This recipe came about because I had a bunch of carrots I needed to get rid of. A while ago, my friends and I visited a farm in Irvine, with the intention of going strawberry picking. But because of all the torrential rain Southern California has been experiencing, the strawberry crops were dead, and we instead had to settle for green onions, kale, and carrots. Still a fun time, but I ended up with a lot of carrots that I was not 100% sure what to do with. Originally this recipe was going to be a honey-goat cheese carrot cake situation, because I was watching season 4 of Love is Blind, and there was a scene where Zack and Bliss, two contestants who were eating dinner together, were making these glazed carrots with goat’s cheese. I really loved the idea of doing that flavor combination, since I love goat cheese and honey in my desserts, and with carrots, that is such a great pairing. But then I realized I had a lot of Thai tea packets, and I had just purchased a carton of coconut cream, and a bottle of coconut vinegar, so I shifted my idea towards Southeast and South Asian flavors instead. For this carrot cake, we are using the Thai tea powder with sugar and milk in two components, one being the sponge itself, and the other being a filling, that is also made with carrots. In Indian cuisine, there is a dessert called gajar ka halwa, which is an Indian confection, made by stewing down shredded carrots with condensed milk and sugar, scented with spices like cardamom. It basically tastes like a sweet, aromatic carrot pudding, with a texture similar to a German chocolate cake filling. Instead of using sugar, condensed milk, and spices, however, we’re using the Thai tea powder with milk and sugar, since that covers all of our bases. That tea includes cardamom, but also clove, and anise, so we have the Indian spices accounted for, as well as the Southeast Asian ones! Using the Thai tea powder makes this recipe even easier, since it is a one stop shop in terms of being like five ingredients in one, while also tying back in the Thai tea flavor.

For the components of this cake, I went with a gajar ka(carrot) halwa as one of the fillings in the cake, half because I wanted to 100% make sure I used up all of my carrots, as well as reinforce the carrot flavor in the cake. The other filling is a coconut-cream cheese whip, to be a play on the classic cream cheese frosting in a carrot cake, but using some coconut milk to tie back in with the coconut milk being used to soak the carrot cake with. The cake is soaked with a salted coconut milk, which is something you would commonly find in Southeast Asian desserts such as mango sticky rice and krong krang nam ka ti. The cake is made with light brown sugar and the Thai tea powder with milk and sugar, as well as several of the carrots that I plucked from that farm visit, and I found it to be a wonderfully efficient way to use up all of those carrots! I personally love making my carrot cake recipe, because it does come out quite moist, but there is one thing about carrot cake that I despite. A warning with this recipe – you will be grating a lot of carrots, and for a very long time if you are using a hand grater. Like a lot-a lot, and for what feels like forever. I personally hate grating carrots, just because it makes a giant orange mess on my countertop that you have to clean up afterwards, and when I used to do it by hand in high school, I would waste what felt like a century(probably closer to 5-10 minutes) just grating away at carrots, hoping I don’t accidentally grate off my fingers in the process. To expedite this annoying process, for this cake, I used a grater attachment on my KitchenAide to quickly break down my carrots, but if you do not have one, maybe use with pre-grated carrots(if you go that route, add an extra tablespoon of canola oil to your batter, as grated carrots tend to be more dried out), or try using a food processor on them to save time. Otherwise you will probably be too busy hating carrots and cheese graters to fully enjoy the finished product, which is such a fun take on an American classic.

For the Thai tea carrot cake:
2 cups grated carrots
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 packet Thai tea powder with milk and sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons cider or coconut vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of salt

Toss your carrots with salt, Thai tea powder, sugars, vanilla, oil and vinegar, and let that mixture sit for 5 minutes. Sift your flour together with the baking soda. Fold the flour-baking soda mixture into the carrots together to form your batter. Line a quarter sheet tray with parchment and oil. Pour the batter onto the tray and spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22 minutes. Allow the cake to cool at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before removing from the sheet tray. Cut out 2 perfect 6-inch circles and cut out a third circle using the scraps of the cake. Reserve any scraps for the assembly process.

For the Thai tea-carrot halwa:
1 cup grated carrots
1 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter
2 packets Thai tea powder with milk and sugar
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup coconut milk

In a nonstick pan, sweat out the carrots with ghee or butter. Then add in the Thai tea powder and salt, and saute that off on low heat until aromatic. Add in the milk, cover the pan, and allow the mixture to reduce on low heat for 10 minutes. Let the halwa cool down completely before using.

For the coconut cream cheese whip:
8oz cream cheese
2oz unsalted butter
3oz confectioner’s sugar
4oz chilled coconut cream
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the ingredients together until combined and fully smooth. Keep at room temperature for assembly.

For the salted coconut soak:
4oz coconut milk
2oz water
1/4 tsp salt

Mix together to form your soak.

To assemble:
Lined a 6-inch ring mold with acetate and place onto a small enough sheet tray to fit into your freezer. Start by placing down the scrap layer of cake first into the acetate-lined ring mold and pouring 1/3 of the soak over that. Then spread on top of that 1/3 of your halwa, then 1/3 of the cream cheese whip. Repeat these steps for the next two layers of the cake, using your remaining rounds of cake, soak, halwa, and cream cheese whip. Freeze the cake for 2 hours before attempting to unmold.

To garnish:
Coconut flakes
Thai tea powder with milk and sugar
Spray bottle with water

Dust the top of the cake with coconut flakes and the Thai tea powder. Spray the powder with water so that it will turn orange.