“CAMILLA” CARROT CAKE

“CAMILLA” CARROT CAKE

Ingredients:

4 CARROTS (about 525g=18,52oz with skin and far ends, about 390g=13,76oz once peeled)

4 EGGS (about 215g=7,58oz)

250g SUGAR (=8,82oz=1 ¼ cups)

200g PLAIN FLOUR (=7,05oz=1 ⅗ cups)

150g softened unsalted BUTTER (=5,29oz=⅔ cup)

150g ALMONDS (=5,29oz=1 cup)

100g POTATO STARCH (=3,53oz=½ cup)

20g RUM LIQUOR (=0,71oz)

1 envelope POWDERED VANILLA YEAST (=16g=0,56oz)

POWDERED CINNAMON to taste

Method:

Peel the carrots and cut away the far ends, then cut them julienne style with a julienne grater.

Grind the almonds with a grinder, then add the julienned carrots and grind again to get to a sandy texture.

Beat eggs and sugar with a food processor, then add rum liquor and mix.

Add the carrots and almonds mixture and mix again.

Add softened butter and mix, then add potato starch, little cinnamon powder, flour and mix.

Add the yeast and mix one last time.

Grease the chosen mould surface with a cooking spray or proceed in the traditional way spreading butter and then coating it with flour (for this cake I usually use a high sided 30cm diameter aluminium bundt cake mould with a 12cm diameter hole). Pour the mixture and flatten with a spatula so to level the surface of the cake.

Preheat the oven at 180°C (=356°F) and bake for about 45 minutes.

Let it cool down before getting the cake out of the mould, turning it upside down.

You can sprinkle it with powdered sugar or leave it as it is. You can also decide to use a normal tray, cut the cake horizontally and garnish it with a cream cheese sweet filling.

The flavour of this “Camilla” carrot cake reminds me of my childhood, when I used to go crazy for its homonym Mulino Bianco snack… thus the name Camilla!