Aargauer Rüeblitorte, or simply Rüeblitorte, is a light and fluffy Swiss carrot cake made with ground almonds. It's finished with a simple Kirsch and lemon glaze and garnished with adorable marizpan carrots!

The classic Swiss carrot cake comes from the Canton of Aargau, sometimes called Rüebliland, or “carrot land,” as it is famed for its carrots (the Swiss-German word for carrot is rüebli). Thus this beloved regional cake is more officially known as the Aargauer Rüeblitorte to reflect this carrot-growing region.
American and British carrot cakes are often dense, filled with chopped nuts and sweet fruits like raisins or pineapple, flavored with spices like cinnamon and ginger, and finished with sweet cream cheese icing. Meanwhile, Swiss carrot cake is quite different.
Rüeblitorte is actually more of a carrot torte rather than a cake because most of the flour is replaced with ground almonds or almond meal. Therefore it's lighter and less sweet, utilizing beaten eggs for both structure and leavening.
Unlike its American cousin which is more spice-forward, Swiss rüeblitorte traditionally features Kirsch and/or lemon which yields a bright and fruity flavor profile. Meanwhile, it's finished with a simple glaze in lieu of thick frosting and garnished with playful marzipan carrots, a hint to the plethora of almonds within.
Ingredient notes
- Almond Meal: Swiss carrot cake uses a generous amount of ground almonds, almond meal, or almond flour. You can easily grind your own almonds in a food processor or purchase almond meal at many grocery stores and online. I like to get my almond meal at Trader Joe’s, although Aldi, Whole Foods, and Bob’s Red Mill brands also are great choices. Store leftover almond flour in a freezer bag in the freezer for longevity.
- Carrots: You can't make a carrot cake without carrots! Use a vegetable peeler to peel your carrots before grating them on a box grater for this rüeblitorte recipe.
- Kirsch: Kirschwasser is a clear, colorless cherry brandy. If you have trouble finding Kirschwasser (Kirsch for short) ask your local liquor store if they will do a special order for you, since not every liquor store may carry it. You can also make your own Kirsch from cherry brandy essence (20 ml). Pour the contents of the bottle along with 280 grams of granulated sugar into an empty one liter bottle. Add 770 ml of neutral vodka. Then shake very well until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Lemon: Aim to use an organic lemon if possible. If you are using a non-organic lemon, be sure to thoroughly wash and dry it before grating it with a zester.
- Flour: This recipe uses a small amount of plain or all-purpose flour in the batter. To make this Swiss carrot cake gluten-free you may substitute this flour with an equal amount of multipurpose gluten-free flour.
- Marzipan: Although the marzipan carrots are optional, garnishing your cake with them is going to make the finished rüeblitorte much more stunning and authentic. While ready-made marzipan carrots may be available in some areas, you'll more than likely need to make them yourself using plain marzipan and gel food coloring.
How to make the cake
Grease a 9-inch springform pan, line the bottom with parchment paper cut to fit the pan, and grease the paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together egg yolks and sugar for about 3 to 5 minutes until pale and thick.
Add the almond meal, grated carrots, lemon zest and juice, Kirsch, and salt. Mix until smooth, then add the flour and baking powder and mix again just until combined. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks.
Gently fold the egg whites into the carrot mixture with a rubber spatula a little at a time (PHOTOS 1-2).
Spread the batter into the prepared pan (PHOTO 3), and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean (PHOTO 4).
Cool briefly in the pan, then carefully run a thin blade around the edges to make sure the sides are loose. Release the sides of the springform pan and transfer the rüeblitorte to a wire rack to cool completely.
Next, make the glaze. Mix powdered sugar and Kirsch and/or lemon juice until smooth and pourable but not too runny. Pour it onto the center of the cooled cake, and carefully tip the cake at different angles to help the glaze flow all over the surface and start to drip down the sides as desired.
Allow the glaze to set. Meanwhile, make your marzipan carrots if you are making them yourself. Garnish the rüeblitorte with the marzipan carrots before slicing and serving.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
How to make the marzipan carrots
Use gel food coloring to color most of the marzipan orange. Use either orange food coloring or a combination of 3 parts yellow and 1 part red food coloring. Then color a small bit of the marzipan green. Next, shape the orange marzipan into little carrot shapes and, if desired, use a toothpick to give it some textural lines. Then shape the green marzipan into carrot tops and attach them to the carrots.
Marzipan is very sticky. I recommend kneading the color into it, shaping, assembling, etc all on a piece of parchment paper for best results.
My marzipan carrots were a bit large so I only put 8 on top of the cake. You can make them any size you like, but smaller ones will allow you to fit more on top. This way you can yield 10 or even 12 slices of rüeblitorte, each with a marzipan garnish, if you desire.
