Go Back
–+ servings
pistachio carrot cake

Pistachio Carrot Cake

Delicious and moist carrot cake enhanced with the flavor of pistachios.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10 slices

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Cake:

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 ⅓ cups vegetable oil
  • 3 extra-large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 pound carrots grated
  • 1 cup golden raisins coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup chopped pistachios

Mascarpone Frosting

  • 12 ounces Italian mascarpone cheese room temperature
  • 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • 2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 ½ cups finely chopped pistachios toasted in a dry skillet

Instructions
 

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
  • Grease 2 (9-by-2-inch) cake pans, line the bottoms with oil and add paper. Grease paper.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar, oil, and eggs on medium~high speed for 2 minutes, until light yellow and thickened. Stir in the vanilla.
  • In another bowl, sift together the 2 cups of flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones.
  • In a medium bowl, toss the carrots, raisins, pistachios, and the 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir into the batter with a rubber spatula.
  • Divide the batter into the 2 cake pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 10 minutes, lower the temperature to 350˚F. and bake for 30~35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
  • Place one cake layer on a flat serving plate, rounded side down. Spread half the frosting on the top (but not the sides). Place the second cake layer on top of the first cake layer, rounded side up. (If the cake top is too rounded, use a serrated knife to level it.) Frost just the top of the cake.
  • Sprinkle the finely chopped pistachios on the top of the cake for garnish.

Mascarpone Frosting

  • In the bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, cream and vanilla together for about 1 minute, until light and fluffy.
  • Add 1/2 the finely chopped pistachios and salt and beat for 30 seconds more.
  • Use the remaining finely chopped pistachios to sprinkle on the top of the cake.
Keyword carrot cake, easter cake, pistachop carrot carrot
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!