A dear friend celebrated her birthday recently and requested a diary and egg free carrot cake with lots of “yummy bits”. This cake is fantastic for any celebration, lasts well and can be made and frozen (without icing) well in advance. When the time comes to ice it just remove from the freezer  and sit it on the bench to defrost for a couple of hours.

It’s filled with good things like brazil nuts which are packed with selenium (often lacking in our diets) and flaxseeds for a good hit of omegas.

Recipe

2 cups grated carrot (you can also use parsnip or sweet potato)

1 ½ cups wholemeal flour – for gluten free use a mixture of rice flour and buckwheat flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

¾ Cup sultanas

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup chopped brazil nuts

¼ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup sliced dried apricots

¼ cup sliced dried figs

½ cup coconut flakes

2 tsp egg replacer

2 tbsp of ground flax or chia seeds soaked in 3 tbsp water for 5mins

3/4  cup non dairy milk

¼ cup rice bran oil

¾ cup raw brown sugar or sweetener of choice (honey, maple, agave)

2 tsp baking soda

Icing

500 gms soy cream cheese

1 cup icing sugar or 2 tsp stevia

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp lemon zest

Extra Pumpkin seeds, walnuts and dried apricots to decorate

Preheat oven to 180c {350F} and line the base of a bundt cake tin (one with the hole in the middle). Grease sides and center. If you don’t have a bundt tin just use a normal cake tin.

In large bowl mix grated carrot, oil, soaked flaxseed, milk, sugar, and spices.

Add all other ingredients and mix really well. You may need to add a dash more milk here if it is very dry, you want a stiff but moist batter.

Pour into cake tin and bake for 45 mins. Test with skewer, If you are using a Bundt tin it will probably be cooked, if using a normal cake tin it may need another 10-15 minutes in the oven.

Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack.

While the cake is cooking mix icing ingredients together, beating well to remove any lumps. Refrigerate to firm.

Once cake is cool spread tops and sides with icing and decorate with extra pumpkin seeds, walnuts and sliced dried apricots.