Expert tips
This almond-enriched Swiss carrot cake is even better the next day! Cover and store it in a cool place (refrigeration not necessary) for 4 to 5 days.
If you're unable to obtain Kirsch, try substituting dark rum, amaretto (for more almond flavor), or Grand Marnier (for orange flavor). It won't be traditional, but would still be delicious.
The glaze can take quite some time to completely set. It really depends on the temperature and humidity in your home. You can serve the cake even if it's partially set, but it won't yield super clean cuts when you slice the cake.
The glaze may slightly crack if you transfer it to a platter or decorate with the marzipan carrots when it's partially set. This is purely aesthetic, but to avoid this transfer/decorate either when the glaze has not yet set or after it has completely set.
Other recipes you may like
- Zuger Kirschtorte (Swiss Cherry Torte)
- Rotweinkuchen (German Red Wine Cake)
- Hummingbird Cake
- Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake
- Cherry Bakewell Cake
- Dried Cherry Scones with Kirschwasser
- Zebra Cake
- Basler Läckerli / Leckerli (Swiss Spiced Cookie Bars)
- Browse all Swiss Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Aargauer Rüeblitorte (Swiss Carrot Cake)
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs separated
- 250 grams (1 ⅓ cups) granulated sugar
- 250 grams (3 cups) almond meal, almond flour, or ground almonds
- 250 grams (2 ⅓ packed cups) grated carrots (about 6 medium carrots)
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 tablespoons Kirschwasser (cherry brandy)
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 80 grams (⅔ cup + 2 tablespoons ) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Topping:
- 200 grams (2 cups) powdered (icing) sugar
- ¼ cup Kirschwasser, fresh lemon juice, or ideally a combination of the two (2 tablespoons of each)
- Whole marzipan carrots (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan, line the bottom with a parchment paper round, and grease the paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle or whisk attachment, beat together the egg yolks and sugar for about 3 to 5 minutes until pale and thick.
- Add the almond meal, grated carrots, lemon zest and juice, Kirschwasser, and salt. Mix until smooth, then add the flour and baking powder and mix again just until combined.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks (use a clean mixer bowl and clean whisk attachment on your stand mixer for efficiency or use a hand mixer). Gently fold the egg whites into the carrot mixture with a rubber spatula a little at a time.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes in the pan, then carefully run a thin blade around the edges to make sure the sides are loose. Release the sides of the springform pan, carefully remove the parchment paper, and transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Mix the powdered sugar and Kirschwasser and/or lemon juice until smooth and pourable but not too runny. Pour it onto the center of the cooled cake, and carefully tip the cake at different angles to help the glaze flow all over the surface and start to drip down the sides as desired. Allow the glaze to set. (While the glaze sets, make your marzipan carrots if you are making them yourself.) Garnish the cake with marzipan carrots, if using, before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Swiss carrot cake is even better the next day! Cover and store it in a cool place (refrigeration not necessary) for 4 to 5 days.
- If you're unable to obtain Kirsch, try substituting dark rum (for rum flavor), amaretto (for almond flavor), or Grand Marnier (for orange flavor). It won't be traditional, but would still be delicious.
- The glaze can take quite some time to completely set (it really depends on the temperature and humidity in your home), however you can serve the cake even if it's partially set. It just won't yield super clean cuts when you slice the cake. The glaze may also crack a bit if you transfer it from the cooling rack to a platter and/or decorate with the marzipan carrots when it's only partially set. This is purely aesthetic, but to avoid this transfer/decorate either when the glaze has not yet set or has completely set.
- To make your own marzipan carrots use gel food coloring to color most of the marzipan orange (use either orange food coloring or a combination of 3 parts yellow and 1 part red food coloring) and a small bit of the marzipan green. Then shape the orange marzipan into little carrot shapes and, if desired, use a toothpick to give it some textural lines. Then shape the green marzipan into carrot tops and attach them to the carrots (they will easily stick on their own).
- Marzipan is very sticky. I recommend kneading the color into it, shaping, assembling, etc all on a piece of parchment paper for best results.
- My marzipan carrots were a bit large so I only put 8 on top of the cake. You can make them any size you like, but smaller ones will allow you to fit more on top and yield 10 or even 12 slices of cake, each with a marzipan garnish, if you desire.
- Conversions for the volume measurements for almond meal, flour, granulated and powdered sugars were all based on spooning the ingredient into measuring cups and then leveling them off (not scooping directly into the ingredients which can pack the measuring cups and result in inaccurate volume measurements).
- Adapted from Betty Bossi.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Comments
No Comments