Italian Orange and Carrot Cake

You don’t need to buy a box of cake mix to prepare a moist carrot cake.  This Italian Orange & Carrot Cake recipe will show you how easy it is to make it from scratch! Also called ‘Ciambella Arancia e Carote‘ — one slice of this flavorsome treat will not be enough!

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Other than the Italian Apple Cake, this moist carrot cake is a regular in our house.

You get a bit of fruit and vegetable in every bite, and in a typical Italian way, this easy carrot cake recipe does NOT contain butter — it uses olive oil instead.

Delicious? Soft? Moist?  Yep, check all those boxes, and add in there that it’s all from scratch.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A MOIST CARROT CAKE

DO I NEED TO USE CAKE FLOUR?

No need. 

I always use all-purpose flour for this recipe, and I never have a problem with the result.

HOW DO YOU MAKE A CARROT CAKE MOIST?

The creamy blend of carrots and olive oil provides the cake with more moisture than just grating the carrots and adding the oil separately.

However, you have to make sure that you don’t add too much. 

You need to add no more than 1 & 1/3 cups of the carrot mixture to the cake batter for this recipe.  So, please keep that in mind. 🙂

HOW TO MAKE ORANGE CARROT CAKE FROM SCRATCH

Start by preheating your oven to 180°C (350°F) and greasing your ciambella or cake pan with olive oil or butter — dust some flour on it as well.

Sift and mix flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg (photo 1).

Using a stand blender, pulse, and blend the carrots and olive oil (photo 2).

In a medium to a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugar, and mix until creamy (photo 3).

Add the orange zest and blended carrots with olive oil (photo 4).

Mix, then add the sifted dry ingredients and continue mixing until just combined (photo 5).

Pour the cake batter into your greased (and floured) cake pan (photo 6).

Use a rubber spatula to even the top (if needed) and tap your pan on the countertop to lessen air bubbles.

Place cake pan in the oven for forty to forty-five minutes or until the top has turned golden.

Set aside to cool down a bit, then serve with some powdered sugar (optional).

TOP TIPS IN MAKING THIS MOIST CARROT CAKE RECIPE

• Do not skip the greasing and dusting of flour for your cake pan, especially if you are using a ciambella pan. Trust me; it makes a huge difference when you remove the cake for serving.
• Use zest from two medium-sized oranges, if you cannot find a large one.
• Mild, fruity flavored olive oil is best for this recipe. Avoid the robust, bold ones — they will overpower the flavor of the carrots and orange.
• Use no more than 1 & 1/3 cup of the carrot and olive oil mixture. If you use more, the cake will be a bit wet and heavy.

IF YOU WANT OTHER QUICK, HASSLE-FREE, AND DELICIOUS DESSERTS, YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT MY OTHER POSTS:

• Quick & Easy Yogurt Cake
• Swedish Apple Crumble
• Easy Blueberry Clafoutis
• Portuguese Honey Cake (Bolo de Mel)

OR IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR MORE ITALIAN TREATS, THEN JUMP STRAIGHT TO 20+ Easy Italian Desserts & Pastries Recipes!

Lastly, this recipe was initially published in August 2018. Photos are now updated, a video has been added, and the recipe has been edited to provide clearer instructions.