Updated 03.13.26
When you love cheesecakes as well as carrot cakes, this recipe is for you. This small batch Semolina Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze is almost as silky as a cheesecake and the added egg whites take care of some lightness. The orange glaze is the finishing touch; it gives this carrot cake the zest it needs, to not be ordinary.
Will you believe it, if I say that this is my first carrot cake worth showing. Not that I made so many; never crossed my mind to make a carrot cake. I know this sound absolutely crazy, but when I grew up, we were making jokes about carrot cakes (jokes that will loose the punch in translation); we were actually not making carrot cakes. Since then, a lot has changed; moving to the US was one of them. And here I learned a lot and saw a lot of carrot cakes, so I started creating my own.
Many carrot cake recipes call for a cream cheese frosting and they look absolutely beautiful, but it’s not something I like eating. So, I created my own carrot cake version, a carrot cake with ricotta, with semolina instead of flour and a light orange glaze of a cream cheese one.
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Key Ingredients in this Recipe
You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.
- For the Carrot cake
- Carrots
- Butter
- Eggs
- Semolina flour
- Granulated sugar
- Ricotta
- Vanilla extract
- Orange zest
- Orange glaze
How to Make Semolina Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze
- Step 1 – Heat the oven to 400°F and line a 6-inch square baking pan with parchment paper (in 2 directions). Grate the carrots on the finest grates of a box grater. I used the traditional orange carrots as well as the very pale yellow ones, as I didn’t want this cake to become too orange.
Step 2 – In a bowl, beat the egg whites on until it is frothy, about 20 seconds. With the mixer running, add the salt, then gradually add 30 grams of granulated sugar. Continue to beat until the whites hold soft peaks, for about 2 minutes.
Step 3 – In a separate bowl, combine the butter and the remaining 90 grams granulated sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl once or twice.
Step 4 – Add egg yolks, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta, vanilla, orange zest and finely grated carrots, and beat on medium-low until incorporated; the mixture will not be smooth. Finish by folding by hand with a spatula, making sure the mixture is well combined.
Step 5 – Add the semolina and fold with the spatula until incorporated. In steps, scoop the whipped egg whites onto the mixture and gently fold them until no white streaks remain. Transfer batter into a 6×6 cake pan, gently spread into a smooth, even layer.
Step 6 – Bake until golden brown and the center is slightly wobbly when the pan is gently jiggled, 25-30 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack to room temperature.
Make glaze by mixing sugar, orange juice and pour over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with the orange zest
- Time to cut the cake. Since it is a small batch cake (6×6 cake pan), you can cut it in squares of 3×3 or 2×2 or 2×6 or triangles.
Other Cake Recipes with Glazes
- Blueberry-Glazed Lemon Yogurt Cake
- Coffee Cake with Nuts & Chocolate Glaze
- Cinnamon Rolls with Light Glaze
Semolina Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze
Pin Recipe FacebookIngredients
Carrot Cake
- 1.5 eggs, separated
- 100 grams butter, softened
- 120 grams granulated sugar
- 85 grams semolina flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 113 grams carrots
- 240 grams ricotta cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 tablespoon orange zest
Orange Glaze
- 150 grams powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoon orange juice
- 1/2 tablespoon orange zest
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F and line a 6-inch square cake pan with parchment paper (in 2 directions). Grate the carrots on the finest grates of a box grater. (NOTE 1)
- In a bowl, beat the egg whites on until it is frothy, about 20 seconds. With the mixer running, add the salt, then gradually add 30 grams of granulated sugar. Continue to beat until the whites hold soft peaks, for about 2 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine the butter and the remaining 90 grams granulated sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl once or twice.
- Add egg yolks, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta, vanilla, orange zest and finely grated carrots, and beat on medium-low until incorporated; the mixture will not be smooth. Finish by folding by hand with a spatula, making sure the mixture is well combined.
- Add the semolina and fold with the spatula until incorporated. In steps, scoop the whipped egg whites onto the mixture and gently fold them until no white streaks remain. Transfer batter into the baking pan, gently spread into a smooth, even layer.
- Bake until golden brown and the center is slightly wobbly when the pan is gently jiggled, 25-30 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack to room temperature.
- Make glaze by mixing powdered sugar, orange juice and pour over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with the orange zest. (NOTE 2)
Notes
- I used the traditional orange carrots as well as the very pale yellow ones, as I didn’t want this cake to become too orange.
- If you want a whiter glaze, replace orange juice with milk,
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.