One Bowl Spiced Carrot Cake
There’s a reason why carrot cake is so many peoples favourite- deliciousness! But this one happens to be packed with goodness without compromising on taste. It’s gluten and refined sugar free, and you can even make it dairy free if you sub the ricotta in the icing for coconut yoghurt. It’s just so lovely with a tea or coffee.
INGREDIENTS:
350g or 3 cups almond meal
2 tsp vanilla powder, extract or 1 vanilla bean scraped
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp gluten free baking powder
juice of half an orange (and grated zest, optional)
125ml or 1/2 cup maple syrup
60ml or 1/4 cup macadamia nut oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
500g carrots, grated
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup pepitas, toasted
Icing:
200 g or 1 cup ricotta,
30 g maple syrup or honey
pinch of ground cinnamon
few drops of vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped
2 tablespoons of water
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees, grease and line a 20cm cake dish with baking paper.
Put the almond meal, vanilla powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking powder in a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. Add the oil, maple syrup, orange juice and eggs and stir until combined. Gently fold in the grated carrot, followed by the toasted pepitas and walnuts.
Pour the mixture into the cake tin, making sure you leave behind about a tablespoon to taste! It’s delicious! Then bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Leave for 15 minutes then remove from tin and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, whip the ricotta, honey, cinnamon and vanilla in a bowl. Add a small amount of water until it’s smooth and airy. Place the fridge until needed.
If topping with almonds, lightly toast them in a pan on medium heat until golden and then set aside until needed.
When the cake has cooled, spread the ricotta frosting on top with a spatula and top with toasted almonds and walnuts.
Notes:
This yummy cake keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days.