Celebrate spring with a delicious, moist carrot almond cake! Perfect for Easter or other special occasions, this cake is made with carrots and almonds and filled with an incredibly flavorful orange juice and whipped cream filling.
This beautiful carrot almond cake is a unique cake thatโs great for Easter. The carrot and almond cake slices are layered with a luscious cream and orange filling and topped with pistachios and extra orange zest. This dessert is guaranteed to be a hit at any gathering with its delightful flavors and moist texture.
Try more delicious carrot cakes: our favorite Carrot Cake with Coconut, Spelt Flour Carrot Cake, or Carrot Cake Traybake.
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Recipe ingredients
Ingredients for the carrot cake with almonds
Carrots: Finely grated carrots, weighed after peeling. I prefer to weigh the carrots instead of measuring the grated amount in cups; measuring grated carrots in cups is too imprecise. Try Nigellaโs Carrot Cake Cupcakes next; they are delicious!
Ground almonds or almond meal, not blanched almond flour. Ground almonds are ground with their brown skin still on, while almond flour is made from blanched and then ground almonds. Make another cake using ground almonds, for instance, this moist Tonka Bean Cake.
Other ingredients for the cake are all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, a little bit of salt, large eggs, the zest of one orange, and vanilla extract.
Orange filling ingredients
Oranges: It is preferable to use unwaxed organic oranges, as you will also need the zest. Next, try our simple Orange Bundt Cake.
Gelatin leaves: I use Dr. Oetker gelatin sheets. One sheet weighs 1.6 g/ 0.05 oz.
Heavy cream for whipping.
Other ingredients for the filling: Cornstarch, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract.
Decoration ingredients
Chopped pistachios and orange zest. To decorate the cake, you can also use roasted flaked almonds instead of pistachios or marzipan carrots.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
I once baked the exact carrot cake with almonds and filled it with the frosting I use to fill this Chocolate Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.
Fill the almond carrot cake with your favorite cream cheese frosting.
How to make the carrot almond cake
Preheat the oven and grease and flour the springform. You can also line the springform pan with parchment paper.
Make the cake
Step #1: Roast the almonds in a dry pan. Stir almost constantly, then remove them from the pan immediately.
Step #2: Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until stiff. Set aside.
Step 3: Beat yolks, sugar, vanilla extract, and zest at high speed in a stand mixer or electric mixer and a large mixing bowl.
Step #4: Fold in the shredded carrots and the roasted almonds.
Step #5: Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Sieve and fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, then carefully fold in the egg whites.
Step #6: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Let the cake cool completely.
Make the filling
Step #7: Bloom the gelatine in cold water according to the packetโs instructions (7-10 minutes) and juice all the oranges except one.
Step #8: In the meantime, stir cornstarch, sugar, and a little orange juice to form a pourable paste.
Step #9: Bring the remaining juice to a boil and whisk in the cornstarch paste. Let bubble a couple of times while whisking continuously. Remove and stir in lightly squeezed gelatin and vanilla extract.
Step #10: Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the surface to prevent it from forming a skin. Leave to cool completely.
Step #11: Beat the heavy cream until stiff. Fold in the zest of another ยฝ orange.
Step #12: Stir the pudding briefly to smooth it out, and fold in the whipped heavy cream.
Assemble the cake
Step #13: Slice the cake horizontally and place the lower slice on a serving platter.
Step #14: Peel the extra orange and fillet it, removing all the white skin and membranes. Cut the fillets into smaller pieces and arrange them all over the cake on the platter.
Step #15: Top with ยฝ of the orange cream filling. Place the second cake slice on top and top with the remaining orange cream filling.
Step #16: Decorate with pistachios and orange zest. Refrigerate the finished cake for at least 3-4 hours or overnight to allow the filling to set.
Tips
Measurements: I strongly recommend using a digital kitchen scale (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab) to make this carrot almond cake; it guarantees the best results.
Time management: You can prepare the filling and the cake base the night before and let them cool overnight. Personally, I often follow this approach. Layered cakes like this one can be pretty laborious, and spreading the tasks over two days helps reduce stress and makes the process more manageable.
Try more layered cakes: Raspberry and White Chocolate Cake or Romanian Lemon Cake.
Orange zest: If you have it, let the orange zest dry before using it to decorate the cake. This makes it easier to sprinkle and gives the cake a nicer look. Just zest an orange and spread the zest on a paper towel.
Gelatin: The filling needs to be stabilized with four leaves of bloomed gelatin. I wrote detailed instructions about working with gelatin in this post for No Bake Ricotta Cheesecake.
Recipe FAQs
Sure. You can bake the cake, make the filling the night before, and let it cool overnight. You can also make the whole cake the day before and let it set in the fridge overnight.ย
The gelatin filling needs at least 3-4 hours to set completely. I always leave it for longer, overnight, or at least from the morning until the afternoon.ย
The remaining cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring it to room temperature before serving.
Freezing should theoretically be possible, but I've never tried it myself. It's probably best to freeze well-wrapped individual slices and let them thaw in the fridge.
