Carrot Cake with Walnuts and Coconut

Allergy Information: Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Vegetarian

Ingredients

• 190g Lucy Bee Coconut Oil (room temperature)
• 200g Lucy Bee Coconut Sugar
• 160g gluten free plain flour
• ½ tsp. gluten free baking powder
• ½ tsp. bicarbonate of soda
• 1½ tsp. cinnamon powder
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 60g walnuts chopped
• 50g desiccated coconut
• 150g coarsely grated carrot
• 2 egg whites
• FOR THE ICING:
• 175g cream cheese (can be lactose free) at room temperature
• 60g Lucy Bee Coconut Oil soft
• 40g icing sugar
• 1 tbsp. runny honey
• Whole walnuts for decoration
• Need a 1lb loaf tin or 20cm loose bottomed cake tin, greased and lined with baking paper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170 C, 325 F, gas mark 3.
2. Place the Lucy Bee Coconut Oil and Lucy Bee Coconut Sugar together in a bowl and beat together with a fixed head or hand held electric mixer on a medium speed for 5 minutes until very well incorporated.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon powder together into a bowl and set aside.
4. Beat the large egg and egg yolk together with a fork and slowly beat them into the caster sugar and Lucy Bee Coconut Oil mixture on a slow speed.
5. Fold in the walnuts, desiccated coconut and grated carrot.
6. Lightly fold in the sifted dry ingredients.
7. Whisk the 2 egg whites at high speed until stiff. Take one tablespoon of the whisked egg whites and stir this into the cake batter to soften it. Then carefully fold in the remaining whisked egg whites until well incorporated.
8. Spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour, approximately.  Insert a skewer into the centre of the cake to test it - it should come out clean if the cake is cooked.
9. Leave the cake in the tin until cool.
10. Whilst the cake is cooling prepare the icing.
11. FOR THE ICING
12. Beat the cream cheese until light in a mixer and set aside.
13. Ensure that the Lucy Bee Coconut Oil is very soft but not liquid and beat it together with the icing sugar and honey (if the coconut oil is too firm it will not incorporate fully with icing sugar).
14. Now lightly fold the cream cheese into the Lucy Bee Coconut Oil mixture.
15. Remove the now cooled cake from its tin, place it on a serving plate and spread the top with the icing and decorate with walnuts.
16. NOTE: if you prefer, you can substitute either the walnuts or desiccated coconut with sultanas.

Enjoy! 

Lucy Bee is a lifestyle brand selling food, skincare and soap products all completely free from palm oil and with minimal use of plastic. Lucy Bee is concerned with Fair Trade, organic, ethical and sustainable living, recycling and empowering people to make informed choices and select quality, natural products for their food and their skin.