Michelle Hunt

Third Time Lucky Carrot Cake

Moist, light, grain free and dairy free carrot cake…finally made possible! Topped and sandwiched with coconut cream, it’s a heavenly satisfying slice, a delightful pecan nut crunch, altogether incredibly moreish.

The carrot cake that almost didn’t happen. I’d made two previous to this one…the first didn’t cook through, the second was far too dense. I temporarily gave up due to lack of carrots and eggs (had I not been so tired late in the evening I might have just nipped out for more supplies there and then but bed was calling!) .

I did some more calculations in one of my many notebooks which might sound very scientific but really I was just trying to find some sort of balance between my previous failed attempts and the ideal carrot cake I had in my head.

Sweet but not overly so, light yet satisfying and hearty, wholesome but not in the savoury sense.

I don’t like a tacky carrot cake nor one that is too eggy. Two less eggs, more coconut oil, less almond flour and as it look would have it less than 24 hours later I had carrot cake success. Or so I hoped.

The cakes had risen, the came out of my new loose bottom non stick sandwich tins with ease and sat on the cooling rack looking pretty, awaiting “icing”…

Coconut cream in the middle and on top…even those first few photos of the whole cake were taken with trepidation. The real test would be in the slicing. Who knew what that cake would look like on the inside. Fingers and toes crossed I eased out the first slice and did a little leap! (Ok it might have been more of an almighty jump up and down!)

It looked like the crumb I’d been dreaming off. Moist but not at al sticking, air pockets that promised a light texture.

And then the first fork full…

More jumping up and down ensued, followed by more snapping and devouring that first slice. Carrot cake success. As good if not better than any carrot cake I’ve ever had. I find the standard carrot cake icing and cakes themselves to be far too sickly sweet but this one hit the nail on the head. Good enough to have anytime of the day if you ask me!

And now it’s gone and I need to fill the void with another paleo donut creation…don’t you think?!?

Paleo Carrot Cake

by Michelle Hunt

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 – 22 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert gluten-free grain free low-carb paleo vegetarian soy-free almond meal carob carrot

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Ingredients (8 – 10 servings)

  • 2 cups (350g) finely shredded carrot
  • 3 large organic eggs
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup (110g) unrefined coconut oil melted
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2.5 cups (250g) almond flour
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp grain free baking powder (make sure there’s no cornstarch in it!)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup (70g) pecans

For the Icing

  • 1 can full fat coconut milk refrigerated overnight
  • 2-3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp (28g) melted coconut oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180C (350F).

Line the base of two 8 inch loose bottom round cake tins with parchment paper and grease lightly with melted coconut oil.

Combine eggs, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract and melted coconut oil in your food processor.

Add in almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Process to combine.

Add in carrots and pulse to combine. Finally pulse in the pecans; add them in whole and once you pulse the mixture 2-3 times they will be nice and coarsely chopped!

Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared cake pans and baking in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes until risen, browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Meanwhile pour water out of the can of coconut milk and whisk together hardened cream with all other coconut cream ingredients. Place in the fridge.

Once the cakes have cooked and fully cooled spread 1/2 of the coconut cream on top of one. Place the other cake on top and spread the remaining coconut cream over it’s surface.

Garnish cake with chopped pecans if desired.

Store cake in the fridge in a seal tight container for 2-3 days. Serve at room temperature.

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