| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 25 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pine nuts (about 6 ounces)
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 cups peeled and chopped carrots (about 6 carrots)
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 5 eggs
- Powdered sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Place the pine nuts, 1/2 cup sugar, and fennel seeds in a food processor and pulse to mince the nuts. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and the carrots. Pulse to mince the carrots. Add the mascarpone cheese and pulse until the cheese is incorporated.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, until well blended.
- Add the carrot mixture to the butter mixture and stir until combined. Add in the reserved dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated.
- Place the mixture in a lightly greased and floured 8 by 10 by-2-inch baking dish. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.
- Let the cake cool for 1 hour, then dust with powdered sugar. Cut into squares and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 482 |
| Total Fat | 27 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Carbohydrates | 53 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 25 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Cholesterol | 117 mg |
| Sodium | 325 mg |
Reviews
Lovely! A much appreciated alternative to the dense, super sweet carrot cakes I’ve made before. I added 1 tsp. of cinnamon and used a tiramisu flavored mascarpone. Delish.
It’s a good moist cake which would be perfect for tea time or as dessert. I used blanched almonds instead of pine nuts and I don’t believe it affected the taste. But I somehow felt that some flavor needs to be more prominent to make the cake stand out
I made this cake to take to a gathering/dinner party, and every piece was gobbled up! Truly a fantastic cake. I baked it in a 10-cup swirl Bundt pan, and it turned out beautiful. Do watch the baking time, though. Mine was done at 45 minutes, and to be honest, I thought at the time it was perhaps a bit over done. But when I sliced into it, the cake was moist and perfect! I added a light lemon glaze on top of a sprinkling of powdered sugar, and it was a nice compliment. Delicious flavor! I will definitely be making this again.
Delicious cake! I followed the recipe exactly and made cupcakes instead of one big loaf. The end result is so different than regular carrot cake that it almost should have another name.
I made this cake exactly as the recipe stated. It is delicious. I get compliments each time. I would not substitute cream cheese as others have (it lacked a taste quality and keep it as unless allergies are an issue.. Love it!!
I substituted the cheese with regular cream cheese, and used 1/2 cup of natural sunflower seeds and 1/2 cup of cashews instead of pine seeds. Other than that I followed Giada’s video and recipe to the key. The cake came out very dry, and I would not have known it was a carrot cake if I had not made it myself. The other ingredients overwelmed the carrot flavor. After only 40 minutes of baking at 375 degrees F,the cake was already done. I can’t imagine what it would have come out like if I had baked it the full 55-60 minutes. A dissapointing addition to a family reunion Christmas dinner.Sorry Giada.
One of the most Beautifull Cake Presentations ever seen.Am fortunate to have the cake “mold” for this Lovely.I ‘swap’out Pecans for Pine Nuts.{Family Allergy}.Omit the Fennel seeds.Otherwise,everything else remains the same.To cover the design/shape would be awful.The Flavour is still present w/o Pine Nuts or Fennel flavour.Don’t wait for a Holiday to Bake.A “wow factor” Any Time of Year.Brilliant recipe,Giada,Thank you.
I made these for christmas baskets. They are so good
Made this cake for Christmas Day dinner. It was fantastic. All loved it. So much more sophistocated than the traditional carrot cake, which I don’t like. Thanks so much to the below fans. Because of your input, I found the paper cups at Sur La Table and cooked them for approximately 20 mins., which wasn’t in the receipe, but was advised by another fan below.
We love it! I baked this for the New Year’s Eve and skipped the powdered sugar or the Icing part as no one in the group prefers the Icing. I baked it in the bundt pan and was also little short on the carrots and i had only half a cup of pine nuts. It came out just perfect!! Cant wait to make it again for my other friends.