The ACE cake is a soft and delicate dessert, perfect for breakfast or a snack for the whole family. Inspired by the famous ACE fruit juice, this recipe combines the juice and zest of orange and lemon with grated carrots, creating a dessert with a unique texture and a fresh, light flavor. As many know, the name ACE refers to vitamins A, C, and E, contained in the main ingredients of the juice, which we also find, albeit in much smaller quantities, in this recipe. It is very easy to prepare: just a few ingredients are needed to bake a healthy and genuine cake, highlighting the natural sweetness of carrots, a vegetable with a delicate flavor. The same sweetness is found in similar desserts like the carrot cupcakes or the carrot and almond cake. The ACE cake conquers with simplicity and genuineness, bringing a touch of color and cheer to every moment of the day. Try it and be surprised by how good it is!
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Economical
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 8 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 223.31 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 39.35 (g) of which sugars 18.82 (g)
- Proteins 4.79 (g)
- Fat 6.28 (g) of which saturated 1.01 (g)of which unsaturated 4.85 (g)
- Fibers 0.88 (g)
- Sodium 18.18 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 86 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 for a 20 cm diameter ACE cake
If you are celiac, instead of all-purpose flour you can use 180 finest rice flour + 50 g potato starch. However, check that the following ingredients are labeled “gluten-free”: rice flour, potato starch, baking powder, powdered sugar.
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 5.3 oz carrots
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 1/2 cups rice flour + 1/3 cup potato starch)
- 1 orange (unwaxed)
- 1 lemon (unwaxed)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 tsp baking powder
- as needed powdered sugar
Tools
- 1 Grater
- 1 Citrus Juicer
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Cake Pan 20 cm diameter
- Baking Paper
How to Prepare the ACE Cake – Orange, Carrot, and Lemon
To prepare the ACE cake, first grate the zest of the orange and lemon, taking care not to touch the white part which would make it bitter (1). Then squeeze the juice with a citrus juicer (2). In total, you need to obtain 90 g of juice, choosing the proportion between orange and lemon juice based on your taste: I used 60 g of orange juice and 30 g of lemon juice. Peel the carrots and cut them into pieces. Put them in a mixer and chop them finely (3). If you prefer, you can grate them.
In a bowl, crack the eggs and add the sugar (4). Whisk them with an electric mixer or with the wire whisk of a stand mixer, until light and fluffy. At this point, add the chopped carrots (5), the grated zest of orange and lemon, and the sunflower oil (6).
Also pour in the orange and lemon juice (7). Mix the batter again with the mixer to perfectly amalgamate all the ingredients. Then set aside the mixer and take a sieve and a spatula. Sieve the flour (or rice flour and potato starch) and baking powder into the bowl (8). Incorporate them into the batter using the spatula, with slow movements to not deflate it too much. In the end, you will get a fairly fluid mixture (9).
Line a 20 cm diameter cake pan with baking paper, pour in the batter, and level it well with the spatula (10). Bake the ACE cake in the preheated oven at 350°F (static) for 45-50 minutes. Before removing from the oven, test the baking with a skewer, which should come out dry. Let it cool completely before removing it from the cake pan (11).
Serve the ACE cake for breakfast or as a snack, lightly dusted with powdered sugar.
Storage
The ACE cake stays soft for 4 or 5 days if stored in a cake container or under a glass dome.
Tips and Variations
As mentioned, the proportion between orange and lemon juice can vary according to personal taste. Use more orange juice to make the cake sweeter, while if you prefer a slightly tangy note, increase the lemon juice dose. The essential is that the total sum of the two juices is 90 ml.
