Recipe and images courtesy of The Gut Health Doctor (From the Eat More, LIve Well Book)
This plant-packed cake is perfectly sweet, rich and indulgent, it also nourishes your gut microbes. With each slice offering almost 6g of fibre, it’s the perfect crowd-pleasing dessert to share and there are two toppings to choose from depending on how much time you have on your hands.
PREP: 30 mins, plus chilling. SERVES: 12
INGREDIENTS:
BASE:
- 18 medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped, approx. 300g
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp nutmeg powder
- 3 medium carrots, grated, approx. 250g
- 200g walnuts
- 100g pecans
- 100g ground almonds
- 60g raisins
TOPPING 1:
- 250ml plant-based double cream, soy or coconut
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 10 walnuts, crumbled
TOPPING 2:
- 350g cashews
- 250ml coconut cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 60ml honey
- Juice of ½ lemon, approx. 25ml, plus zest to taste
TO MAKE:
- Line a high-sided 20cm cake tin with non-stick baking paper on the base and sides, and put to one side.
- Blitz the dates with the spices (cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg) in a food processor for a minute or two, until it makes a ball. Add the carrot and pulse to combine, then transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Blitz the walnuts and pecans until they are slightly chunky crumbs, then add to the mixing bowl along with the ground almonds and raisins. Use a wooden spoon to combine everything. You want it to stay a little chunky, hence it’s best to do this by hand rather than blitz in the food processor.
- Tip the mix into the lined tin and press down to compress and smooth the top. Leave in the fridge to chill until you’re ready to make the topping.
- When you’re ready to eat, whip the cream with the vanilla extract until it makes soft peaks. Spoon the cream on to the cake, sprinkle with the crumbled walnuts. Remove from tin and serve.
- For the alternative, more luxurious topping, cover the cashews with boiling water and
Set aside to soak for at least 10 minutes while you make the cake. Strain the soaked cashews and tip them into a high-powered food processor along with the other topping ingredients. Blitz on a high speed for 5–6 minutes until super-smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally. Pour over the carrot cake base and smooth out the top. Place in the fridge to set for around four hours. Remove from the tin and serve.
CARROT CAKE COOK’S TIP: If you have any cake mixture left over, they’re great for rolling into raw carrot cake snack balls!
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