carrot cake
with ricotta icing
- 1¼ cups (185g) wholemeal plain (all-purpose) flour
- 2½ cups (300g) almond meal (ground almonds)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of (baking) soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice (it’s all things nice)
- ⅔ cup (120g) brown sugar (rich and golden)
- 3 cups (420g) grated carrot (about 3 carrots)
- ½ cup (125ml) pure maple syrup
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten (whisk them gently)
- ⅔ cup (160ml) light-flavoured extra virgin olive oil
ricotta icing
- ¾ cup (180g) fresh ricotta
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Line a 22cm round cake tin with non-stick baking paper.
- Place the flour, almond meal, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, mixed spice and sugar in a big bowl and mix to combine with a spatula.
- Add the carrot, maple, eggs and oil and mix until it’s all well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping the bowl with a spatula, and bake for 1 hour or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
- Wearing oven gloves, carefully remove the cake from the oven. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, before flipping it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the icing, place the fresh ricotta, vanilla extract and maple syrup in a medium bowl and, using a whisk, mix together until smooth. Spread the cooled cake with the ricotta icing to serve. Serves 12–14
TIP
If you want your icing super creamy, simply pop the ingredients in a food processor or blender and whiz until smooth.
Swap almond meal for ground pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds, if you like.
Photography: William Meppem
© DONNA HAY GROUP
