Carrot Cake with Pistachio and Orange

Name: Carrot Cake with Pistachio and Orange
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 lb whole carrots, grated (about 4¼ cups grated carrots or 4 large carrots) (*see post for grating tips); 2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 teaspoons, divided; 2 tsp baking soda; 1¼ tsp kosher or fine sea salt; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp ground cloves; ¼ tsp ground mace; 1½ cups white granulated sugar; ½ cup dark brown sugar (not packed); 3 large eggs, room temperature; 1⅓ cup vegetable oil; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract; ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce; 1 large orange, zested and juiced ((zest the orange before juicing)); 1 cup raisins; 1 cup unsalted roasted pistachios, roughly chopped; 2½ cup powdered sugar, sifted; ¾ cup (1½ sticks or 6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened; 12 ounces (1½ standard bricks) cream cheese, softened (full-fat); ¾ tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract; ¾ tsp orange zest (reserved from above)

Instructions

Prep:25minCook:55min

This Carrot Cake has all the familiar flavors of the classic, but with bright green pistachios and a hint of fresh orange in the batter. It’s finished with the silkiest orange cream cheese frosting.*Adapted from Barefoot Contessa's Carrot and Pineapple Cake, Food Network

Updated at: Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:16:37 GMT