I was going to call it “flourless”, but I get drawn in myself by the intrigue of a “flourless” cake only to find that oat flour is used in the recipe. Case in point! It’s not that I’m generally on the look out for a low carb or flour less alternative per se, but the idea that one could create something truly “flourless” is always alluring, particularly without the use of eggs!
This carrot cake is made with oat flour aka ground up oats. I did opt to use Bob’s Red Mill Oat Flour because I’m get to give my oats the time in the high speed blender to achieve the same fine consistency. I’ve no doubt it’s doable but I reckon you need to do create it in much smaller batches so the blade can work it’s magic. Sometimes I just opt for convenience, call it my guilty pleasure and it comes in super handy for pancake making!
I’ve made versions of this carrot cake 5 times over and I was truly delighted with how it turned out this time around. The icing really made it special! I used the new dairy free almond based Nushfoods cream “cheese”.
Mix with a little coconut cream, maple syrup and topped with some maple glazed walnuts, the end result was heavenly. I’m not much of a cake person, I feel like I say that on repeat whenever I make a cake or muffin, and if I was to go down the cake route I would usually opt for something chocolaty and super fudgy. Then I go and bake a carrot cake and remember how much I LOVE it. I used to love getting a midweek day off school, going to do the grocery shopping with my mum and then dropping in for a cup of tea and carrot cake in my granny’s on the way home. I may have pulled a sicky a couple of times just so I could partake in my mum’s Tuesday routine.
Plant Based Gluten Free Carrot Cake
Print RecipeIngredients
- 125g unsweetened apple puree or apple and pear
- 150g natural or vanilla cashew or almond yogurt
- 150g raw cane sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125ml unsweetened almond or rice milk
- 40g tapioca flour/starch
- 280g oat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp Pink Himalayan Rock Salt
- 180g finely grated carrot
- For the Icing
- 150g Nushfoods Almond Milk Cheese
- 80g coconut cream (from the top of a can of refrigerated full fat coconut milk)
- 60ml maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g walnuts + 1 tbsp maple syrup for topping
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
Line a 9 inch square tray with baking paper and lightly grease with spray oil.
Mix together applesauce through to almond or rice milk in a large jug or bowl.
Mix together tapioca flour through Pink Salt in large bowl. Add wet to dry and stir well to combine.
Fold in grated carrot.
Pour and spread thick batter into the prepared baking tin.
Bake in the preheated oven for 28 - 30 minutes; until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
Allow to cool fully before spreading on the icing.
For the icing beat together all ingredients in a jug or bowl. Store in the fridge until the cake has cooled.
For the walnuts, mix them with maple syrup in a bowl. Bake at 180C (350F) on a baking paper lined tray for 12 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
Spread icing over the top. Place 2-3 walnuts on top of each soon to be sliced piece.
Slice into 8 - 10 slices or squares... 8 for those with a larger appetite!
Store in the fridge in seal tight container for up to two days. Serve at room temperature.*
