by Alethea Mauro

Who doesn’t love carrot cake?!

 

….and even better a healthy version so you can indulge without feeling guilty.   The addition of fresh pineapple in this recipe produces a beautifully moist cake that is balanced with the crunch of the pecans.

The cake can be easily adapted to being no gluten free by using normal plain flour instead of GF plain flour.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Gluten Free Plain flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. mixed spice

2 eggs

½ cup natural honey

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of salt

1 cup carrot, grated

½ large ripe pineapple, cored and roughly chopped

1/3 cup pecans, chopped

Frosting:

1 can of coconut cream, chilled (overnight is best)

2 tbsp. natural honey

Chopped pecans to garnish (or toasted coconut)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C and grease and line a 20cm spring form cake tin

Place chopped pineapple in food processor and whiz until crushed. Pour crushed pineapple into a sieve to drain excess liquid (it is important to try and drain most liquid so cake isn’t too moist).

In a large mixing bowl sift flour, baking soda & baking powder and mixed spice. Add honey, oil, eggs and mix together all the ingredients thoroughly.

Fold in pineapple, carrots and pecans

Pour mixture into tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until cake springs back when touched. I like to turn the oven off and leave my gluten free cakes to cool in the oven with the door open for at least 15 minutes so they have less chance of sinking.

Once cake has cooled prepare the frosting as follows.

Scoop the thick coconut cream only (not the liquid) into a mix master (if you do not have a mix master scoop into large bowl and use electric beaters). Whip the coconut cream until thickening and then add honey and continue to whip until thick – different brands of coconut cream do thicken differently. Spoon the whipped coconut cream over cake, garnish with pecans (optional) and serve.

 

*Cake recipe adapted from Sandra Cabot’s liver cleansing diet.