Candied Carrot Decorations (Carrot Cake Garnish)
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These Frosted Candied Carrots will looks stunning atop any carrot cake. They not only look beautiful but they taste of sweet earthy carrots too and add another a lovely crunch and flavour to your bake. Simple to make and they keep for ages so are easy to make ahead.
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I used to make these Candied Carrots every single week when I had my cake stall at the London farmers’ markets. My Golden Beetroot Carrot Cake was one of my biggest sellers and customers always raved about this creative carrot cake decoration which adds so much to the top of a carrot cake (not just looks!!)
This simple overnight recipe gives the best, easiest most consistent results. They are an easy step beyond the usual recipe for a candied carrot cake garnish. First you simmer grated fresh carrots in a sugar syrup (which is the norm) but instead of leaving them to dry and that’s that, here we give the candied shredded carrots a little bit of extra sparkle by tossing them in white sugar. It’s a quick and easy step which makes this easy carrot cake decoration even more effective and gives a tasty crunch. And also looks like a sweet decoration rather than a bunch of grated carrots dumped on top of your cake creation.
I’ll guide you through the very easy steps with tips on how to get the most sparkly results when you are decorating carrot cake.
What Do Candied Carrots Taste Like?
You’ll be pleased to know they don’t taste of pure sugar as they do retain their wholesome earthy carrot flavour but their natural sweetness is amplified by the candying process. They are simple delicious and will give a whole new dimension to your carrot cake.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Gorgeous finish. These Candied Carrot Decorations are beautiful as a carrot cake garnish.
Simple to make. All you do isgrate the carrots, cook them for 5 minutes in a sugar syrup then leave them to dry overnight. The final touch is to toss them in white sugar for a gorgeous frosted appearance.
Easy ingredients. If you need a simple carrot cake decoration then these Candy Carrots are easy, made with ingredients you probably already have and are very effective.
Added carrot flavour. Not only do they look incredibly pretty sprinkled atop your beautiful carrot cake cupcakes or traditional carrot layer cake but they also provide a delicious kick of carrot flavour and a delightful crunchy contrast to the soft texture of the cake.
Make ahead. I recommend making them ahead of time as they store really well in a cool dark place and this amount makes enough to cover at least a couple of cakes and a few batches of cupcakes so you only have to make them once and then you have them for next time too.
Ingredients and Notes
Fresh whole carrots. The higher quality carrots you use in this recipe the better your cupcakes will taste. There really is a difference between the strong, slightly sweet and earthy carrots you can buy from the farmers’ market and the bland water carrots available from the supermarket. Obviously I recommend the former.
Caster sugar. It’s a fine white baking sugar. If you can only get hold of granulated sugar you can grind more finely in the food processor before you use it in the recipe. It doesn’t matter so much when you are making the sugar syrup but it is nice to have a finer crunch for the final coating of sugar. Don’t worry though if granulated white sugar is all you can manage.
Water. This is heated with the caster sugar to make the simple sugar syrup. Tap water is fine.
How To Make Candied Carrots For Cake Decorating
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Pour water and sugar into a medium saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 2 minutes until sugar has dissolved.
- Add carrots and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- Strain the carrots and pat them dry.
- Place the carrots on a baking parchment-lined tray.
- Bake at 180°C/160°C/gas mark 4 for 12 minutes.
- Turn off the oven, remove the carrots, and toss them around the tray with a spoon.
- Return the carrots to the oven, leave the door open, and allow them to dry out (preferably overnight).
- Once the carrots are slightly tacky but not wet, toss them in a clean bowl with 2 tablespoons of extra caster sugar to frost and sparkle.
Expert Tips
Grating the carrot
I recommend using the grater attachment on your food processor or a julienne peeler so you can achieve professionally perfect and evenly grated carrots of the same size very quickly and easily.
However, don’t worry if you only have a box grater, hand grated carrot works just as well (just a bit more time consuming). Here are some tips to get them looking uniform:
- Use the widest setting and smoothly bring the peeled carrot down the grater in one movement.
- Lift the carrot off and bring it down the grater again.
- Continue until you have a nub of carrot left then discard it.
- Rubbing the carrot up and down the grater damages the flesh of the carrot which causes it to succumb to watery clumps.
Other tips
- To dry the carrots, strain them into a sieve and use either kitchen towels or a clean cloth to pat the excess syrup away.
- Make sure not to overcook the carrots otherwise they will start to brown which means you’ll have to pick through and discard the caught carrots which is a pain.
- It’s best not to rush the drying process otherwise the frosting of caster sugar at the end soaks back into the wet carrot shreds and you lose the diamond effect.
How To Use Your Candied Carrots
However, you don’t have to use them just for decorating carrot cake. You’ll have quite a lot left over from this recipe so you can either save them for your next cake or use them in these ways:
Dessert Garnish. Gorgeous as a decoration for pies, puddings, custards, mousse or tarts and add a little extra flavour.
Charcuterie Boards. Sprinkle these candied carrots in between or over charcuteries and cheese boards for sweetness and colour contrast (they taste incredible with brie) and will complement the other ingredients.
Salad Toppings. Sprinkled over a festive or special salad to give an unexpected burst of sweetness and texture. Plus again, they look so pretty on a green salad.
Cocktail garnish. They look lovely as a little something extra on a cocktail or mocktail.
Sweet snack. Try resisting not eating these by the handful. They are like little candy treats and you could even incorporate into a trail mix.
Storage and Shelf Life
These Candied Carrots store very well. I find they are best kept in an airtight container in a cool dark place. They will be good for about 2-4 weeks.
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Candied Carrot Decorations
Ingredients
- 2 carrots - grated, about 250g
- 125 g water
- 100 g caster sugar + 2 tablespoons extra for coating
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted /gas mark 4 / 350°F.
- Pour the water and sugar into a medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Then turn down to a simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add the carrot and leave to simmer for a further 5 minutes.
- Strain the carrots and pat dry.
- Place on a baking parchment lined tray and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 12 minutes.
- Turn off the oven, remove the carrots, toss them around the tray with a spoon and return the carrots to the oven. Leave the door open and allow the sugared carrots to dry out (overnight if possible).
- Once the carrot shreds are ever so slightly tacky (but crucially not wet) then toss them in a clean bowl with the extra 2 tablespoons caster sugar to frost and sparkle.
Notes
Grated Carrots. I recommend using the grating attachment on your food processor or a julienne peeler for perfectly shredded carrots. You can do it by hand but it will be more time consuming.
Making Ahead. These carrots store very well in a cool dark place and will keep in an airtight container for between 2-4 weeks so you can make well ahead of baking your carrot cakes.
