Carrot Cake Plated Dessert

This dessert is a reinterpretation of the classic carrot cake. If you love carrot cake, you should give this version a go!
Moist carrot cake cubes, a quenelle of creme cheese mousse, orange and carrot gel, walnut crumble, candied carrots and caramelised walnuts. — What’s not to love!

Carrot cake
Ingredients:
125ml vegetable oil
100g granulated sugar
50g brown sugar
75g whole eggs room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 big carrots grated
135g all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground clove
120g plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 F./ 170 C. 
Grease and flour a 25cm round cake pans. Set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Leave aside.
In a large bowl mix together oil, sugar, and brown sugar.
Add eggs, vanilla extract and the carrots. Set aside.
Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, alternating with the yogurt until well combined.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until moist crumbs cling to a toothpick inserted into the centre. Do not over-bake. 
Let the cakes cool down on a rack.

Creme Cheese Mousse 
Ingredients:
115g cream cheese, at room temperature
70g powdered sugar
40ml whipping cream

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with a stand mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
Beat in the powdered sugar, a spoon at a time until fluffy. Pour in cream and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Chill covered until ready to quenelle.

Orange and carrot gel
Ingredients:
100g Orange juice
100g Carrot juice
20g Sugar
2g Agar agar

Combine the ingredients in a stainless steel pot and whisk to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes and pour into a sprayed shallow pan to cool. This will set up hard — almost like plastic. Cool for 2 hours. Then Blend until smooth. 

Candied Walnuts
Ingredients:
100g Sugar
150g toasted walnut 
Pinch salt 

Pour sugar into a medium saucepan with a thick bottom and place over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon as the sugar begins to melt.
Keep stirring until all the sugar has melted and becomes a lovely amber colour.
Add the walnuts to the pan. Stir quickly and make sure each piece is coated with the sugar mixture.
Spread them out on the rimmed baking sheet. Use two forks to separate the walnuts from each other, working very quickly. Finally, sprinkle the nuts with a little salt.

Candied Carrots
Ingredients:
200g sugar
250ml water
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 strip  orange zest
1 large Carrot
50g Dried raisins

Remove 15 to 20 long strips from carrots, using a vegetable peeler.
Bring sugar, water,  cloves, cinnamon stick, star anise, and zest to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. 
Remove from heat. Add the dried raisins and the carrots. And add to the syrup. Let cool completely. 

Walnuts crumble
Ingredients:
55g walnut chopped 
50g flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
25g unsalted butter

Mix all the ingredients together to a crumb-like texture in a food processor.
Preheat oven to 165°C. Spread the mixture onto a silicon mat and bake crumble for 20 minutes, then remove and allow to cool at room temperature.