This Italian Carrot Cake is light, fluffy, and perfectly sweet. It’s made with freshly shredded carrots and scented with orange zest to give it a delightfully bright flavor!
Sometimes less is more, and that’s definitely true for this Italian Carrot Cake. While classic carrot cake is usually layered with thick blankets of frosting, this one keeps it simple with one lightly dusted cake layer.
It has a very soft and bouncy texture and stays moist for days thanks to the almond flour. The orange zest and juice add an extra element of sweetness and give it even more vibrancy.
For more Italian-inspired desserts, try our Five Spice Dark Chocolate Budino and these Limoncello Amaretti Cookies.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bright Flavor: The sweetness of the carrots combined with the orange juice give the cake a fresh, bright flavor that’s perfect for spring or summer.
- Texture: It’s super fluffy and the almond flour and oil help to keep it moist for days.
- Goes Great with Coffee or Tea: The sweetness of the cake makes it a nice treat to pair with a cup of espresso or breakfast tea.
What is Italian Carrot Cake?
Torta di carote literally translates to “carrot cake” in Italian. However, it differs from what most people think of as carrot cake since it typically contains no spices and is not topped with a hefty amount of cream cheese frosting.
It’s super light and fluffy and usually contains a bit of orange juice and zest to brighten up the overall flavor. And of course, without all the extra add-ins, this cake becomes all about the carrots. It’s simple, delicious, and is perfect for spring, Easter, and summer!
Ingredient Notes
Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below. Here you’ll find notes on why we chose certain ingredients as well as any substitutions.
- Tipo 00 or All-Purpose Flour: Tipo 00 is what Italians typically use even for baking, but it can easily be swapped out for all-purpose flour in this recipe. Just be sure to measure in grams for best results.
- Baking Powder + Salt: Don’t substitute with baking soda.
- Granulated Sugar: You’ll need 250 g.
- Eggs: Bring them to room temperature quickly by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Neutral Oil: We use vegetable oil, but you can use any neutral oil like canola or grapeseed oil.
- Orange Juice + Zest: This gives the cake a lively flavor and adds additional moisture to the batter.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: To round out all the flavors.
- Shredded Carrots: We highly recommend using a food processor to shred your carrots. It will be much faster than doing it by hand!
- Powdered Sugar: For finishing off the cake.
Kitchen Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Oven Thermometer
- 9 or 10 inch (23-25 cm) Springform Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Mixing Bowls
- Aluminum Foil
- Electric Hand Mixer
Step-by-Step Instructions
STEP 1: Shred the carrots. We use a food processor with a shredder attachment, and use the side with the bigger holes. You can do this by hand, but this method is a lot faster.
STEP 2: Mix the eggs and sugar. With an electric hand mixer, beat the sugar and eggs together for 1-2 minutes on medium speed until thick and drizzly.
STEP 3: Add the other wet ingredients. Gradually add the oil then mix for 1 minute. Add the orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
STEP 4: Fold in the dry ingredients. Use a silicone spatula to fold in the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt until there’s a few flour lumps left. Then fold in the shredded carrots until just combined. Don’t overmix.
STEP 5: Bake. Transfer the batter to a 9 or 10-inch springform pan then bake for 55-58 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes then run a knife along the edges of the pan and release the sides. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Then dust with powdered sugar once the cake has fully cooled.
Expert Tips
- Don’t completely fold in the flour until you’ve added the carrots. This cake has a lot of moisture in it so you want to minimize the amount of mixing you do. Fold in the flour mixture until there’s a few streaks left then add the carrots and fold until everything is just combined. This will prevent any gluey spots from forming in your cake.
- Wait for the cake to cool completely before adding the powdered sugar. If the cake is still warm, the sugar will just dissolve into it.
FAQ
Tipo 00 is a fine grained Italian flour made from durum wheat. It has a slightly higher protein content than all-purpose flour, and is the preferred choice for making bread, pasta, and even pizza. It’s also very common in Italy to use it for baked goods which is why we chose to use it in this Italian carrot cake. We test our recipes with both flours, but we personally prefer to bake with tipo 00 since it tends to hurt our stomachs less due to how it’s processed. It does make baked goods slightly more soft, but it can typically be replaced with all-purpose unless stated otherwise. We highly recommend it!
Our favorite brand of Italian flour is Caputo, and we order the tipo 00 flour off Amazon.
No. The shredded carrots you get at the grocery store tend to be a lot thicker than shredding them at home. Freshly shredded carrots release juices that aid in flavoring the cake while pre-packaged carrots tend to be very dry.
Yes, substitute the 00/all-purpose flour with the same amount of 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. We recommend Bob’s Red Mill.
Baking in Grams
All of our baking recipes are carefully tested using grams so that you get a beautiful and delicious baked good every time. While we provide cup measurements, we can’t guarantee that they’ll produce good results. There’s more room for error when using cups, and how you pack your ingredients can make a significant difference. This is why we recommend measuring by weight so you’re guaranteed for success in the kitchen! All you need is a kitchen scale and you’re good to go!
Storage
Cover with a cloche and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. After a while the powdered sugar will dissolve into the cake so you may need to re-dust it.
You can also store it in the fridge by double wrapping it with plastic wrap. It should keep for up to 4-5 days.
If you tried this recipe, let us know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating and review below and tag us on Instagram @fancifuleats so we can see your amazing kitchen creations!
📖 Recipe
Italian Carrot Cake (Torta di Carote)
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- 9 or 10-inch (23-25 cm) Springform Pan
- Electric Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- 350 g (3 cups) shredded carrots about 5-7 carrots
- 180 g (2 cups) almond flour
- 120 g (1 cup) tipo 00 OR all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 225 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) neutral oil
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9 or 10-inch (23-25 cm) springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Wash, peel, and shred the carrots. You can do this by hand or use a food processor (our preferred method). If using a food processor, use a shredder attachment and use the side with the bigger holes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In another large bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat the sugar and eggs on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until thick and drizzly.
