So, having made (and loved) my carrot cake jam, it was time to make macarons! They turned out absolutely delicious– the macaron shell was just “cakey” enough to really evoke carrot cake, with the almonds lending a nutty background. The filling combination– carrot jam and cream cheese frosting– was perfectly sweet and tangy at the same time. I know I say this a lot, but these may be a new favorite macaron recipe!
The shells are from my basic macaron recipe, (in this case, with four egg whites) but lightly spiced with 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, and a pinch of cloves. I added orange and brown food coloring just for looks, and sprinkled a few graham cracker crumbs over the tops of the unbaked shells to suggest cake crumbs.
Once the shells were baked and cooled, I made a cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting (small batch)
- 4 oz cream cheese (full fat)
- 2 oz. unsalted butter
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- Beat cream cheese, butter, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until creamy.
To assemble, I piped a ring of cream cheese frosting around the edge of the shell, then filled it with a dollop of carrot cake jam before sandwiching it with the other shell. (I picked the prettiest ones for the tops, of course)
Because I inadvertently overbaked the shells just a tad, they started off pretty crunchy– still tasty, but crunchy. Luckily, the filled macarons softened up after a few days in the fridge, and turned out to be just perfect.
It's All Frosting... 