This Japanese Carrot Cake is fluffy and buttery. It’s a perfect baked treat for breakfast or for on the go. The carrots’ sweetness and the almonds’ nuttiness shine through this delicious treat.
What exactly is Japanese Carrot Cake? Around the world, there are several iterations of carrot cake. In Japan, it is more like a souffle cake. The egg yolks and whites are whipped separately and folded together to create a soft and buttery masterpiece. There are no spices in this cake. No cinnamon or cloves. Instead, carrots are diced and shredded to almost look like a mosaic inside the crumb structure.
There is also no cream cheese frosting. You can have it on its own or top with a dollop of yogurt and fresh lemon zest.
The process of making this might be a little more complicated than your average cake, but the end result makes this so worth it. You will have no regrets.
Check out the recipe below!
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Ingredients for Japanese Carrot Cake
- Carrots. I used organic carrots. These are usually the sweetest. Make sure to wash and peel them before using. Part of the carrots will be grated and the others cubed, so plenty of carrots in this cake.
- Almonds. The recipe specifies almond nibs. This can be hard to find in grocery stores. You can also take silvered almonds and run them through the food processor until they are smaller in size. About the size of mini chocolate chips.
- Sugar for sweetness and also to help the egg whites whip. A lot of sweetness comes from the carrots themselves.
- Honey. Just a little bit to flavor the cooked cubed carrots.
- Butter. This will add flavor to the cake and be whipped for more air. It turns out to be quite a light cake.
- Eggs. These will be separated and whipped separately.
- All-purpose flour. Not cake flour. Its too delicate for this type of cake.
- Baking powder. Do not replace this with Baking soda. It will not be the same.
- Vanilla extract for flavor.
You will also need a handheld or stand mixer to whip up the egg whites and yolks. Also, a springform pan to be able to remove the cake from the pan easily.
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Japanese Carrot Cake
Equipment
- 1 handheld or stand mixer
- 1 8" springform pan
Materials
Cooked Carrot Mixture
- 600 g carrots
- 100 g almond nibs or take silvered almonds and chop into smaller pieces
- 400 ml water
- 50 g sugar
- 2 tsp honey
Cake Mixture
- 200 g softened salted butter
- 150 g sugar, divided
- 4 egg separated
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 190 g all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Peel and finely dice 400 grams of carrots. Place in a saucepan with water, sugar, honey, and salt. Bring to a boil and cook until water evaporates and carrots are sweet and translucent. About 25 minutes.
- Cool and then add 50 grams of almond nibs
- Grate the remaining 200 grams of carrots. Use the smallest hole in the grater. Place in cheesecloth and squeeze the carrots to remove the juice. Add dried carrots to a bowl and add the remaining 50 grams of almond nibs
- Preheat oven to 350℉
- In a stand mixer, whip egg whites and sugar into stiff peaks. Once stiff, remove from stand mixer bowl and set aside.
- In same mixer (you don't have to clean it first) add softened butter. Cream butter on medium speed until light in color. 3-4 minutes. Scrape down and cream 1 minute more.
- Add vanilla extract and add yolks one yolk at a time while the mixer is running on low. Roughly 30 seconds for each yolk.
- While still on low speed, add grated carrots and the cooked diced carrots. About 3 minutes.
- While mixing, sift all purpose flour and baking powder in a small bowl.
- Add the butter mixture into a big bowl. Alternate between flour mixture and the whipped egg whites until everything is combined and you see no dry bits. Don't overmix.
- Pour into cake pan. Tap lightly to pop any large air bubbles.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes. Use a cake test to make sure it's baked through.
- Let cool on a wire rack until warm. Serve with greek yogurt and lemon zest.
I hope you try this recipe. If you tried this recipe, let me know in the comments below.