- With the mixer still on, gradually add the oil then continue mixing for 1 minute. Add the orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Fold in the flour mixture with a silicone spatula until a few flour lumps remain. Then fold in the shredded carrots until just combined. Don't overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and bake for 55-58 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. When the timer has about 20 minutes left, loosely cover the top of the cake with a tent of foil to prevent over browning.
- Once baked, let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then run a knife along the edges and release the sides of the springform pan. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before topping it with powdered sugar, about 1.5 hours.
- Once cooled, dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Notes
- Measure the carrots after shredding.
- Store at room temperature for up to 3 days by covering it with a cloche. You can also double wrap it in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
- After a while the powdered sugar will dissolve into the cake, so you may need to re-dust it.
- To make this gluten-free, substitute the 00/all-purpose flour with an equal amount of 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. We recommend Bob’s Red Mill.
Galvan Haun says
AWESOME!
fancifuleats says
Thanks, Galvan!
Angelo COLUSSO says
Can this only be made in a springform pan.?
fancifuleats says
Hi Angelo! A 10×2.5-inch (25×6 cm) round cake pan like this one should also work. Just make sure it has the correct height (2.5 in/6 cm). This cake has quite a lot of batter so anything smaller might spill over in the oven.
Scott Sletten says
I was reading through your Italian carrot cake recipes and I noticed, when you double or triple the recipe you everything is double or triple except the oil and orange juice and zest ! Why are these not double or triple except for these three things in the recipes don’t change in valium ?
fancifuleats says
Hi, Scott. Thanks for pointing that out! It’s a glitch that we can’t control and we try our best to make a note of it when it happens. We’ll be sure to include that in the notes section of the recipe card. 🙂 Sorry about any confusion!
Melanie Bernard says
How many ml of orange juice are needed? Every orange may produce a different amount of liquid which may affect the cake either being too dry or wet.
fancifuleats says
Hi Melanie! I would use 60 ml (1/4 cup) of juice.
Melissa says
Easy to make; yummy to eat! I strongly agree that using kitchen scales makes this a breeze!
fancifuleats says
Thanks for leaving a review. We’re glad you enjoyed the cake!
Kelly says
Do you think the amount of sugar could be reduced?
Fanciful Eats says
Hi Kelly. We wouldn’t recommend reducing the sugar in this recipe as it could affect the overall texture since it is already a delicate cake. This recipe in particular isn’t too sweet, but you can omit the powdered sugar on top if you want.
Jennifer says
Is there an alternative to the almond ingredients for nut allergies?
Fanciful Eats says
Hi, Jennifer. Unfortunately, this cake relies heavily on almond flour for its texture and structure, so I would not substitute it with another flour.
Monika says
Have you tried replacing orange zest and juice by lemon? Could it work?
Fanciful Eats says
Hi, Monika! We have not tried it with lemon, but it should work fine. The flavor will be very different and it might be less sweet so that’s something to keep in mind. Meyer lemons would also be a good alternative if you’re looking for something in between. 🙂
Monika says
Thank you for your answer 🙂
Gabriela Santos says
I made this recipe for my birthday cake a few days ago and it turned out amazing!
Thank you for sharing this one! 🙂
Fanciful Eats says
Aww so happy you liked it! Happy belated birthday! 😊
Sarah says
This was excellent! Made it for a dinner party, served it with sliced citrus and a dollop of whipped cream!
Followed your directions fully. Everyone asking for the recipe.
Fanciful Eats says
That sounds delicious! We love the idea of serving it with whipped cream. Thanks for sharing, Sarah! 🙂
SJ says
can you use melted (and cooled) butter or coconut oil instead od regular oil?
Fanciful Eats says
Yes, we’ve had a reader mention that they used melted butter with a bit of milk and it turned out great. Coconut oil should be ok too if you don’t mind the coconut-y flavor. If you try it, let us know how it turned out!
Matilde P says
This looks lovely! Is there any considerations I should keep in mind if I only have premade orange juice (tropicana with pulp) instead of fresh?
Thank you!
Fanciful Eats says
Since some brands like Tropicana taste different than freshly squeezed juice, it’s probably best to use a combination of juice and milk to balance out the flavor. We suggest trying 2 tbsp each of juice and milk in place of the freshly squeezed orange juice. Hope that helps!
Nancy Landon says
This is grown up, perfect carrot cake. I grated the carrots very finely. My only carrot cake now. Thanks!
Fanciful Eats says
So happy you liked it! Thanks so much for sharing, Nancy. 🙂
Skochii Bennett-Polchlopek says
I love this recipe and have made it many times. I’m going to attempt to bake them in muffin tins, do you have any suggestions on time or temperature adjustments?
Fanciful Eats says
Glad you like the recipe! We haven’t tried it in muffin form, but you’ll definitely want to cut down the bake time since muffins take less time than whole cakes. If you’re making regular sized muffins (not jumbo or mini), maybe start with 20 minutes at 350°F (180°C) and keep a close eye on them. They should be done when a cake tester poked in the center comes out clean. We can’t guarantee that they’ll come out perfect, but that’s where we’d start. If you want something to reference back to, here is an article from King Arthur about converting cakes to muffins. Hope that helps!
Skochii Bennett-Polchlopek says
The muffins worked at 25 minutes. I made a little whipped Greek yogurt for topping and these are amazing!
Fanciful Eats says
Happy to hear that the muffins came out great! The Greek yogurt topping sounds delicious. 😋