Venetian carrot cake

Ingredients:

Carrot cake:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus a little more for greasing the pan
• 3 tablespoons of pine nuts
• 2 medium carrots, grated (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup light raisins
• 1/4 cup rum
• 3/4 cup superfine sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 2.5 cups almond flour
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 springform pan with a diameter of 23 cm or another round cake pan

Mascarpone cream (optional):

• 1 cup mascarpone
• 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp rum

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line the bottom of the pan with a non-stick silicone mat or parchment paper. Grease the sides of the pan with oil.
   
   Place the pine nuts in a small dry frying pan and toast them over low heat.
   
   Grate the carrots in a food processor or on a coarse grater and place them in two layers on a kitchen towel. Wrap the towel around the carrots to absorb excess liquid.
   
   Place the raisins in a small saucepan, pour in the rum, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
2. In a stand mixer or by hand, beat the sugar with 1/2 cup butter until creamy and fluffy.
   
   In a large bowl, whisk the vanilla and eggs together. Stir in the almond flour, nutmeg, grated carrots, raisins (and the remaining rum), and finally the lemon zest and juice.
   
   Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface with a silicone spatula. Don't overdo it.
3. Sprinkle the cake with pine nuts and bake until the top is puffed and golden and a tester comes out sticky but reasonably clean, about 30 to 40 minutes.
   
   Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the sides. Let it cool before serving. Transfer the cake to a serving platter.
4. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and rum. Slice the cake and serve with mascarpone cream.
   
   Culinary advice: The cake can be baked up to 3 days in advance. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in a cool place. The cake will keep for 5-6 days. The cake can be frozen (directly in the pan), carefully wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil, and stored for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight at room temperature.