Description (Some HTML is OK)
These recipes all come from a battered notebook where I copied recipes when I was a kid. It is well used and covered with stains... The pages are starting to fall apart so I think it is a good idea to save those online.
The carrot cake has been a classic recipe in Switzerland very far back, they actually claim it was invented there. Who knows? The recipe differs from carrot cakes found in the UK and US - it has more carrot and is a very moist cake. Mostly it means a higher carrot/sugar ration, a lot of eggs and almonds (or hazelnuts) and almost no flour. It could probably be done gluten free replacing the wheat flour with an alternative.
The cake is better after a few hours' or overnight rest. It also freezes very well. And, as it is quite solid, it also "piles" quite well on top of each other.
I had made this for my wedding cake in the US and had almost more requests for the recipe than congratulations at the reception...
Ingredients
Makes 6 servings
- 5 eggs, whites and yolks separated
- 300g sugar
- zest of a lemon, grated
- 300g grated carrot (I often put more)
- 300g powdered almonds (or hazelnuts)
- 4 tbsp flour
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp clove powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- salt pinch
- 2 tbsp kirsch (or other spirit)
Preparation
Preheat oven at 190C
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and lemon zest until the mixture lightens. Add the carrots and almonds.
Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and spices, and add to the mixtures
Beat the egg whites stiff and gently fold in the mixture
Pour in a cake dish and bake 60 minutes at 190C
In Switzerland the cake is brushed with apricot jam while it is still warm, then either dusted with powdered sugar or covered with a simple frosting made of lemon juice and powdered sugar, then they would decorate with little marzipan carrots which you can find everywhere in Switzerland.
I must admit I do like it with the american cream cheese frosting, though:
1 pack cream cheese + 60g softened butter+2tsp vanilla+1 lb frosting sugar+ juice of 1 lemon.
Comments
Looks fantastic! I'm on the lookout for good gluten free akes and this one is a keeper :)
Back to top