Gluten-Free Spiced Carrot, Parsnip & Orange Cake
Gluten-free and missing carrot cake? Never fear! Try this fantastic recipe for gluten-free carrot cake from the creator of the Genius brand.
Introduction
This cake persuades children to eat their vegetables with pleasure. For individual cakes, divide the mixture among cupcake cases. Double the recipe for a tall, café-style sandwich carrot cake.
Ingredients
| For the cake: | |
| 110g | butter or dairy-free baking margarine, softened |
| 55g | rice flour |
| 55g | cornflour |
| 110g | light brown muscovado sugar |
| 2 tsp | gluten-free baking powder |
| pinch salt | |
| 1 tsp | ground cinnamon |
| 1/2 tsp | freshly grated nutmeg |
| 1/2 tsp | mixed spice |
| 3 | medium eggs, at room temperature |
| 1 | orange, zest |
| 100g | carrot, grated |
| 100g | parsnip, grated |
| 50g | raisins |
| 40g | pecans, roughly chopped |
| For the orange cream cheese icing: | |
| 50g | butter, softened |
| 250g | cream cheese |
| 275g | icing sugar, sifted |
| 1 | orange, zest and 1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice |
| 20g | pecans, roughly chopped |
Essential kit
You will need a 20-cm springform cake tin.
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 20-cm springform cake tin with butter or dairy-free baking margarine and line with greaseproof paper.
2. Place the butter, flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, spices, eggs and orange zest in a medium bowl. Whisk together on a medium speed until the mixture is smooth and well blended.
3. With a large metal spoon, fold in the carrot, parsnip, raisins and pecans. Tip the mixture into the prepared cake tin, and bake in the oven for 30–35 minutes until the centre is set and springy, and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
4. Remove from the oven, then peel off the lining paper and leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack. When cold, run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake, and transfer from the tin and to a serving plate.
5. To make the icing, in a large bowl, whisk the butter until soft and fluffy, then whisk in the cream cheese, icing sugar and orange zest and juice, until smooth and thick. Spread over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans, and serve.
TIP: to make a dairy-free icing, mix 300 g softened dairy-free baking margarine, beat 275 g icing sugar, the finely grated zest of 1 orange and the finely grated zest of 1 lime together – and add 1 tablespoon of lime juice to give the icing a citrus kick.
