Carrot Cake with Coconut Yoghurt Topping
As I mentioned in my blog about my banana bread, over recent years I have avoided baking because, well you know, cakes are full of sugar and refined carbohydrates, and in general if you want to maintain a healthy weight and good health, they are best avoided. Nonetheless, a lovely piece of something delicious, especially if it is also nutritious, is a gift we can give ourselves.
Enter the carrot cake. This one relies on carrots, raisins (or cranberries) and a touch of maple to provide sweetness. It has a sumptuous topping which is made with natural yogurt in the original Hemsley and Hemsley recipe, but I use CoYo (an Australian coconut yoghurt brand) and it works a treat. I suggest straining the yoghurt through a nut bag or a muslin cloth, by squeezing the nut bag until no more watery liquid is expressed. You can also use a mixture of curd cheese and yoghurt if you are opting for a quick dairy option.
I use a square 25x25 cm glass tray for this cake, which makes a flattish cake, if you use a smaller tray or baking pan, your cake will be higher and you may need to bake it for a little longer.
Ingredients for the cake
2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
250 grams ground almonds (2.5 cups)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg*
3 eggs
3 tablespoons maple syrup or less, depending on your taste
300 gram grated carrots (2-3 carrots), grated
75-100 gram raisins
75 gram chopped walnuts (preferably activated), plus extra to decorate
Ingredients for the topping
500 gram coconut yoghurt (or full fat natural yoghurt) strained through a nut milk bag or 200 gram full-fat cream cheese, quark or goat’s curd mixed with 80 gram full-fat probiotic yoghurt
2 1/2 tablespoons raw honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
A tiny pinch of sea salt (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to fan 180 C / 360 F and line the base of your tray (25x25 or 20x40) and grease the sides with coconut oil or butter.
Grate the carrots and chop the walnuts.
In a large bowl combine the ground almonds with the salt, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the maple syrup and melted coconut oil or butter, then stir in the grated carrots and the chopped walnuts and the raisins before mixing with the dry ingredients in the large bowl.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin, spreading it out evenly, and bake in the oven for 35 minutes until springy to the touch and golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
While the cake is cooling, make the topping. Add the strained yoghurt or cheese mix to a bowl and mix in the honey and vanilla extract. Taste, adding a tiny pinch of salt if needed, then leave in the fridge until the cake has cooled down completely. Remove cake from tin or leave in if you used a glass tray.
Spread the topping over the cake, slice the traybake into small squares. Crush the additional walnuts (you could also add pistachios and flowers) and sprinkle over to decorate.
* I have found a wonderful spice mix called Apple Cake Spice from Gewürzhuas in Melbourne, I use 1 teaspoon instead of the spices mentioned.