Finding the perfect gluten-free cake recipe is always a challenge- especially when it needs to be grain free and low FODMAP- but finding one that is sugar free as well is near impossible! Oh and did I mention diary free too???
Believe me, I’ve suffered through many a hideous solid rock cake of pure nut and no taste.
But fear not! This carrot cake is light and full of flavour.
In my pre-stomach-problems life I loved a slice of carrot cake and would always choose it over other, sweeter options. Having recently re-introduced carrots into my diet (in small amounts) thanks to the Low FODMAP diet I was delighted to adapt this wonderful recipe for my recent birthday celebrations:
Ingredients
Cake:
340g finely shredded carrots
100g coconut flour
100g almond flour
20g unsweetened shredded dried coconut
100g artificial sweetener (sucralose preferably) or 50g Stevia
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
8 egg whites
280ml unsweetened soy milk (or other dairy free)
100g coconut margarine (or other dairy free)
2 tsp vanilla extractCream Cheese Frosting:
680g cream cheese
100g coconut margarine (or other dairy free)
70g artificial sweetener (sucralose preferably) or 35g Stevia
½ tsp ground cinnamon
4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp unsweetened soy milk (or other dairy free)
unsweetened shredded dried coconut for decoration
pecans for decoration
- Preheat the oven to 160˚C/325˚F. Line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides.
- In one bowl combine the carrot, coconut flour, almond flour, shredded coconut, sweetener, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Whisk until well mixed.
- In a different bowl whisk the egg whites, milk, melted margarine and vanilla.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the carrot and flour mixture. Stir with a large spoon until a thick, sticky batter is created. Add extra milk if the batter is too thick to pour.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans, using a spatula to evenly spread.
- If your oven is large enough then bake both cakes on the middle rack for an hour. With a smaller oven bake on separate racks for half an hour then switch racks and bake for another 30 minutes. Take out of the oven once the cakes are lightly golden brown, springy when pressed and a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes before moving to a rack.
- Once the cakes are cool, prepare and apply the frosting: Combine all frosting ingredients and mix with an electric whisk until fluffy and creamy.
- Spread an even layer of frosting about half an inch thick across the top of one cake.
- Position the second layer on top then spread the remaining frosting across the entire cake.
- To decorate press the shredded coconut to the sides of the cake and create a pretty pattern on the top using the pecans…or just scatter the decorations liberally everywhere, who am I to judge?
Notes
Almond flour (sometimes known as ‘almond powder’) is really just very finely ground almonds: if you can’t find it then put ground almonds into a small blender or coffee grinder.
