hazelnut pomelo carrot cake with whipped mascarpone

never really was a fan of ruining a great dinner with a dense chocolate cake or a mind-splittingly sweet apple pie or carrot cake chock full of cream cheese frosting. don't you think these desserts completely deflate the crescendo that the entire meal was building up to? i'm also the person who considers dessert as the peak of any meal, so it's crucial to not mess this up.

jk. i really don't take dessert that seriously, but why suffer through dessert when you can end dinner on an even higher note? i sound like a saleswoman right now.

anyways, what i do crave is a combination something that is creamy, fluffy, fruity, lightly sweet, and still substantial - like i didn't just eat sweetened air. this hazelnut pomelo carrot cake with whipped mascarpone cheese does it for me, and it's also become a favorite amongst friends as a way to conclude end dinner parties.

to sell this cake a bit more, i'd also like to mention that it's also butter and oil-free! so huzzah, healthier cake!

xo, christine

hazelnut pomelo carrot cake with whipped mascarpone

ingredients

dry

2 cups (200 g) hazelnut flour

3/4 cup (90 g) all-purpose flour

3 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground kosher salt

wet

3 egg yolks

1 cup (200 g) cane sugar

2 cups (220 g) grated carrots

1 tablespoon pomelo zest

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 egg whites

whipped mascarpone

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoon powdered sugar

1/2 tablespoon pomelo juice

1/2 cup (120 g) mascarpone cheese

notes

preheat oven to 350 degrees. okay..you have to brush oil to the insides of a 9-inch cake pan but i swear, this is all the oil you'll be using. 

cake assembly

1. combine the dry ingredients: in a mixing bowl, toss together hazelnut flour, flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. set aside.

2. beat egg yolk and sugar: in a separate bowl or your stand mixer, add egg yolks and sugar and whisk on high for 5-6 minutes until thickened in texture and pale yellow.

3. stir in carrots, zest, and vanilla extract into egg yolk and sugar mix until evenly combined.

4. fold in dry ingredients: in increments, mix in 1/3 of dry ingredients into the yolk/sugar mixture until evenly combined. this mixture might oddly thick, but that's okay! set aside.

5. in a clean and dried your stand mixer bowl (remover all traces of the yolk+sugar mix!) or another mixing bowl if using a hand mixer: add egg whites and whisk on the highest setting for 8-9 minutes or until stiff peaks start to form.

6. take half of the whipped egg whites and fold into the batter. add the rest and give it one good stir. don't overdo this because you don't want to deflate those egg whites!

7. pour batter into oiled cake pan

bake that cake!

1. after 1 hour or when the cake has golden edges, remove from oven and let it cool for at least 20 minutes

whipped mascarpone

1. combine heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar in mixing bowl and whisk on high for 7-8 minutes until stiff

2. add mascarpone cheese and pomelo juice whisk on medium until the whipped cream and mascarpone have evenly been mixed, about 1 minute