Carrot Petit Fours

Preheat the oven to 160°C (approximately 325°F).

For the cake, beat the butter with half the sugar until creamy. Separate the eggs and beat the yolks gradually into the butter. Mix the flour with the baking powder and add to the egg mixture. Stir in the mix. Beat the egg whites with the remaining sugar until stiff. Fold into the batter. Peel and grate the carrots. Mix with the ground hazelnuts and fold into the batter. If necessary, add more milk or flour to adjust the consistency. Transfer into a 26 cm (approximately 10 inches) spring form pan and bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Check to see if the cake is done with a toothpick. Once finished, let cool briefly in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut in half horizontally.

For the filling, soak the gelatin in cold water until soft, about 10 minutes. Beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Squeeze the excess water from the gelatine and melt in a small saucepan over low heat with 2-3 tablespoons of the cream cheese. Add the gelatin to the remaining cream cheese. Beat the whipping cream until stiff and fold into the cream cheese. Spread the cream on the bottom half of the cake and cover with the top half, pressing down slightly. Chill for at least 2 hours.

To garnish, mix the powdered sugar with 3-4 tablespoons of water to form a thick glaze. Pour over the cake. With a round cookie cutter, cut 3-4 cm (approximately 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 inches) circles from the cake.