carrot cake (a ‘healthier’ version)

I had a coffee yesterday afternoon in an attempt to motivate myself for a study session. I ended up a little too fidgety to hit the books, so I danced in my room and did some house cleaning before my Dodgeball game instead.

I’m guessing the coffee was a little too strong (I usually get 1/8 of a shot, which is perfect for me). I spent the majority of the night and early hours of the morning staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling and wandering through my mind. Because I had practically no sleep, I am super tired and won’t be cooking tonight. So, you don’t get a recipe for a dinner but I thought I’d share a gem that I found on Green Kitchen Stories a couple of months back instead.

This is by far the most delicious carrot cake I have made (or eaten for that matter). The standard sugar, butter and white flour has been replaced with some friendly alternatives. It takes a bit of time to prepare but it is fun to make and the result is absolutely worth the time and energy.  I’ve listed exactly what I used below. Serves 8 people.

INGREDIENTS

3 organic free-range eggs

2 medium sized bananas

15 fresh dates, pitted

6 tbsp sunflower oil

1 cup plain wholemeal flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

3 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp cardamom

4 medium sized carrots, grated

½ cup fresh coconut, flaked/shredded

½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

1/2 cup raisins

Glazing

200 g low fat cream cheese

3 tbsp raw honey

1/2 lime (juice and rind)

1/2 cup hazelnuts

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Whisk your eggs in a medium sized bowl. Use a blender to mix bananas, dates and oil into a thick cream in another bowl. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom and stir it together with the eggs and the banana-cream.

Add grated carrots, coconut flakes, walnuts and raisins and stir it until it all comes together.

Pour it into a cake pan and bake for about 50-60 minutes. Cake is ready when a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool.

Whip together the cream cheese and the honey. Add the frosting when the cake is completely cooled. Serve with roughly chopped hazelnuts and finely grated lime rind on the top.

(Source)