melt chocolate and stir in the hazelnut paste. Mix until smooth. Fold in the rice crispies and feulletine. Roll the mixture gently between two sheets of baking paper. Try not too brake rice crispies. Roll it till about 3mm thick and place in the freezer.
First 3 components can be prepared in advance and kept in the freezer. When you are ready to assemble, start with Praline Cremeux.
PRALINE CREMEUX
100ml whole milk
150g hazelnut praline paste
270ml whipping cream
60g sugar
1/3 vanilla bean
60g egg yolks
15g cornflour
4.5 g gelatine
Bring to boil milk, 90ml cream and vanilla bean in a saucepan. Meanwhile, whisk together the sugar with egg yolks until creamy. Add the cornflour. When milk is ready pour it a little into eggs, mix together and pour it back into pan and continue to whisk. Cook for 4 min. Take off the heat and whisk in hazelnut paste and gelatine. Cool it to 40C. Whip the remaining cream to soft peaks and then fold it in the hazelnut mixture. Put it in the piping bag.
CARAMEL GLAZE
150ml cream
1/4 vanilla bean
190g caster sugar
160ml water
15g cornflour
35g white chocolate, melted
12.5g gelatine
Bloom gelatine. Bring cream and vanilla to boil. Meanwhile, place 175g sugar 140ml water and set over a medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Heat it until golden caramel in colour. When whisking, pour boiled cream over caramel. Make a paste out of remaining sugar and water and add it to the caramel. Bring it back to boil. Take off the heat, add chocolate and mix until smooth. Stir in gelatine.Strain into a jug and cover with cling film.
ASSEMBLY
To assemble the cake, line the inside of your mould with acetate strip. Place on the baking sheet lined with the baking paper. Pipe a layer of praline cremeux until just half way up the mould. I used 18x18m square one plus 6cm round one.
Apricot insert, rice crispies layer and carrot cake need to be the same size so I cut out 16x16cm squares. Place apricot insert into the middle of the praline and push it gently. Place rice crispies square on top of the insert, followed by the carrot cake, pressing down gently between each layer.
Put it in the freezer until completely firm.
when caramel glaze is at about 40C, unmould your cake onto a wire rack. Pour over the glaze to cover completely.
To decorate it, you can follow Anna Polyviou's recipe and add some more components. I used leftovers from carrot cake. Baked them until crispy, whizz in the blender. Also leftover apricots, sauteed. And a dollop of cream cheese and mascarpone mousse.
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