Vegan Carrot Cake with Apple & Coconut

This is my first attempt at a carrot cake and it was delicious! :D  With truly yummy vegan options like these, there's really no reason to go back the dairy-cakes way! :)

The original recipe called for some kind of boxed egg replacer and canned crushed pineapple, but I didn't have either, so I used freshly grated apple instead of the pineapple (my guess is my option is healthier anyway!), and I use my personal favourite egg replacer - ground flax seeds mixed with water.

What made me decide to try a carrot cake was because I had lots of left over carrot "pulp" from the carrot juice I made, and I always hate to just throw that away....what a waste!  So obviously the natural thing to do was make a carrot cake.  :)

2 1/4 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin spice or allspice (I used the latter)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
3 tbs ground flax seed mixed with 6 tbs water - let stand for 5 mins before using
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sunflower oil
2 cups finaly grated carrot
2 cups finely chopped apples (i peeled, cored and put them in food processor for few seconds)
1 cup desiccated coconut
nuts & raisins, optional

I didn't add raisin because I wasn't sure how I'd like it in a carrot cake, but after tasting the cake, I think raisins will got perfectly, so I'll add some next time, as well as chopped walnuts (I didn't have any of these on hand).

1.  preheat oven to 175 degrees C / 375 degrees F.
2.  in a medium bowl mix flour, baking soda, spices, baking powder & salt
3.  in a large bowl mix sugars and flax seed mixture with a spoon until well combined.  Then add vanilla and mix.  Lastly add oil.
4.  add dry ingredients to wet ingrediets and mix well until combined.  Stir in carrots, apple & coconut.  Add nuts & raisins if using.
5.  Grease a cake tin and pour mixture in.  Smooth batter and bake for 40-45 minutes or until tester stick comes out clean.

Note: I baked the cake on one of the higher racks in the oven for the full 45 minutes, but the cake was nonetheless a little underbaked in the centre (even though my tester stick came out pretty much clean)....which wasn't a big problem since there are no raw eggs or things in there, so it was still good (not gooey either - you can see from the photo it's not so bad), but I'd bake it just a teeny bit longer next time, maybe on a lower shelf? just to try and get the centre a little more cooked.  The rest of the cake was perfect and moist.

And I won't even bother trying it with pineapple next time, the apple in there was perfect and I think healthier than any canned item anyway. :)

I also didn't bother with the icing / frosting - it really doesn't need it at all, it's sweet and delicious enough just as is.

Foods with Benefits: Carrots

• orange / yellow foods are the most protective against cardio vascular disease, and carrots are among the best in this group
• contains anti-oxidants (beta-carotene)
• good for eye health (beneficial for vision and helps against glaucoma)
• has anti-cancer properties - studies have especially shown carrots to inhibit growth of colon cancer cells
• they're rich in digestive tract-supporting fiber
• source of vitamin A, K, C, potassium and much more
• they are alkalizing and help detoxify the blood

Carrot Juice

This is so simple, so yummy and so healthy too.  And the only ingredient is carrots!  You can of course add other veggies or fruits too - I want to try it with beetroot, and another with celery...to begin with, to see what they taste like.

Carrot juice is nice and sweet too, I make it for or with breakfast in the morning - it's really delicious. :)

You do need a juicer for this though.  It's one of my favourite kitchen goodies since it's such a huge health benefit. :)

All you do is juice as many carrots as you want until you have as much juice as you'd like.  Just peel them first, and you may have to chop them or slice them if the whole carrot is too big to fit into the juicer's "feeder".

Carrot juice is also good for using during detoxification. Also, juicing fruits or veggies helps to make the nutrients more easy to absorb.