I hadn’t planned on posting this recipe but you asked, so here it is.
I recently had a friend over that was lactose and gluten intolerant that was itching to try one of my cakes. I was also asked by fellow food blogger Andrey Tulsky to collaborate on posting a photograph on Instagram with carrots and one’s pet. And so was born this gluten free and dairy free almond and carrot cake. I love it when I kill two birds with one stone!
This uber moist, high fibre, vitamin rich cake alone was a bit too “healthy”. Initially I thought roll cake with orange marmalade to fill. But as I was cutting the cake into mini bite sizes and sampling the cutaway pieces, I realized it needed something fluffy, soft, sweet and naughty. It needed toasted meringue.
And in all fairness, meringue isn’t really “naughty” is it. Its simply egg whites and sugar. It’s the torching part that’s naughty I suppose. Firing up pure white fluffs into a light brown caramelized skin. Totally naughty. But if you’d rather “nice”, feel free to simply dust the sheet cake with some icing sugar.
For more texture in your crumb, grind the almonds a bit shorter or mix a bit of the larger pieces with the flour. Alternatively for a smooth texture, you could just buy almond flour which is costly but a time saver.
Whatever you decide, the end result is a healthy, delicious and moist cake thats sure to please everyone including your furry friends.
Bon app!
Roxy waiting patiently for her modelling payment
- CAKE INGREDIENTS:
- 500 grams (about 3 large carrots) fresh grated carrots
- 300 grams or 2 cups Whole almonds, with skin or blanched
- 200 grams or 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature (separated)
- zest from 1 orange
- 3 tablespoons pure canola oil or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- MERINGUE INGREDIENTS:
- 3 large egg whites room temperature
- 200 grams or 1 cup white granulated sugar
- CAKE DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Line 12 x 17 x 2 inch sheet cake pan with parchment paper (12 x 18 inch pan okay too)
- Grind the almonds in a food processor in batches...separating the large bits from the almond flour by sieving every so often and re grinding the larger pieces of almond. Careful not to over grind! You'll end up with an almond paste...set aside
- In stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and white sugar until pale cream colour
- Add the 3 table spoons canola oil and beat until thoroughly combined
- Then add the almond extract
- Add the grated carrots and orange zest and stir until combined. Then add the almond flour in three batches
- In a separate clean bowl, whisk the 3 egg whites starting from slow to high until stiff peaks form
- Gently fold in the egg whites in three parts with the almond mixture (no more than 20 folds per egg white addition..dont overfold!)
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until the cake is golden and a toothpick comes out clean or with a couple crumbs -( be mindful that oven temperatures may vary - a subscriber just made this and had to bake for 25 minutes)
- Allow to cool in pan for about 20 minutes
- TOASTED MERINGUE DIRECTIONS:
- Fill a shallow amount of water in a small pan and simmer. Place a heatproof clean bowl on top making sure the bowl isn't touching the simmering water and continuously whisk the egg whites and sugar until foamy or reaches a temperature of 140-150F. Another way to test is by taking a bit of the whites and rubbing between two fingers...if its no longer gritty and hot to the touch, its ready to be removed.
- Remove from heat and continue whisking on high until white and fluffy and meringue has cooled about 5-7 minutes .
- ASSEMBLING CAKES:
- You can leave your cooled cake as is and serve as a thin sheet cake by spreading the meringue evenly on top with a metal off set spatula, and torching lightly OR
- You can take a 3 inch (or any size for that matter) biscuit cutter and cut out mini cakes.
- Take a pastry bag with any tip of your choice, pipe out some meringue
- Lightly torch.
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