This is a classic carrot cake recipe – you cannot tell it’s gluten free!
Ingredients:
300g grated carrot
3 large free range eggs
300g light soft brown sugar
200g ground almonds
200g rice flour
300g sunflower oil
1tsp ground cinnamon
1/2tsp ground ginger
1tsp baking powder (gluten free)
1tsp bicarb of soda
a pinch of sea salt
Cream Cheese Icing:
125g soft butter at room temperature
250g icing sugar
125g full fat cream cheese must be at room temperature
1tsp vanilla extract
Method:
Preheat oven to 180degC (160degC fan). Grease and line the bottoms of two 10″ (20cm) diameter round cake tins
In a free-standing mixer with a paddle attachment or with an electric whisk, mix oil, sugar and eggs until light in colour, add the grated carrots and mix again. Clean down the blades and the sides of the bowl before adding the almonds, rice flour, baking and bicarb powders and the spices. Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. Divide the batter into the 2 tins and bake for 25-30mins until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Leave to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely before icing.
Beat the butter with a spatula or wooden spoon until loose and ‘fluffy’ and sift in the icing sugar a little at a time mixing well. Add the vanilla and then mix in the cream cheese. The cheese really needs to be at room temperature or warmer to prevent a lumpy icing. Beat hard until the icing is creamy.
Once the cakes are cool sandwich with a generous amount of cream cheese icing and then swirl the top the cake with some more icing. Dust with ground cinnamon and serve
This cake can be frozen. Place a sheet of greaseproof paper on the top of the cake and wrap the whole thing securely with foil and place in the freezer. This will keep up to 3 months. Defrost overnight at room temperature.
You can also use this recipe as cupcakes- it will make approximately 15. If you don’t want gluten free just substitute 200g of rice flour and 100g of the almonds with 300g of plain flour.