The carrot cake with walnuts and hazelnuts in the batter is soft and juicy, with a spicy aftertaste from the cinnamon, yet fresh, thanks to the grated lemon zest and the lemon glaze that covers it.
It’s very simple to prepare and is perfect even for the Easter table.
I decorated it with chopped pistachios, but you can use chopped hazelnuts for garnish, although to tell the truth, the green color of the pistachios creates an interesting and elegant contrast with the glaze.
If you like carrots, try these recipes of mine:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 12 slices
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup walnuts (chopped)
- 3/4 cup hazelnuts (chopped)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup butter (room temperature)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
- 1 untreated lemon (zest)
- 2 pinches salt
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups carrots (grated)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- as needed lemon juice
- as needed chopped pistachios
- as needed lemon zest
Steps
To prepare the carrot cake, mix the flour with the chopped walnuts and hazelnuts, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 356°F (static) and line the bottom of a cake pan (9 inches) with parchment paper.
Beat the butter with the brown sugar and vanilla sugar until light and fluffy. Add the grated lemon zest and salt, and beat again briefly. Separate the egg yolks from the whites and set the whites aside. Add the yolks to the butter and sugar mixture and beat for a couple of minutes.
Add half of the flour and nut mixture and half of the grated carrots, and briefly mix with the beaters. Then add the remaining flour and nut mixture and grated carrots, and beat again until no traces of flour are visible.
With clean beaters, whip the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the butter and flour mixture.
Transfer the batter into the cake pan and bake at 356°F for about 45 minutes. Do the toothpick test.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes before removing it from the mold.
Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. Mix the powdered sugar with a little lemon juice, just enough to get a thick white glaze.
Remove the carrot cake from the mold, spread the glaze over the still-warm cake, and distribute the pistachios and lemon zest along the edge.
Allow to cool completely and serve sliced.
