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As we aren’t a free from family I had to get my thinking cap on about what to bake this week, but in the end I decided on good old carrot cake as I knew that was sugar free and dairy free, and obviously it can also be gluten free if you use gluten free flour.
I changed a couple of ingredients though for a more autumnal feel – as I’m not sure if you’ve felt it yet, but it’s getting a bit cold now! So I added prunes instead of raisins, and chucked some pecan nuts in there too for a bit of crunch.
I also decided to make carrot cake mini loaves instead of a large cake, for a change! If you don’t have a mini loaf tin though, you could alternatively make a large loaf cake.
I also couldn’t decide between a sugar or dairy free frosting; I almost went a for a cream cheese frosting but in the end decided on an orange drizzle, so these particular cakes are only dairy free but you could change to your desire. If you left the cakes as they are without any frosting then they would remain both sugar and dairy free.
Ingredients (makes 8)
Cake
- 150g self raising flour
- 100g ground almonds
- 50g prunes, roughly chopped
- 50g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
- 4tbsp mixed spice
- 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 3 eggs
- 100ml sunflower oil
- 3tbsp milk
- 300g carrots, grated
Orange drizzle
- 3-4tbsp icing sugar
- 2tsp orange juice
Method
- Preheat oven to gas 4/180C/350F. Lightly grease an 8 hole mini loaf tin.
- Put the flour, almonds, prunes, pecans, mixed spice, and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Make a well in the centre of the mixture.
- In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, oil, and milk together and stir in the grated carrot. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, combining well until a thick batter is formed.
- Fill each hole in the tin with the mixture, about three-quarters full. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin then gently remove.
- Mix together the icing sugar and orange juice to a thick paste, then use a teaspoon to drizzle over the cakes. (They are best eaten straight away with this icing as it does soak in after a while).
- Enjoy (with a cuppa)!
Linking up as usual with Jenny of Mummy Mishaps.
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oooooh these look so cute and tasty and i want to reach into my screen and try one! Just when i think i have chosen my star baker i see these! Hmmm now i will be deliberating for ages again ha ha
thank you for linking up xx
Lol they really were cute!
They look so, so scrummy. I would totally enjoy that with my coffee right now! I don't have mini loaf tines, looks like I really should get that sorted. Terrific post! x
Yes, I'm glad I have them in my collection now, ha! 😉
Ooh, these look so cute and delicious, perfect size for an autumnal picnic! #Tasty Tuesdays
Angela x
Only Crumbs Remain
They are perfect for a picnic aren't they!
I'm a big carrot cake fan and these look delicious! Great idea to create separate little loaves x #TastyTuesday
I'm glad I thought of doing these as they are just the perfect size!
oh my gosh mini loaves… is this a tin? Or do you have mini loaf pans.. because they are the cutest!! I am a big fan of carrot cake also.. but their size.. EEEP! So. Cute.
It's like a muffin tin, so it has 8 loaf sections in it! It's brilliant!
I adore a good carrot cake and these look so delicious x #GBBOBloggers2015
Thank you Kirsty 🙂 Can't beat carrot cake! x