Italian Carrot Cake (Torta di Carote)

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.

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.

FAQ

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)

Author: Celeste

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!

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Cooling Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Cake, Desserts

Cuisine Italian

Servings 10

Equipment

• Kitchen Scale
• 9 or 10-inch (23-25 cm) Springform Pan
• Electric Hand Mixer

Ingredients

 

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• ▢ 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

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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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 18g | Sodium: 247mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 25g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was by leaving a comment down below!