ITALIAN CARROT, LEMON & ALMOND CAKE

I have the very talented Maggie Beer to thank for this inspired recipe. I came across this gem of a cake whilst browsing through my compact ‘Kitchen Garden Companion’ cookbook of Maggie’s. I was able to make the cake gluten & dairy free just by simply changing the type of flour and butter that I used. I baked this cake twice in the last 5 days with remarkable success! On Wednesday it featured as a light birthday cake for my mother-in-law, and we found that there was just enough cake between the four of us after a massive lunch. And just yesterday this succulent loaf was a perfect dessert for an early Mother’s day celebration for my beautiful mumma. I luckily doubled the ingredients and quantity of cake for my family, as between five hungry mouths we almost devoured the whole loaf in one sitting. The recipe above is the doubled version, as this cake is so moreish and mouthwatering you will be surprised how much of it you eat! The carrot and lemon work together to produce a welcoming and deliciously light orange flavour. For haters of carrot, you cannot even taste the vegetable in this cake, but you can appreciate the beautiful bright orange hue that it leaves behind. This is by far the best tasting gluten-free and dairy-free cake I have ever eaten (and I've tasted a lot of these). I feel that this cake recipe will be with me for many years to come.

INGREDIENTS

• 20g dairy-free butter or margarine, such as Nutalex, melted
• 1 1/2 cups densely packed almond meal 
• 250g carrots, peeled & grated 
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free self-raising flour
• finely grated zest of 1 medium lemon
• 4 eggs, preferably free-range, yolks and whites separated
• 200g caster sugar
• Equipment - pastry brush, electric mixer 

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Using a pastry brush if available, grease a medium sized (approx. 18cm x 8cm) loaf tin well with melted butter. Line tin with baking paper and grease again with remaining butter. 

2. Place almond meal and grated carrots in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add flour and lemon zest and mix well, using your fingers if possible, to make sure that there are no lumps of carrot in the mixture. 

3. Beat the egg yolks and caster sugar on high in an electric mixer for a minute or until thick and pale. Gently stir into the carrot and almond mixture. 

4. Wash and dry the electric mixer and beater well. Add the egg whites and whisk on high for a few minutes or until stiff white peaks form. Carefully fold the egg whites into the carrot and almond mixture until well combined. Pour batter into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. (If the top of the cake looks like it may brown, place foil on top of the cake and continue cooking). Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes. Run a knife along the outside of the cake and gently turn out onto a large plate or a cake cooling rack. Remove the baking paper and serve. 

Serves / 8-10 

Total Preparation time / 12-15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 1 hour / 60 minutes 

x Emily 

ORANGE, CINNAMON & CHIA SEED BALLS

Another balls recipe! My ‘Vegan Date Ball’ recipe in January was my very first hand at trying to make this sweet natural snack that is swiftly popping up everywhere. The second time around I wanted a moister mixture with a little more flavouring, hence the orange juice and orange zest. Once again, a good friend gave me this idea when she suggested I add some citrus into the date mixture – lemon juice and zest or even lime would also go nicely. A small amount of juice and zest goes a long way and whilst you can taste the citrus hints it is by no way overpowering. Chia seeds are my flavour of the month- they are going on my muesli, salads and sweets. If you haven’t heard about them have a look at the January ‘Antipasto Salad with Buffalo Mozzarella’ which lists some huge benefits of consuming these little seeds.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 300g dates
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons almond meal, plus extra to cover balls
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 heaped tablespoon chia seeds 
• 40g macadamia nuts, finely chopped

PREPARATION 

1. Process the dates in a food processor until minced. You may need to add water if the date mixture is too thick, however only add a dash of water at a time. Add cinnamon and almond meal and gently process until just combined. Mix the chia seeds, orange juice, orange zest and macadamia nuts into the date mixture by stirring. Roll the mixture into even shaped balls and have a separate plate ready to roll balls in almond meal. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours until set. Store in the refrigerator. 

Makes / 15-16 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

x Emily