It was my husband's birthday a few days ago and watching the leaves of the trees turn golden brown around me, made me want to include a Traditional Carrot Cake to the table.
You need
•parchment paper
•a round 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan
•hand mixer
•food processor
Ingredients for cake
•3 cups (400 g) of almond flower
•1 tsp of sea salt
•1 tsp of baking soda
•2 tsp of cinnamon
•1 tsp of nutmeg
•1/2 tsp of cardamon
•1/2 tsp of ginger
•6 eggs
•1/2 cup (236 ml) of agave nectar
•4 tbs of (sunflower seed) oil
•3 cups (400 g) of finely grated (raw) carrots
•1 cup (250 g) of dates (pureed in food processor)
•1 cup (250 g) of chopped pecans
•1 cup (250 g) of chopped walnuts
Ingredients for frosting
•1 cup (250 g) of coconut oil
•1/2 cup (236 ml) of agave nectar
•handfull of walnuts, chopped
•handfull of walnuts, chopped
Baking the cake
•Preheat the oven to 325F (165C)
•grease the pan and line bottom and sides with parchment paper (cut a round circle for the bottom and then a strip to cover the side. The grease will make the paper stick to the pan).
•combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside
•whisk the eggs and once they are fluffy add the wet ingredients, bit by bit, letting them blend in nicely
•mix carrots and dates and add them to the wet ingredients
•add the wet into the dry ingredients, allowing them to mix well till the batter has become a whole
•pour into the pan and make sure the mixture is spread evenly
•bake for approximately 45 min (or until you insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean)
•take it out of the oven and allow it to cool down for about 15 min. Then take it out of the spring form, put it on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely.
Frosting
•mix the coconut oil with the agave nectar. You will need a hand mixer to do this and it will be easier if agave and coconut oil are at room temperature.
Putting it all together
•Allow the cake to cool down completely (this might a few hours) and then apply the frosting. If you find the frosting has become a bit too runny for your liking, put the carrot cake in the fridge for 10 minutes after applying the frosting, allowing the coconut mixture to fix. Before this,
•sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of the frosting
•sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of the frosting
Tips & remarks
•I bake in an electric oven where the heat spreads very evenly. I have baked in a gas oven before and notice that for some reason, there is some 'heat loss'. So I have had to increase the heat in a gas oven by 5C/41F
•choose oils that are cold pressed (virgin) and have no types of additives.
•if you live in the Netherlands or you can get your hands on some 'koekkruiden', substitute the ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg by the same amount of the delicious spice mix that goes by the name of 'koekkruiden'.
