Raw Carrot Cake with Creamy Cashew Frosting
Do you love carrot cake? I do. What I remember most from childhood was that it was a dessert, it wasn’t chocolate, it actually contained a vegetable, and I loved it! Of course I also remember the complete sugar “hangover” after eating it. How much sugar is involved in cream cheese frosting?! If memory serves it’s an entire box of powdered sugar!And yes, while the traditional version does certainly contain a vegetable, the poor carrot doesn’t stand a chance amid all the sugar, dairy and gluten. Could we create a version that had none of the negatives and bumped up the healthy options? Oh yes; and this recipe really does it all. It’s plant based, gluten, dairy and sugar free. It’s raw, making it ridiculously easy to make, but it’s as satisfying as the traditional version with none of the excess sugar. In fact there’s zero refined sugar; the dates do the “sweet work” in the cake and some maple syrup handles the frosting. The cake is quite filling; a small piece goes a long way. You don’t actually need to frost the cake if you don’t want to. It is delicious, but the fat calories definitely rise from it so it could be optional if you simply want to enjoy the cake. As with all desserts, they’re not for daily consumption, but honestly, frosting left off (or just cut in half), this is not a dessert you couldn’t enjoy fairly often with no negative repercussions. This particular recipe was created by our health coach who adapted it from a recipe she found online. We then changed it a bit by deleting most of the oil that was called for in the frosting. It seemed unnecessary that almost a 1/3 cup would be needed, and after making it both ways, taste absolutely did not suffer, although the calorie and fat count went down considerably. Please give it a try and let us know how you enjoy it. If you come up with any fun variations let us know that too!
Ingredients
For the Base:
- 1 cup pitted organic dates
- 1 cup shredded organic carrots
- 1 cup organic walnuts
- ½ cup unsweetened organic coconut flakes
- ¼ cup organic coconut flour
- ¼ cup organic avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt
For the Frosting:
- 2 cups organic raw cashews
- ¼ cup canned unsweetened coconut milk shaken to mix well
- 2 tablespoons organic avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons filtered water
- 3 tablespoons pure organic maple syrup
- 3 teaspoons almond extract
- ¼ cup organic walnut pieces for topping
Instructions
- Set aside 1 regular loaf pan or two mini paper loaf pans (approximately 6″ L x 2.5″ W x 2″ H).
- Soak cashews in water for a minimum of 20 minutes; or boil for 10 minutes, drain, and set aside to cool.
- Soak dates in hot water for 15 minutes
For the Base:
- Mix dates in a food processor until a paste is formed. Evenly spread out the paste in a few chunks throughout the food processor. Add carrots, walnuts, coconut flakes, coconut flour, avocado oil, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and pinch of sea salt to the date paste in the food processor. Combine until mixed together; adjust spices to taste. Divide in half and distribute contents into the two mini loaf pans; press evenly and store in freezer while making the frosting.
For the Frosting:
- If you haven’t already, drain soaked cashews. In a blender, combine soaked cashews, coconut milk, oil, water, maple syrup and almond extract until smooth and creamy. Remove loaf from freezer and top evenly with frosting. Smooth the frosting with a mini spatula, or the back of a small spoon. Sprinkle the walnut pieces over the frosting and gently push into the frosting with your fingers to secure. Place loaf back into freezer for a minimum of 4 hours (or overnight).
- After the loaf has set, remove from the freezer, slice, and serve. Keep leftover carrot cake in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to 3-4 days.
Notes
Is Your Health At Its Optimum?If you are suffering from any of the problems listed above—contact us for a consultation. Call (727) 335-0400 to schedule. Our medical clinic is located in Clearwater, FL. If you are not local to us, our medical team treats patients from across the country and internationally via telemedicine consultations. We help you find the underlying root cause of your health issues. To your health,
Dr. Vikki Petersen
DC, CCN
IFM Certified Practitioner
Founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic
Author of the books:
“The Gluten Effect”
"Hiatal Hernia Syndrome",
and of the e-book “Gluten Intolerance – What You Don’t Know May Be Killing You!”
Notes
Recipe adapted from www.skinnykitlicious.com
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
