A great classic of pastry, a soft carrot cake that everyone will love, even the kids! The carrot cake is a recipe for a light snack or for breakfast paired with orange juice. For a long time I wanted to propose this recipe which is one of the basic preparations of cooking, but I always postponed it for the simple fact that the internet is overflowing with this recipe and I wanted to have one that I felt was mine, well balanced in flavors and aromas. So yesterday, February 3, 2025, Carrot Cake Day, I took advantage of the free morning and got into the kitchen. I prepared this carrot cake which I present to you today.
Do you know the origin of the carrot cake? Reading and studying this recipe I came across a snippet that contained an interesting historical note in my opinion. It is said that the idea of creating a cake with carrots comes from the fact that for many centuries this vegetable, easily available and very cheap, was used as a substitute for sugar, thanks to its characteristics that make the carrot sweet.
The text also recommended adding a sprinkle of cinnamon to the batter to enrich the aroma of the rustic carrot cake. I preferred not to do so, but I write it here: if you are cinnamon lovers like my grandmother Sandra, you will surely appreciate this tip.
The ingredients we will use are not few, but they are all very inexpensive and easily available, I believe already in your pantry. Speaking of pantry, in the video you will find below the first photo, I explain how to eliminate pantry moths and thus keep everything well preserved for long periods. The procedure is very easy to follow, I did not record the step-by-step video recipe because I believe that by reading and following the written text, you will manage excellently.
Before moving on to the carrot cake recipe, I leave you with other recipes that you can prepare with this sweet vegetable that was once not orange as we know it today, but dark and purple. In fact, among the links below you will also find the purple carrot soup which are the true carrots of old times, before the market and consumerism changed their color over the centuries to make it more appealing to the eye.
Each link will take you to the recipe you choose to read. Since we are still in full winter, let me recommend the Pumpkin and Carrot Ring Cake, one of my favorite snack desserts. Very easy to prepare, this ring cake has a unique taste and texture! Try it to believe it!
Finally, remember that I await you every morning in the Facebook group and fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day, an unmissable appointment of the day to start with a sweet or savory treat.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 8 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Fall, Winter
- Energy 327.94 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 36.51 (g) of which sugars 18.00 (g)
- Proteins 5.59 (g)
- Fat 19.43 (g) of which saturated 2.65 (g)of which unsaturated 16.14 (g)
- Fibers 4.15 (g)
- Sodium 71.81 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 95 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients to prepare a carrot cake with a 24 cm mold
- 1 1/4 cups flour (in my case, flour for soft cakes)
- 1/3 cup potato starch (or cornstarch)
- 3/4 cup sugar (I used white but you can replace it with brown sugar)
- 2 cups carrots
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (in my case sunflower oil)
- 1 cup almonds (sliced)
- 1/8 cup pistachio crumbs
- 1 packet baking powder (preferably non-vanilla)
- to taste lemon zest (grated)
- 1 pinch salt
Tools to prepare a carrot cake with almonds and pistachio crumbs
- 1 Peeler
- 1 Grater
- 1 Small Bowl
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Pan
- 1 Parchment Paper
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Scale
- 1 Oven
Steps of the rustic carrot cake recipe with almonds and pistachio crumbs
Let’s start preparing the carrot cake by removing the peel with a peeler, then grate until reduced to small pieces. Turn on the oven in static mode at 356 degrees Fahrenheit so that it can reach this temperature in time.
Take a nice large bowl and the kitchen mixer. Break the eggs into the bowl, at room temperature, and add the sugar. Beat until you get a nice thick foam. Grate the lemon zest directly into the bowl after washing and patting it dry.
Add the indicated amount of vegetable oil to the mixture. Then proceed by adding the chopped carrots, the previously sifted flour, the potato starch or cornstarch, the packet of baking powder, and finally the sliced almonds and a pinch of salt.
Take the 24 cm springform pan, place a previously wet and wrung out sheet of parchment paper inside it. Pour the batter inside, level the surface, sprinkle with sliced almonds and pistachio crumbs, and bake.
Place in the middle of the oven and bake for about 40 minutes. Always do the toothpick test before turning off the oven. Allow to cool for at least two hours before serving the carrot cake. If you like, you can sprinkle with powdered sugar.
I just have to wish you a good appetite, remind you that I await you every day for new easy, quick, and delicious recipes like this one, and if you like, let me know in the comments if you enjoyed this recipe!
Storage and variations of the carrot cake
You can store the carrot cake in a cake keeper with a lid for a couple of days, it will remain soft and fragrant as just baked.
As the main variations, I can tell you that you can replace white sugar with brown sugar to make the carrot cake even more rustic. If you don’t want to use vegetable oil, you can use butter, then replace it with 1/2 cup of butter.
You can then opt to replace the sliced almonds with walnuts, if you have pecans, the final result will be delicious. Finally, you can sprinkle with powdered sugar the cake before serving it, as you know I don’t like powdered sugar, so I didn’t use it, not even for the photos.
