Classic Swiss Carrot Cake
All made from scratch! This Classic Swiss Carrot Cake is filled with fresh carrots. It is incredibly moist and flavorful, and you won’t be able to resist! A perfect Easter dessert or a stunning party treat.
We are approaching Easter, and I wanted to share with you a recipe I have been going back to since I can remember: Classic Swiss Carrot Cake. Don’t you think there is something about Carrot Cakes that scream Easter? Is it because bunnies like to eat carrots? And Easter and bunnies go together so well? Maybe, either way, you are in for a treat!
My mom made this cake for my family and me countless times. I loved to help her when I was little, and I remember that my favorite part was to add the little sugary carrots on top of the cake for decoration. This cake is so prevalent in Switzerland that you can buy pre-made sugar carrots at any grocery store!
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This cake is a favorite
Quite a few Swiss people are living in Nevada. Our group meets semi-annually, and for our get-togethers, we like to bring homemade Swiss foods. I made this Classic Swiss Carrot Cake for our Christmas party, and the slices were gone within seconds; I couldn’t cut it fast enough. Everyone was so excited to eat a piece of Swiss tradition after years of being away!
What is the difference between this carrot cake to the American carrot cake?
You might be wondering why I call this cake Classic Swiss Carrot Cake. Unless the American version, this cake isn’t overly sweet and doesn’t have layers of sweet, creamy frosting, butter or oil, or bigger nut pieces & raisins in the batter. However, it calls for stiff egg whites and finely shredded almonds.
Does that sound boring to you? It might not be loaded with everything, but it sure doesn’t taste boring! On the contrary, it is so flavorful and moist you might never go back to the American version – and on top of all, it is also healthier.
How to make the sugar carrots
As convenient as these store-bought carrots are, I like to make mine myself. Plus, I don’t live in Switzerland and don’t have these sugary carrots readily available.
I like to use fondant to shape them. You can buy pre-colored orange and green fondant or a pack of white fondant and color it with food coloring. It is up to your preference and time!
Carrot part (orange):
With the orange fondant, form a small ball (the size you like your carrots to be) and roll it into a cone shape between your fingers. Place it on a piece of parchment paper. Then use the back of a butter knife and create a few fine, scattered lines horizontally over the carrot. Repeat!
Carrot greens:
Take the green fondant and press a grape-size piece through a garlic press! Press until you have the desired length for your carrot greens. Use a sharp knife and cut a section of the greens off.
It will likely stick to the knife, which is fine; you can quickly transfer the greens to the carroty. Then, carefully slide it onto the top of the carrot. If it doesn’t stick well to the carrot, wet the top carrot part with water, using your finger, and then slide it on.
There you have your sugary little carrots 😁
Tips to achieve a perfect Classic Swiss Carrot Cake:
➠ Hand grade your carrots!
That will leave you with fine, delicate strands of carrot that basically melt into the cake during baking. You can use pre-grated carrots from the store. However, you won’t have the same result and will have bigger carrot shreds in your cake.
➠ Carefully fold in the egg whites!
Don’t overmix the batter at the end when folding in the stiff egg whites. You want to keep them light and airy. If you mix for too long, the egg whites become runny and lose all the air you beat into them so lovingly, making the end product dense!
➠ Add the glaze to a cooled cake!
Make sure the cake is cooled all the way before you add the glaze, or it won’t set for a long time.
➠ Glaze the bottom part of the cake!
Let the cake cool upside down! The bottom part of the cake is smooth and flat, making it easy for you to glaze. It will give your cake a nice and even look.
➠ Add just a little liquid to the glaze at a time!
Start by adding just a few tablespoons of water/lemon juice at a time to the powdered sugar. Then, stir well in between; I like using a whisk. Initially, it might look like the ratio isn’t correct and you need to add more liquid than it asks for. But Powdered sugar drastically shrinks and melts together with the liquid.
Once the glaze gets too runny, you have to add more powdered sugar, and you will end up with a lot more glaze than you actually need for this cake.
But if you slowly add the liquid, you will know when you have a perfect consistency. It shouldn’t be too thick or runny but easy to spread.
➠Make the cake a day ahead!
It tastes great on the first day but phenomenal on the second! It is an ideal cake to make a day ahead and glaze the day off!
➠ Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator!
This cake will stay good for up to a week in the fridge.
E Guete, (Bon appétit)!! Don’t forget to share some pictures with me and tell me how you liked this Classic Swiss Carrot Cake. Also, it will make my day if you tag @mirjamskitchenyodel on Instagram, share on Facebook, or pin on Pinterest.
If you love this recipe, you might also enjoy the following:
Filled Sweet Bread – Gefüllter Hefezopf
Chocolate & Raspberry Yogurt Mousse
Classic Swiss Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Batter:
- 250 g Granulated sugar
- 5 Egg yolks
- 2 tbsp Water hot
- 250 g Carrots finely shredded
- 250 g Almonds finely shredded
- 1 Lemon zest and juice
- 2 tbsp Kirsch or water
- 80 g All purpose flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 5 Egg whites
- 1/8 tsp Salt
Glaze:
- 200 g Powdered sugar
- 2-3 tsp Lemon juice
- 2 tsp Water
Decor:
- 12 carrots fondant
- Orange fondant
- Green fondant
Instructions
Batter:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line the bottom of a 9-inch (24cm) spring form with parchment paper and grease the sides. I find it easier to grease the sides instead of battling and cutting parchment paper all the way around. If you prefer to line the entire spring form with parchment paper, feel free to do that!
- Peel the carrots, and whit a grader, grade them into fine shreds. Set aside.
- Mix the shredded almonds, lemon zest, flour, and baking powder in a separate bowl. And set aside.
- Separate the eggs. Pour the egg whites into a medium size mixing bowl, add salt, and mix with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Set it in the refrigerator.
- Add sugar, egg yolks, and water to a big mixing bowl and beat until foamy and lighter in color. This will take about 5 minutes. You can use a hand or a stand mixer for that.
- Then add the carrot shreds, the almond-flour mixture, lemon juice, and Kirsch (or water) and carefully mix with a wooden spoon until well incorporated.
- Then add the stiff egg whites and fold them into the batter! Do this carefully and only mix until you see no egg white strikes anymore. Try not to overmix the batter, or it will become runny and end up with a dense cake.
- Pour the batter into the prepared spring form; with a rubber spatula, level it and place it in the oven.
- Bake for about 55 minutes or until the cake is golden brown. If you are unsure whether the cake is done, you can lightly press on it in the center. If it springs right back vs. leaving a dent, it is done.
- Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes before you remove the spring form. Once the spring form is removed, place the cake upside down on a cooling rack and let it cool completely.
Carrots:
- Make 12 small carrots from fondant and set them aside. (Read the blog post above for detailed step-by-step instructions on how to make fondant carrots!!)
Glaze:
- Add the powdered sugar to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Start with adding one tablespoon of lemon juice/water at a time. You want to make sure the glaze doesn’t get too runny. Mix with a whisk. Add more liquid as needed.
- You want the glaze to be on the thicker side but still a little bit runny so that it can drip down the sides a little.
- Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and spread it over the surface and sides with a big spoon or spatula.
- Add the 12 fondant carrots to the still-wet glaze. Place them evenly spaced apart around the cake.
- Enjoy!
