I’m going to be straight with you, dear readers. Carrot cake is not my favorite type of cake. And honestly, most times it’s not a cake I would choose. Usually I think the frosting is too sweet and the cake is too spicy and not to mention the raisins… I like carrot cake, but I knew there was a lot more potential in there than most of them could offer.

So I made my own. And while I was at it, I thought I would play around with natural, non-sugar sweeteners. Because carrot cake is pretty moist (or should be), I knew that I wouldn’t be ruining everything by trying liquid sweeteners like honey and agave syrup.

I’m not cutting sugar entirely, though I am experimenting more with replacing it with other sweeteners. I’m not into the whole sugar replacers… no matter what the marketing says, I feel like I can still pick out the taste of sweetener, so I avoid it.

Note: Honey has a higher glycemic index agave syrup, if that’s something you need to worry about. Funnily enough, though, agave syrup tastes sweeter than honey. I tried both at the same proportions, and thought they both made for good, not overly sweet cakes. In other recipes where the amount of liquid/dry ingredients is more essential, it’s worth knowing that agave syrup is less viscous than honey, so you might need to cut the proportion of other liquids.

On the Counter

Cake:
150g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
100g honey OR 100g agave nectar
3 free-range eggs
200g wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp grated nutmeg
200g carrots, peeled
100g (1 cup) walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Set aside 30 grams (1/3 cup) of walnuts for decorating

9 x 2 1/2 inch or 23 x 6 cm springform pan

Frosting:
230 mL/1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp real maple syrup
30 g walnuts set aside from cake

What to Do

Baking:

Grate the carrots, preferably so the shreds are very small. (This is easier to do with fresher carrots, but carrot cake is a good use for slightly sad carrots… up to you.)

Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F. Grease the inside of your springform pan with butter.

Whisk the melted butter, egg and honey or agave together until they are well combined and are very slightly bubbly.

Sift in all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt).

Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula. If you do this carefully, you’re less likely to get flour lumps. Stir in the carrot and walnuts.

Once you have a solid colored batter and the carrot is evenly distributed, gently pour the batter into the springform pan. It should pour evenly into the pan, but if it’s not even, gently spread it out with the rubber spatula.

Bake for 30 minutes. You can test if it’s done by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, it’s ready.

Frosting:

Let the finished rest until it’s completely cooled. (Not even a little bit warm!) Remove it from the pan and then gently slice off any of the top of the cake that stops it from being flat. Eat your spoils.

Vigorously stir the maple syrup into the sour cream until well combined and the cream is smooth. Gently spoon or spread it on top of the cake, using the back of the spoon (or frosting spreader) to make sure it goes on evenly.

Sprinkle on the rest of the toasted walnuts. Serve!

The cake and frosting keep well in the fridge for at least 3 days.  

For me, this cake was a lot more than just a cake. It was a bit like a test. And an attack of nerves. And an attempt to prove that I can cook, even though no one asked me to prove it. This was especially trying because I don’t really bake much, and this cake most certainly requires baking.

The gentleman and I took a trip up to his hometown, Edinburgh, to meet a new member of his family. There was a family lunch to celebrate her, even though she’s too young to eat anything we had at the table. As a surprise, and a gesture of good guestliness (or something), I decided to bring a dessert. Two of the guests were lactose intolerant, so this needed to be a pretty specific dessert. Enter: Angel-food-inspired cake.

Having never made this cake, or any angel food cake before, I decided to test this magical dairy-free cake out on myself and some willing coworkers. Thankfully, it was a big hit, and I didn’t have to spend the Friday night before our trip frantically and nervously trying to plan something new. Instead, I spent it frantically and nervously baking the cake I’d first done two days before.

And then it went to Edinburgh, packed carefully into my carry-on bag, still in its springform pan, through security, onto the plane and then around town for a bit. And it stayed in one piece, no problem. Worth noting, then, that this cake is pretty hearty in travel situations.

Finally, the cake hit the table, and it was a big hit! Dairy eaters and non really enjoyed it, and I proved not only to myself, but to others that I could … bake. (I’ll save the actual cooking for next time.)

And finally, to the recipe.

Adapted from Big Girls, Small Kitchen

Serves: 10, depending how big your slices are.

On The Counter

10 oz (280 g)almonds, chopped roughly or pre-sliced
1 1/4 cups (125 g) granulated sugar
8 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon (1 g) salt
1/4 teaspoon (1 g) cream of tartar
zest of 2 lemons
6 tbsp (90 g) flour
dairy free spread or oil for greasing the pan

What To Do

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Generously grease an 8 inch (20 cm) springform pan and set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the almonds and sugar until almonds are finely chopped. The almonds can be larger pieces; don’t over-process. You don’t want nut butter! Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.

Add salt and cream of tartar  to egg whites and beat until they form stiff peaks.

Sprinkle the lemon almond sugar onto to egg whites, a bit at a time. Fold it in gently. You want to keep as much volume as possible in the whites.

Once the almond mix is almost completely combined, sift the flour on top, and fold it in gently. Stop when all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Pour the batter into the springform pan, and spread it evenly.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. To test the cake’s doneness, stick a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, your cake is finished. If it does not, bake in 5 minute increments until it does.

Cool your cake for at least 20 minutes before unlocking the pan and removing it. It will store fine in the pan, if you’d like to transport it somewhere.

In all the serving, eating and chatting, I completely forgot to take a photo of the cake on a plate! Instead, I’ll end with a photo of the cake before it hit the oven.