Flourless Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Flourless Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 8 to 12 servings. Recipe is from Love’n Bake: “Spongecakes made with almond flour are centuries old and especailly common in Mediterranean countries. In fact, the inspiration for this cake is a traditional Spanish almond torte. ... With the grated carrots and cinnamon, this cake tastes familiar. But it is much less rich than a typical carrot cake because there is no oil in the batter. And because this cake is not too sweet, it makes the perfect foil for a thick layer of cream cheese frosting ... .”

For the cake:

6 large eggs, separated

11/4 cups sugar

21/2 cups almond flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda plus 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar, combined

1 tbl. potato starch

2 cups grated carrots

3 tbls. orange juice

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Grated zest of 1 orange

For the frosting:

2 (8-oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, chilled

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla or lemon juice, optional

4 to 41/2 cups Passover Powdered Sugar, see below

For the garnish:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Passover Powdered Sugar

For 1 cup, grind together 2⁄3 cup granulated sugar with 1 tsp. potato starch in a clean coffee or spice grinder.

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and line two 9-inch cake rounds with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk, combine the egg yolks and sugar on medium high speed. Beat the mixture into a thick, light yellow foam, about 3 minutes.

3. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the almond flour, baking soda and cream of tartar, potato starch, carrots, orange juice cinnamon and orange zest.

4. In a clean mixing bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold one third of the whipped whites into the almond batter to lighten the mixture. Then fold in the remaining egg whites.

5. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake the cakes until they are firm in the center and spring back when touched lightly, about 30-35 minutes. Cool the cakes in their pans on a rack for 15 minutes. Unmold the cakes onto the rack and let them cool completely. The cakes will sink slightly in the center as they cool.

For the frosting:

Combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla, if using, in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle. Blend on medium speed only until smooth. Scrape the bowl and add Passover Powdered Sugar. Blend on medium speed, scraping the bowl several times, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

To fill and frost cakes:

Slide one of the cakes onto a cake round or cardboard circle the same size as the cake. Spread a generous layer of the cream cheese frosting on top, leveling it evenly. Place the second cake on top of the frosted layer. Spread half of the remaining frosting in a thin layer over the top and sides of the cake to seal in any loose crumbs. Chill the cake thoroughly then refrost with the remaining icing. Press the chopped walnuts along the bottom edge of the frosted cake. Keep refrigerated.