This delicious grain free, gluten free and refined sugar free carrot cake recipe is a great choice if you're looking for a healthier option. It's not just the carrots which make this cake a nutritious treat, the walnuts, almonds, apricots and spices add an abundance of vitamins and minerals.
Grain Free & Refined Sugar Free Carrot Cake GF SCD
300 g carrots
80 g organic dried apricots (or other dried fruit)
80 ml 100% freshly squeezed orange juice
120 g butter
120 ml honey
3 large (extra large in US) eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract (alcohol, water and vanilla only)
50 g chopped walnuts
250 g ground almonds (almond flour)
zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
Set the oven to 180° C then line a 9" springform cake tin with baking parchment and set to one side.
Chop the apricots into small pieces and tip into a pan with the orange juice.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes by which time the juice will have been absorbed. Put on one side to cool.
Chop the walnuts into small pieces.
Top and tail and peel the carrots using a peeler then grate them using the coarse side of the grater.
Squeeze the carrots in kitchen towel then wrap them in kitchen towel and leave on one side to absorb the moisture.
Tip the butter and honey into a bowl and beat together with a hand mixer.
Add the vanilla extract then break the eggs into the mixture and beat again.
Don't worry if the mix curdles. Measure out the walnuts, ground almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, bicarbonate of soda and salt into another bowl and mix together.
Add the zest of a lemon, the carrots and the apricots to the wet ingredients and mix well. Add all the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
Pour into the prepared tin and smooth out the top. Bake at 180°C for 10 to 15 minutes then turn the oven down to 160°C and bake for a further 30 to 40 minutes until the top is firm and springs back to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Cool in the tin for 15 minutes then take it out of the tin and leave to cool on a cooling rack. You could serve this with yogurt cream (SCD Yogurt made with 50% Double Cream and 50% full fat milk) or a frosting made from dripped yogurt cheese, a little liquid honey and vanilla extract.
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