I can’t keep this recipe to myself. Yes, I took time off from blogging but I need to share this recipe. CARROT CAKE was one of my (many) pregnancy cravings, I made it and it worked out so well that I will make it again in the future. I wanted to create a ‘healthy’ recipe but in the end I made it pretty ‘sugary and caloric’ by adding almond paste and creme fraiche to ‘decorate it’. Nevertheless, the recipe has a huge potential to be called ‘healthy’ if one skips a couple of additives (marmalade, almond paste, creme fraiche) and substitute the refined dark sugar by honey or dates. I couldn’t help myself this time but next time I will make the guilt-free version.
You can make it
- grain free (just substitute all purpose GF flour by e.g. coconut flour)
- refined sugar free (just use honey or dates instead of brown sugar)
- dairy free (assuming you won’t spread creme fraiche on top of it)
- added fats free (without creme fraiche on top)
- pretty much Paleo (if you implement all above modifications)
Ingredients
- Almond flour (or other ground nuts) – 250 g
- Rasped carrots – 250 g
- *Cinnamon – 1 tea spoon
- *Vanilla extract – 1 tea spoon
- Gluten free flour (all purpose or coconut flour) – 4 spoons
- Baking powder – 1 tea spoon
- Eggs – 4
- Brown sugar (or other sweetener: honey, dates) – 100 g
- Lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- Lemon juice (from half a lemon)
- Salt – a pinch
*Cinnamon and vanilla can be replaced by 2 tea spoons of mixed spice/koekkruiden. The koekkruiden can be bought at Dille&Kamille here.
Optional (for decoration)
- Almond paste (Dutch: amandelspijs). I rolled it on a baking paper to make a layer of about 0.5 cm and placed it between two layers of the carrot cake. The carrot cake can be successfully sliced only after it cools down.
- Marmolade or other frosting on top
And so I did :-)
Preparation steps
- Spread baking paper in a baking form
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
- Peel and rasp carrots (use small holes on your grater)
- Mix together in a small bowl: gluten free flour, baking powder and spices (cinnamon with vanilla or koekkruiden)
- Combine together in a big bowl: almond flour, carrots and mixed GF flour (with spices and baking powder – from step 4)
- Separate egg whites and yolks.
- Mix yolks with sugar thoroughly. Then add lemon zest and lemon juice and keep mixing until well combined.
- Add the yolk mix to the rest of ingredients and mix together.
- Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt using a mixer (the highest speed).
- Gradually add egg whites foam to the rest of ingredients and slowly mix.
- Place the mixture to the baking form and bake for about 45-50 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
- Baked cake needs to be cool before slicing/decorating.
- Cold cake cut half and spread almond paste in between two layers of cake.
- Decorate the top with a frosting of choice or home-made marmalade.
Wishing you delicious carrot cake!
Kati xxx