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Carrot Almond Cake
Equipment
- springform 24-26 cm/ 9.5-10 inches diameter
Ingredients
Carrot almond cake (Notes 1, 2):
- 250 g carrots weighed after peeling, 9 oz
- 150 g ground almonds 5.5 oz/ 1 ยผ cups
- 4 eggs
- zest of 1 orange
- 150 g granulated sugar 5.5 oz/ ยพ cup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 100 g all-purpose flour 3.5 oz/ ยพ cup + 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
Orange filling:
- 4 leaves gelatin
- 40 g cornstarch 1.5 oz/ โ cup
- 40 g sugar 1.5 oz/ ยผ cup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5-6 oranges Note 3
- 400 ml heavy cream 1 ยฝ cups
- zest of ยฝ orange
To decorate:
- zest of 1 orange
- pistachios chopped
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180ยฐC/ 350ยฐF. Grease and flour the springform. Shake well over the sink to remove the excess flour (or use parchment paper instead).
- Carrots: Peel them and weigh the required quantity. Grate them finely and set them aside.
- Roast the almonds in a dry pan. Stand by the stove and stir frequently. Immediately remove the roasted almonds from the pan and let cool while you prepare the rest.
- Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients: Zest 1 of the oranges. Beat the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract, and orange zest until light and creamy, at least 2 minutes at high speed. Fold in the grated carrots and the roasted almonds.
- Add dry ingredients: In another bowl, mix the flour and the baking powder. Sieve the mixture over the egg yolk mixture and fold in. Carefully fold in the egg whites as well.
- Bake: Pour the mixture into the prepared springform and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then remove it and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
Orange filling:
- Bloom the gelatin: Place the gelatin leaves in a deep plate and cover them with cold water. Leave to bloom as instructed on the packet, usually between 7 and 10 minutes.
- Prepare oranges: Juice some of the oranges and measure 375 ml/1 โ cups of orange juice. If only a small quantity of liquid is missing, top that with water. Keep one orange whole, as you will need it for the filling.
- Make orange pudding: Stir the cornstarch and sugar with a little of the juice, enough to form a pourable paste. Pour the rest of the juice into a saucepan and bring to a boil. When it boils, whisk in the cornstarch paste. Let bubble a couple of times while whisking continuously. Remove from the heat and stir in the bloomed and lightly squeezed gelatin and the vanilla extract.
- Cool: Place a piece of cling film directly over the surface of the orange pudding to prevent it from forming a skin. Then, leave it to cool completely.
Assemble and decorate (Note 4):
- Orange zest: Zest 1 orange and spread the zest on a paper towel. Leave to dry for a while. You will need that to decorate the cake; it works better if the zest is dry.
- Cream: Beat the heavy cream until stiff and fold in the zest of another ยฝ orange.
- Combine: Stir the orange pudding shortly to smooth it out, then fold in the whipped heavy cream.
- Slice the cake horizontally. Place the lower slice on a serving platter.
- Peel one orange and fillet the orange slices to remove all the white skin and membranes.
- Assemble the cake: Cut the orange fillets into smaller pieces and arrange them all over the lower cake slice. Top with ยฝ of the orange cream filling. Place the second cake slice on top and top with the remaining orange cream filling.
- Decorate the carrot almond cake with chopped pistachios and dried orange zest.
Notes
- Measurements: I strongly recommend using a digital kitchen scale (the Amazon link opens in a new tab) in baking; it guarantees the best results.
- Time management: You can prepare the filling and the cake base the night before and let them cool overnight; I prefer that. Layered cakes can be pretty laborious, and spreading the tasks over two days helps reduce stress and makes the process easier.
- Oranges: Depending on their size, you'll need about 5-7 medium to large oranges. This should yield approximately 375 ml (1 โ cups + 2 tablespoons) of freshly squeezed orange juice, with one orange left for filleting. I found that this amount of juice came from 5 oranges on average. It's a good idea to buy 1 or 2 extra oranges to ensure you have enough juice, plus an additional one for filleting. Ensure the oranges are organic and unwaxed; you'll also need their zest.
- The decoration is optional; you can decorate the cake any way you like. Using marzipan carrots instead of pistachios and orange zest is also a nice idea.
Parveen says
I want to make this cake, It seems like it may be delicious. I saw there is no oil or butter in the cake batter. Is this really how you make it or is it a misprint?
Adina says
Hi. There is no butter or oil in the batter. Happy baking!
grace says
what a unique and delicious carrot cake!!
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
I'm glad too that you finally decided to make this cake. It looks and sounds heavenly! The combination of orange, almond, and pistachio makes it a carrot cake like no other!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
It is carrot cake season! I love your version with the almonds and orange juice filling. It add a wonderful brightness to the cake! This cake looks very scrumptious!
Monica says
Okay...this looks beautiful but my, the flavors sound amazing! I love almond-orange and the combination with carrot cake is a great surprise. Must be insane. The pistachios is the perfect finishing touch. Lovely!