CARROT AND LEMON CAKE

Finally weekend my friends! I´ve had a lot of work this week and I am exhausted. For some people the weekend equals rest. Not for me. It´s actually on the weekend when I do most of the work for my website. During the week I get up at 5:45h and I have a full-time job so when I come home I only have time to clean up a little bit, prepare dinner, do a short workout, study for my master and, twice a week, hit the “post” botton on my blog.

So my weekends are all about recipe- testing, recording a video for youtube, taking pictures, download them to the computer, editing the pictures, editing the youtube video, writing the posts, cleaning up the kitchen (or let´s rather call it the “battle field”) and finally around 21h or 22h, sitting on the sofa to a well deserved rest. Yeap, that´s my life right now. But you know? When I hit the “post” button and see all the final work…it is so rewarding. I know you guys are there (thank you google analitics), and seeing the views growing over the weeks (slowly but steady) makes all this work and effort totally worth it.

Most people don´t realize how much work there´s behind a food blog. Believe me when I say that behind each post, there are HOURS of work. I make my recipes at least twice to be sure they turn out good. I even bring the food to work and my collegues will tell me wheter they think it´s good or not. Then I take the pictures, do a selection and edit them. Writing the post can take from half hour to two hours (yes…sometimes Mr.Inspiration just doesn´t feel like making an appearance). Then translate it to Spanish. Now upload the post to the english website AND then to the Spanish one (what was I thinking when I decided to have a food blog in two languages?)

ok, anyhow… when I look at this mouthwatering pictures I know it was all worth it.

Last weekend I decided that I wanted to make a carrot and lemon cake. My first attempt was pretty good but there was room for improvement. The second one was just perfect. Perfectly sweet, super moist on the inside and the lemony taste is just to die for. A carrot and lemon cake that you will want to make tomorrow again. And the day after that, and the day after that, and…

This carrot and lemon cake also brought back memories of my childhood. To me it tastes exactly like the lemon-almond cake that my grandma used to make. I always thought the beautiful taste of my grandma´s cake was thanks to the almonds. But since my version doesn´t contain any almonds, I guess it was actually the lemon zest the key to that amazing flavor.

This carrot and lemon cake tastes great on its own but it would also make the perfect treat with a glass of almond milk or, if you are looking for a more decadent version, try spreading some almond butter on top or/and a scoop of banana icecream. Heaven guys. HEAVEN.

Print

CARROT AND LEMON CAKE

Prep 15 mins

Cook 45 mins

Total 60 mins

Author Sonia Raga

Yield 24X15cm cake

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

• 290 grams of whole wheat (or spelt) flour
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 3 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 + 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Wet ingredients:

• 2 cups grated carrots (lightly packed)
• 1 + 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/4 cup molasses or maple syrup
• Zest of one lemon
• Juice of one lemon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and whisk very well.
4. Pour wet into dry ingredients, and stir until just evenly combined. The batter should be quite thick!
5. Line a 24x15 cm baking dish with parchment paper.
6. Transfer the batter to the baking dish and spread out evenly.
7. Bake on the low rack of the oven for 45 minutes at 180ºC and with the heat coming only from underneath.
8. Let it cool in the baking dish for about 20 minutes before removing.

Notes

• You will also need a baking dish of approximately 24x15 cm.

Courses Sweet Treats

Cuisine low-fat, soy-free, nut-free