Carrot Cake with Coconut Icing

Celebrate Mother’s Day with a delicious home made cake. Just because you can’t throw a party this year, doesn’t mean you have to go without cake 🙂 

Treat your mum to a respectable carrot cake that embodies everything that a carrot cake should be.

It is virtuous with lip-licking creamy frosting, filled with wholesome chunks of walnuts and a delicious mix of subtle sweetness and notes of spice.

Need a vegan version? Substitute the eggs with 2 tablespoons ground or whole chia or flaxseeds soaked in 120 ml (33/4 fl oz) of water for 15 minutes.

Have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Carrot Cake with Coconut Icing

Makes 1 cake

Ingredients

• 150 g (51/2 oz/11/2 cups) almond meal, or gluten-free flour of your choice
• 60 g (21/4 oz/1/2 cup) raw chopped walnuts
• 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon stevia powder or sweetener of your choice
• 2 organic eggs, beaten
• 3 tablespoons organic butter, coconut oil or light olive oil
• 80 ml (21/2 fl oz/1/3 cup) additive-free coconut milk
• 235 g (81/2 oz/11/2 cups) grated carrot
• walnuts, to decorate (optional)

Coconut Icing

• 120 g (41/4 oz/3/4 cup) raw, unsalted cashews (soak in water for 20 mins to soften)
• 300 ml (101/2 fl oz) tinned coconut cream
• finely grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbs raw honey or sweetener of your choice
• To make the coconut icing.

Place the cashews, half the coconut cream and the lemon zest and juice in a food processor and blitz for a few minutes. Slowly add more coconut cream until the consistency resembles crème fraîche – smooth, not runny, but not so thick as thickened cream.

Transfer to a bowl and add to the coldest section of your fridge for 30 minutes. Alternatively, put it in the freezer for 5–10 minutes to thicken.

To make the cake

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F/Gas 3) and grease an 18 cm (7 inch) round cake tin.

Put the almond meal, walnuts, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sweetener in a large bowl and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, place the eggs, butter, coconut oil or light olive oil and coconut milk and whisk to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold through with a wooden spoon. Squeeze the excess water out of the carrots (using your hands is best) then add them to the bowl. Fold in lightly. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes, or until the cake springs back when pressed in the centre.

Turn out onto a wire rack to cool. When the cake has cooled, spread the icing over the top using a knife or the back of a spoon and top with the walnuts.

This will keep, stored in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to 5 days