Carrot cake with nuts and nuts

The recipe was presented on my favorite Italian cooking show as a tribute to the author...some dear Italian lady that is not here anymore. I liked it right away...

Carrot cake with nuts and nuts
adapted from La Prova del Cuoco
time: 15 min preparation / 55 min baking

ingredients
250 g (1/2 lb) carrots (1 1/2 good size carrot), finely grated
5 eggs, room temperature
150-200g (3/4 -1 cup) sugar*
grated zest from 1 lemon
1 vanilla bean, split open, seeds removed
200 g (7 oz) walnuts, preferably toasted, blended to finest (meal)
100 g (3.5 oz) almonds, preferably toasted, blended to finest (meal)
75 g (1/2 cup) flour
4 g (1 teaspoon) baking powder

method
Preheat oven to 180C/360F (fan forced function). Line a 26 cm (10 inch) baking form with parchment paper. To line a baking dish: I cut a piece of paper large enough, crush it between my hands, soak it under water, squeeze the water out, shake (gently) the paper to open and line the dish.

In a medium bowl, mix together nuts meals with flour and powder.

Using a standing mixer, beat eggs with sugar, lemon zest and vanilla seeds (whisk attachment/high speed/10minutes) till pale and foamy. Turn the mixer off, using a rubber spatula, slowly incorporate carrots and nut meal mix just till combined. Pour the batter into the prepared form. Bake for about 55 min till the toothpick from the middle comes out clean (but moist).

notes

• *the original recipe asked for 300 g (1.5 cup) sugar; the first time I baked the cake I cut the amount down to 200g, the second time...150g;
• if your carrots taste good and sweet, 150 g (3/4 cup) will do;
• the cake has no butter, but all the nuts give a buttery texture; I find it amazing;
• if you toast the nuts, allow them a good hour to cool off;
• I blend nuts myself; they tend to clump together (= release their fat) if I over-blend them (especially walnuts) which makes it hard to incorporate them into the eggs; but, still, if the batter is not all smooth, the cake turns out so;
• the Italian recipe added beaten egg whites at the end; to make things easier, faster and cleaner, I beat the whole eggs at the begging;
• the cake tastes fantastic; carrots, nuts, lemon zest and vanilla are in perfect harmony.