Ancient Carrot Cake

The Carrot Cake is a simple and tasty dessert, known for its natural sweet flavor and moistness. Here is the classic recipe with an Italian twist.

Ingredients

• 400 g of carrots (already cleaned and grated)
• 200 g of sugar
• 200 g of finely chopped almonds (or almond flour)
• 4 eggs
• Grated zest of 1 orange (for a fresh and typically Mediterranean aroma)
• 1 packet of baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• Powdered sugar (for decoration)
• Butter and flour to butter and flour the cake pan

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Butter and flour a round cake pan with a diameter of about 24 cm.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until a light and fluffy mixture is obtained.
4. Add the grated orange zest to the egg mixture and mix well.
5. Gently fold the grated carrots and chopped almonds into the egg mixture with a spatula.
6. Add the pinch of salt and baking powder, making sure to mix well with the other ingredients.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
8. Bake for about 40-45 minutes. Check the doneness by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake: if it comes out dry, the cake is ready.
9. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.
10. Once cool, dust with powdered sugar to decorate.

Curiosity

Despite what may seem like a modern recipe due to the use of carrots, the use of these vegetables in sweets dates back to medieval times both in Europe and the Middle East. Carrots naturally have a high sugar content, which made them an ideal sweetening substitute when sugar was a rare and expensive commodity.

I hope you enjoy this version of the Ancient Carrot Cake! If you need suggestions on wines or drinks to pair with, or have other culinary questions, I am here to help you.