The Best Carrot Cake (no added fat)

The Best Carrot Cake (no added fat)

 

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.

pregnant

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

greenbeans

 

And so I did :-)

Preparation steps

  1. Spread baking paper in a baking form
  2. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
  3. Peel and rasp carrots (use small holes on your grater)
  4. Mix together in a small bowl: gluten free flour, baking powder and spices (cinnamon with vanilla or koekkruiden)
  5. Combine together in a big bowl: almond flour, carrots and mixed GF flour (with spices and baking powder – from step 4)
  6. Separate egg whites and yolks.
  7. Mix yolks with sugar thoroughly. Then add lemon zest and lemon juice and keep mixing until well combined.
  8. Add the yolk mix to the rest of ingredients and mix together.
  9. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt using a mixer (the highest speed).
  10.  Gradually add egg whites foam to the rest of ingredients and slowly mix.
  11. Place the mixture to the baking form and bake for about 45-50 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
  12. Baked cake needs to be cool before slicing/decorating.
  13. Cold cake cut half and spread almond paste in between two layers of cake.
  14. Decorate the top with a frosting of choice or home-made marmalade.

 

Wishing you delicious carrot cake!

Kati xxx

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