Raw Carrot Cake with Walnuts and Coconut Icing

The main complaint about raw carrot cakes is the mushy carrot purée that stands in for the crumb. This version avoids that by using the carrot in two different states: half is blended with a date paste to form the binder, the other half stays grated and gives structure. Ground walnuts and coconut flour soak up the excess moisture, cinnamon and nutmeg carry the cake's identity, and a little lemon juice on the grated carrot keeps a nice orange colour instead of beige. Two optional steps really make a difference to the finished result: one or two spells in the dehydrator, which give the surface a baked look, and a night in the freezer in between, which firms up the texture. Without a dehydrator, the cake is still good, just softer. The icing is disarmingly simple: coconut butter blended until smooth, loosened with coconut milk and sweetened to taste, then set in the fridge for an hour. Use a 23 cm springform tin, and don't hesitate to adjust the spices: the original recipe encourages using more cinnamon than you'd expect.

Ingredients

For the base

• 8 carrots, grated
• The juice of half a lemon
• 350 g dates, blended into a paste
• 100 g walnut halves, ground into powder
• 50 g raw coconut flour, or an extra 50 g ground walnuts
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg, or more to taste
• 60 g golden raisins, optional

For the coconut icing

• 4 tablespoons coconut butter
• 250 ml coconut milk, or 1 extra tablespoon coconut butter plus 250 ml water
• Maple or agave syrup, to taste
• Sea salt, to taste

Method

The base

1. Grate the carrots and set them aside in a large bowl. A food processor with the grating disc will save you a lot of time. Drizzle them with the lemon juice to keep their colour.
2. Blend the dates in a food processor until you get a smooth paste, then gradually add half the grated carrot and blend until roughly combined.
3. Add the spices to this carrot-date paste and blend again.
4. Pour this mixture into the bowl with the rest of the grated carrot and mix thoroughly.
5. Grind the walnuts into powder, add them to the bowl and mix again.
6. Taste the mixture and adjust the spices. If it still seems too moist, add coconut flour or ground walnuts: it should be soft but not runny, and hold its shape if you roll a ball of it.
7. Oil the base and sides of a 23 cm springform tin with coconut oil, then dust with coconut flour, desiccated coconut or ground walnuts. Fill with the mixture and press down firmly.
8. If you have a dehydrator, place the whole tin in it for 1 to 2 hours at 40°C, until the surface takes on a baked look. Without a dehydrator, skip this step: the cake will simply be softer.
9. To take it further, prepare the cake the day before, cover it and place it in the freezer. The next day, unmould it while still firm and put it back in the dehydrator for one to two hours, so the top and sides take on more of that baked look.

The icing

1. Blend the coconut butter in a food processor until smooth.
2. Add the coconut milk and blend again.
3. Sweeten to taste and blend one last time.
4. Place in the fridge for at least an hour to set, then spread over the cake and serve.

Tip

Coconut flour absorbs a lot: if you replace it with ground walnuts, use a little more than the amount stated, otherwise the mixture stays too moist. The original recipe was designed for two large cakes and has been scaled down to a more reasonable size: the proportions cope very well with being adjusted to taste.

FAQ: your questions about walnuts and dates