This Carrot Cake with Orange Curd Ruined All Others for Me

🍊 Orange Curd Ingredients: Eggs — 2 pcs Egg yolks — 2 pcs Sugar — 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp (120 g) Orange zest — from 1 orange Orange juice — 1/3 cup (100 ml) Butter — 60 g (cold, cubed) Cornstarch — 10 g (1 level tbsp) Important: Cornstarch stabilizes the curd, making it perfect for filling cakes and getting clean slices. Instructions: 1. In a saucepan, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, zest, orange juice, and cornstarch. 2. Place over minimal heat. 3. Stir continuously for 3–6 minutes until the mixture thickens (reaching 82–84°C). 4. Remove from the heat and add the cold, cubed butter. Stir until melted. 5. (Optional) Blend with an immersion blender for an extra-smooth texture. 6. Cover with plastic wrap directly touching the surface of the curd (in contact) and chill in the fridge for 1–2 hours. The finished curd should be thick and glossy, similar to pastry cream. --- 🥕 Carrot Cake Layers Ingredients: Carrots — 10 oz (300 g), about 3–4 medium carrots, grated Eggs — 4 pcs Sugar — 1 cup (200 g) All-purpose flour — 2 cups (250 g) Baking powder — 2 tsp (10–12 g) Baking soda — 1 tsp (4–5 g) Vegetable oil — ¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) Vanilla extract — 1 tsp Walnuts — 1 cup (100 g), chopped Orange zest — from 1 orange (optional) Nutmeg — ½ tsp (optional) Cinnamon — 1 tsp (optional, but highly recommended!) Baking Details: Temperature: 320°F (160°C) Time: ~1 hour. Check for doneness with a toothpick after 50 minutes—it should come out clean. Cake Pan: 8 inches (20 cm) --- 🧁 Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients: Butter (must be softened) — 3.5 oz (100 g) Cream cheese (e.g., Philadelphia), cold — 12 oz (340 g) Vanilla extract — 1 tsp Powdered sugar — 1 cup (120 g) (Instructions: Beat the softened butter with powdered sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the cold cream cheese and mix just until combined and smooth.) --- 🍯 Caramelized Walnuts (Optional) Ingredients: Walnuts — 1 cup (100 g) Sugar — 3 tbsp (50 g) Water — 2 tbsp (25 ml) Pinch of salt — to taste Butter — 5 g (for shine, optional) How to make them: 1. Combine the sugar and water in a skillet over medium heat. 2. Let it simmer until the sugar dissolves and begins to turn into a light amber syrup. 3. Add the walnuts and salt. Stir continuously. The sugar will crystallize and look sandy at first, but keep stirring until it melts again and coats the nuts in a dark amber caramel. 4. Turn off the heat, stir in the butter for extra shine, and immediately spread the nuts out on a piece of parchment paper to cool completely. --- 🧃 Orange Soaking Syrup (Optional) Ingredients: Orange juice — ¼ cup (60 ml). Tip: Keep it simple and just squeeze the juice from one orange. Sugar — 2 tbsp (25 g) Orange zest — to taste Instructions: Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for 2–3 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let it cool, then strain out the zest.