Carrot Cake with Tahini Orange Frosting
Can a cake be healthy? Well, this one’s certainly healthier than most!.. It’s from ‘The Food For Life Cookbook’ by Tim Spector (of ‘Zoe’ fame). He claims that the added benefit of the Greek yoghurt frosting is that the protein and fat will help slow the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream from the cake… so it’s definitely worth a try!.. And it’s delicious; the aforementioned frosting gives a wonderful tartness that cuts the sweetness of the carrot cake. A friend introduced me to this recipe when she served the cake at a luncheon; we were all very impressed and felt rather smug at being so healthy – thanks, Sarah!
85ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing
100ml kefir
3 eggs
4 tablespoons honey
85g soft light brown sugar
285g ground almonds
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
50g walnuts, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons baking powder (gluten-free if required)
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
200g carrots, grated
For the topping:
185g Greek yoghurt
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon honey
Zest of ½ orange
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
Fresh berries
*You will need a 20cm round springform cake tin, greased and lined.
- Put the olive oil, kefir, eggs, honey and sugar in a bowl and mix to combine. Add the ground almonds, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix everything until thoroughly combined.
- Fold in the carrots and then transfer the mixture to the lined tin. Flatten with a spatula and bake in a preheated oven, 160’c fan, for 45-50 minutes until a metal skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before removing from the tin.
- Meanwhile, make the topping. Mix the Greek yoghurt, tahini, vanilla extract, honey and orange zest in a bowl – it will thicken slightly. Spread all over the cooled cake and decorate with fresh berries and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds. (Store in the fridge covered for up to 5 days).
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