Thursday, February 9, 2012

Flourless Carrot Cake

First thing you should know about me is I'm not a baker, a cook or a foodie. I just want to eat good food that's healthy. Fancy presentation and exotic ingredients don't do anything for me. Give me a simple recipe with a few ingredients I have on hand and I'm a happy camper.
I see photography classes in my future,
but doesn't it still look yummy?

That said, this recipe pushes me to the limit of my idea of simple. I've had it in my onetsp.com account under the tag 'revise' for months. Carrot cake is my favorite. It immediately caught my eye in the New York Times Health section one day because it was a carrot cake that required no icing. That cuts the sugar content immensely right off the bat. Unfortunately, the recipe itself called for plenty on its own.

So what's an ACD girl who can barely bake cookies to do? She crosses her fingers and tries to use some logic. The caramel flavor of yacon would lend itself perfectly to the recipe. I also knew the white sugar could be replaced with stevia, but the substitution would leave the recipe lacking in bulk.

Well, I must say my logic must be pretty darn solid because this cake is pretty darn good. Perfectly moist with a wonderful flavor. As evidence, notice the missing slice from the photo. I just couldn't wait until after a photo was shot to try it. I'm sure this is beginner's luck, but I'll take it, especially when it's this tasty!

*Valentine's Day 2012: I'm sharing this over at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free for Slightly Indulgent Tuesday! Check this sight out if you haven't already. She has some fantastic recipes and ideas for healthy eating.

Sugar-Free, Gluten Free Flourless Carrot Cake
Adapted from Flourless Carrot Cake from the NY Times

2 cups almond flour
1 Tbsp stevia extract (After ACD, I'm going to try palm sugar.)
1 scoop Arbonne Fiber Boost (Chopped walnuts might work & would add a nice texture.)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp grated lemon zest
4 large eggs
1/3 cup yacon syrup (For non-ACD, try honey or agave.)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups finely grated carrots (remove excess moisture by pressing between two paper towels)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper. Lightly oil the paper and pan.

Place first eight ingredients (almond flour through zest) into a food processor and pulse to combine.

Beat eggs in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, or use an electric beater, until thick. Add yacon and continue to beat until the mixture is thick enough to form a ribbon when lifted from the bowl with a spatula. At this point it almost looks green. Don't panic! It will brown in the oven. Beat in vanilla. Finally, alternate folding in flour mixture and carrots in small batches until all is combined.

Pour batter into pan. Bake on middle rack for an hour. Cake should pull away from sides and be firm on top. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove spring form and serve or wrap in plastic and store in the fridge.

Enjoy!

-Melie


4 comments:

  1. What a delicious and simple cake! Your photo looks beautiful too :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, thank you! It's taking me an inordinate amount of time to get the hang of food photography, but I'm progressing!

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  2. This looks teriffic! My friend's mom sells Arbonne so I can try the fiber boost! Thank you for the great recipe!

    Lilly
    pancakesandbeetjuice.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am fairly new to Arbonne, but I am loving it. I'm completely addicted to the "Arbucks" protein shake.

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