{Vegan gluten free carrot cake is the best.}
This weekend I did several lovely things:
1) ate lots of (gluten-free + vegan) carrot cake.
2) played tennis for the first time.
3) took a nice long bubble bath.
The carrot cake was born of a desire to make a somewhat frugal Easter-ish dessert with ingredients I had on hand. Joseph wasn’t excited about the prospect of me making carrot cake (I don’t blame him–most people’s experience with carrot cake is that it’s smothered in overly rich & sugary frosting). To be honest, this was my first attempt at carrot cake–so I had some trepidation.
I didn’t use any oil or refined-sugar (except for in the glaze, which is an optional addition, but totally worth it).
I’ve often thought I don’t like cake. And, I’ve realized, it’s just not true.
I love cake–if it’s moist & tender, with just the right blend of flavors. I think it can usually be improved by a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but if it’s good enough, it can stand alone.
I’m excited to share the recipe with you, but a few {MM} things first.
♥ A few weeks ago, on the frugal dates & why you need to date your husband post, Marly made a comment about how she & her husband make it a point to play tennis together as part of their date routine. I thought–brilliant! I’m totally stealing that idea. I’ve been wanting to branch out & do more physical type dates & playing tennis absolutely fit the bill. So this weekend we bought some inexpensive rackets & balls & went out & played for awhile while we left the kids with a sitter. It was relaxing to laugh together & get moving & the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. We both agreed that this the start of a new dating tradition. (And we figured we’d like our kids to learn too & make it a family event sometimes.)
♥ (I promise this photo was absolutely authentic–not staged at all! Salem really was “reading” Fermat’s Enigma–& she did Tyndale’s hair.)
Many of you have left comments on Thursday’s post about raising independent children. Like the homeschooling post, I’m seeing a theme in women’s desire to be a good mom and to have some time/space/interests apart from child rearing. This is definitely a topic I think we could explore more (especially how to make time for other pursuits, while remaining a present & responsible parent). Thanks for all your insights, & if you haven’t commented, chime in here.
♥ My dear friend (one of my favorite bloggers) Gena made a surprising, delightful announcement–she’s coming out with a cookbook this year! She managed (I don’t know how, so much self-control) to keep it under wraps until the very last minute prior to launching her book. You can get a sneak peak of it here (I promise it’s going to be an amazing compilation of inspiring/do-able recipes & writing) &/or pre-order on Amazon now.
♥ I love foxes. These pictures will make you love them too.
fabulous recipes to pin:
all gluten-free & vegan
vegan asparagus & fennel quiche
(so pretty!)
carrot cake cheesecake
(in case you’re feeling the cheesecake version of carrot cake)
spring harvest buddah bowls w/ a dill vinagrette
(fresh & seasonal)
spectacular sunshine dressing
(put this on your next salad)
//
Now for that recipe.
{MM} vegan + gluten-free recipe: cashew coconut carrot cake
This is the kind of recipe you’ll want to make when you have company over (especially your vegan-skeptic relatives or friends). I kid you not, this cake will knock your socks off.
an uber moist vegan + gluten-free carrot cake with the addition of coconut & cashews to give it extra depth & texture
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. buckwheat flour | or toasted quinoa flour or oat flour
- 1/2 c. white rice flour | or brown rice flour
- 3/4 c. garbanzo bean flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. ginger
- 1, 14 oz. can coconut milk (not light)
- 1 TBS. apple cider vinegar
- 1 TBS. blackstrap molasses
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 c. sucanat | or sugar
- 1/3 c. ground flax seed
- 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
- 4 medium carrots, finely grated
- 1/2 c. cashews (chopped)
- 2 TBS. melted coconut oil | or non-dairy butter
- 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 1/4 c. non-dairy milk
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- + additional unsweetened coconut flakes for topping
Instructions
- First, a few notes. I grind my flours from bulk grains, using my Blendtec. This a great way to keep flours fresh & to save money (more on frugal baking, here). If you make substitutions for the flours, it will change the end product slightly (make it a bit more dense, especially if you substitute brown rice flour for the white rice), but it will still be delicious. I highly recommend toasting your quinoa flour before using (otherwise, just regular quinoa flour has a very strong flavor).
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Sift flours, baking soda & baking powder.
- In a large measuring cup, combine coconut milk, vinegar, molasses, vanilla. In a standing mixer, pour liquid. Add sugar & flax seed. Blend until smooth.
- Add sifted flours & mix just until batter is smooth.
- Add grated carrots, chopped cashews & shredded coconut. Mix until incorporated.
- Pour into greased bundt cake pan.
- Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted & comes out clean.
- Cool for 15 minutes on cooling rack.
- While cake is cooling, make the glaze. Add melted coconut oil, vanilla & milk to powdered sugar & whisk until smooth.
- Place a plate over bundt cake pan, flip over so that cake is now on plate. Transfer cake (gently) to cake stand, or final destination.
- Pour glaze over cake, reserving some to use as additional topping when the cake is served. Sprinkle with additional shredded coconut.
- Eat immediately.
- {For leftovers: Flash free individual servings of left over cake (put in freezer on cookie sheet for an hour or so) & then wrap individual servings in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag--good this way in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you want to eat, just remove from freezer & allow to defrost for 2-3 hours before serving.}
cake only: 38 carbs, 3 g fiber, 3 g protein, 27 g sugar, 29 mg sodium; 5 WWP points: glaze (per tablespoon)--62 calories, 2 g fat, 12 g carb, 11 g sugar, 0 g protein, 0 g fiber
//
Hope you have a fab week!
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