Directions
The carrot cake is a classic, that slightly moist and massive cake which, if taken alone, is a bit sad, but if drawn in custard or ice cream becomes a phenomenal dessert. Today we want to overdo it and we will cover the cake with a snow-white lemon icing: if you are looking for a spectacular cake to amaze your guests, you have found it!
There are two versions of carrot cake: the classic soft one, in a sandy version or this one, with a grainy and compact texture reminiscent of rice cake. We need some solid structure, as we’re going to put the icing on top of the cake and everything has to stay upright.
And to make this cake even more delicious and fade the sweetness of the carrots, we added a drop of rum, a unique distillate for cakes, with a caramelized taste but a spicy finish that goes well with the almonds in the dough.
Making this carrot cake is very simple. It is prepared like a classic cake, whipping eggs and sugar and then combining the oil and carrots, but the peculiarities are the lack of yeast and the presence of chopped almonds and pistachios that replace the flour.
And if there is no flour, there is not even gluten, so even celiacs can enjoy a delicious cake in complete tranquility, without giving up an ounce of taste!
That’s all, nothing transcendental, just one last addition to rejuvenating the usual carrot cake: ginger and cinnamon, excellent for enriching and making the sweetness of the cake less massive with a spicy puff.
Ok, let’s go to the recipe, turn on the oven!
Ingredients for making the carrot cake with almonds and pistachios with lemon glaze
8 servings
- 6 eggs
- 150 grams of almonds
- 150 grams of pistachios
- 400 grams of carrots
- 100 grams of brown sugar
- 30 grams of honey
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 7 grams of ginger
- 35 grams of extra virgin olive oil
- 5-10 cl of apple juice to adjust the density of the dough
How to make the carrot cake with almonds and pistachios with lemon glaze
Wash the carrots and then peel them. Cut them into slices.
Boil them for 5 minutes in boiling water, then drain and put in the mixer with the ginger, cinnamon, almonds and pistachios and blend everything.
The consistency you need to get is a grainy, coarse-grained compound. It must not become a puree.
Let’s move on to the eggs: whip them with the sugar until you get a frothy mixture. Add the oil slowly and continue to run the mixer.
Combine the two compounds and flavor with rum and honey and mix.
Grease a round cake pan with a diameter of 20-22, or line it with parchment paper.
Pour the mixture into the pan and equalize. If the mixture is too dry or poorly blended, add apple juice and mix for
Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees and cook for 50-55 minutes.
Remove from the oven, let it cool and serve with a scoop of lemon or orange ice cream, powdered sugar and raisins soaked in rum.
But if you still have a few minutes left, let’s move on to the lemon icing, which is actually essential for adding an acidic touch to the cake, which otherwise is confined to a sweetness that is a bit end in itself.
Ingredients for making the lemon glaze
- 350 grams of cream cheese
- 50 grams of butter
- the juice of half a lemon (organic and untreated) and its grated peel
- 120 grams of powdered sugar
- 20 walnuts to decorate
How to make the lemon glaze
Elementary procedure: mix the cream cheese and butter at room temperature, but not melted.
Then add the lemon juice, sugar and zest and keep stirring until they are perfectly blended.
Spread the icing on top of the cake only when it has completely cooled down and serve your super-yummy carrot cake!
If you want to decorate a shower of nuts or dried fruit.
Which wine goes well with the carrot cake with almonds and pistachios with lemon glaze?
A very fragrant wine like the Malvasia from Carra di Casatico winery. Also excellent with sweet vermouth, Port wine, Madeira and Marsala, Sherry, Cognac and Calvados.
If you want to pair a cocktail, the complex and sumptuous taste of the Rusty Nail is the number one candidate!
If you want to combine a spirit, choose a peaty and full-bodied Scottish whiskey like Ardbeg 10, perfect for creating a fabulous sweet-salty contrast.