Full question
We had problems with the icing for the Ginger And Walnut Carrot Cake curdling. I discovered that fresh ginger contains a protease enzyme which is only inactivated at temperatures above 70C. Is this the cause of the problem ?
Our answer
Nigella's Ginger And Walnut Carrot Cake (from AT MY TABLE) has a cream cheese frosting that is a combination of butter, icing (confectioners') sugar, cornflour (cornstarch) and cream cheese that is flavoured with juice extracted from freshly grated ginger. Ginger does contain an enzyme that can curdle milk, but the milk needs to be heated to at least 70c for this reaction to occur so it is extremely unlikely to be the reason for the frosting curdling as the frosting would have melted before it reached this temperature.
The cornflour is important in the frosting as it helps to absorb some of the excess moisture from the cream cheese (particularly the type sold in containers) and so should not be omitted from the recipe. If it is left out then the frosting can become runny and may look curdled. However, from the description we wonder if the butter was very warm and soft when it was used. If it is too warm then the cream cheese will not mix in as well and could look curdled. Make sure the butter is soft enough so that if you press it with a finger then you leave an indentation, but not so soft that you can push your finger completely into the butter. If the frosting looks curdled then refrigerate it for about an hour and try beating it again to see if it comes together.
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