The carrot and almond tart with jam is one of the best desserts I’ve prepared lately, earning a spot among my favorites. I had quite a few carrots to use up and wanted to make the classic Camilla cake, but then I thought of creating a different dessert, a beautiful homemade tart, filled with a creamy filling of apricot jam (but you can use peach, strawberry, orange, or any other jam you like). The result? One of the most delicious and fragrant tarts in the world! The carrot and almond pastry had a unique aroma even when raw, let alone after baking! My husband (not a big fan of sweets) kept telling me for 3 days how good this carrot tart was, and I can’t blame him, it’s soft and crisp at the same time, perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert, you absolutely have to try it, I’m sure you’ll make it very often, your kids will love it too!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 22/24 cm pan
- Cooking methods: Oven, Electric Oven, Air Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups carrots
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup almonds (or almond flour)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 orange zest (or lemon)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- to taste powdered sugar
- to taste jam
Steps
The carrot and almond tart is very simple and quick to prepare. First, peel the carrots, cut them into slices about 1/8 inch thick, and put them in a microwave-safe container. Add a small amount of water and cook them in the microwave at maximum power for 3 minutes. If you don’t have a microwave, you can steam them (for about ten minutes) or boil them (in boiling water) for 3/4 minutes.
Drain the carrots well (if you have time, let them cool) and put them in a food processor with sugar, almond flour (or whole almonds), a pinch of salt, and blend.
Add the egg yolk and blend quickly. Add the cold butter in small pieces, the grated orange (or lemon) zest, and blend again.
Combine the puree with the flour and baking powder and mix the ingredients with a spatula to form a dough. Let the dough rest in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 30 minutes or in the freezer for about 15 minutes until it firms up.
After the resting time, line a cake pan with parchment paper, cover the base and edges with some of the dough, and make the classic strips with the remaining dough.
Fill the carrot tart with your preferred jam, place the strips on top (I made 7, placing 4 below and 3 on top), finish the edges, and bake the carrot and almond tart in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 35 minutes until golden.
Let the dessert cool completely, remove from the pan, and garnish with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Tips:
The carrot and almond tart keeps at room temperature for 3/4 days. You can fill it with the jam/preserve of your choice, or even with custard. I used 1 1/2 cups of jam. If you have leftover dough, make some cookies. If you don’t want to use almonds, you can replace them with other nuts or with 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour. If you really want to use oil instead of butter, use 1/2 cup, but in this case, the dough will remain softer, so I recommend using butter for better results.
More carrot dessert recipes HERE
