Do you make carrot cake ‘from scratch’, the old fashioned way? Do you end up with a big mess? Carrot peels in the sink, bits of grated carrot sticking to the grater and scattered over the counter, a chopping board covered in bits of walnuts and pineapple, a bowl for the wet ingredients, goop from the eggs on the counter, a whisk, a bowl for the dry ingredients, a floury sieve, a wooden spoon… then once you’ve tidied all that up, you’ve got to make the cream cheese icing! Messy. And lots of dishes to wash. So you probably don’t make it very often, right? I know I didn’t when I had to make it that way!
Maybe you’re thinking, ‘Nope! I make mine in the Thermomix, or a food processor!’ Getting closer… but how many steps does your recipe take? I’m amazed at all the extraneous steps in so many recipes. Cut ’em out! Who wants recipes with lots of steps, anyway? Not me. I’ve streamlined my carrot cake recipe to two main steps. Plus stirring in some raisins if you like. (Okay, and one more step for the icing.) First the wet ingredients go in, along with the quartered carrots and chunks of fresh pineapple – grated, chopped and mixed all at once. Then I add the dry ingredients, including the nuts, and chop and mix those for a few seconds. Then stir through some raisins. That’s it. Pour it in the tin, pop it in the oven, and let the Thermomix bowl wash itself. 😉 You can even skip peeling the carrots and just give them a scrub if you like. Too easy.
By the way, this recipe makes great carrot cake cupcakes, too! I’m afraid I ate four of them today. And a slice of cake. Oops. Good thing they’re healthy! 😀
I’ve made a quick coconut cream topping for these. If you’d rather you could make a vanilla cashew cream.
For a nut free version, just replace the walnuts with shredded coconut.
This recipe makes two cakes, or a cake and 12 cupcakes.
Or about 24 cupcakes. 🙂
Note: You can find fine sea salt and vanilla powder for this recipe in my online store!
One Bowl Thermomix Carrot Cake
2014-07-06 00:08:38
Wet Ingredients
- 400g carrots, quartered
- 300g chunks of fresh pineapple
- 4 large eggs
- 80g macadamia oil
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 180g honey* (preferrably raw, unheated)
Dry Ingredients
- 380g plain gluten free flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp bicarb soda (baking soda)
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 150g walnuts (unchopped)
- 80g raisins or sultanas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 165C. (Cakes made with honey need to cook at a lower temp, for longer, otherwise they'll be burnt on the outside and gooey on the inside; so don't be tempted to turn the oven higher.) Grease and flour a bundt tin or ring tin, and 12 muffin cups, or two ring tins or 24 muffin cups... you get the idea. If you're going to use cake tins, make sure they're not regular ones or the middle won't cook well - if you don't have a ring tin or a bundt tin, just grease and flour a small glass, and place it upside down in the middle of a round cake tin, and use that.
- Weigh carrots, pineapple and wet ingredients into the Thermomix bowl, and mix on speed 5 for 15 seconds.
- Add dry ingredients and mix on speed 5 for 5 seconds.
- Optional: stir in raisins/sultanas on speed 3 for 5 seconds
- Cook for approximately 30-40 minutes for cupcakes, and an hour and a half for cakes, depending on your oven. Check by poking a skewer into the centre - it should come out nearly clean when the cakes are done. If the cake is getting too brown on top, just cover it with foil and keep baking til done. Don't cut it straight away while hot - it will be very moist inside. Let them cool, even in the fridge, before icing and eating, and the texture will be better.
Notes
- for a nut free cake, leave walnuts out and add a couple of handfuls of shredded coconut with the sultanas instead.
- Note about honey: I buy raw, unheated honey in 2 litre bottles from local beekeepers - it's cheaper than buying honey in little containers from the grocery store, it doesn't have added glucose (which a lot of so called 'pure' honey has), it's unheated so there's more goodness in it, and it supports locals!
Quirky Cooking https://quirkycooking.com.au/
Coconut Cream Topping
For the topping, you’ll need a cold tin of coconut cream – I keep a tin in my fridge for times like this. When it gets cold, the cream rises to the top and thickens, just like thick dairy cream.
Coconut Cream Topping
2014-07-06 00:12:45
Ingredients
- 200g thick coconut cream (organic)
- 2 tsps fresh lemon juice (to make it tangy - optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or good quality vanilla extract)
- 60g raw honey (or to taste)
Instructions
- In the Thermomix bowl, stir together the topping ingredients on speed 3 until just combined
- Pour into a dish and refrigerate to thicken again.
- When the cakes are cool, top with coconut cream and sprinkle with some extra chopped walnuts or shredded coconut.
- Store finished cakes in the fridge.
Quirky Cooking https://quirkycooking.com.au/
Hi Jo – I love the idea of this cake – how quick, easy & nutritious it is. Do you have an egg free version of it?
Thanks
Sabine
Hi Jo, is it possible to use almond meal in place of gluten free flour? And is it possible to halve the ingredients to make only one cake?
This recipe sounds fabulous, so glad I happened to stumble across it 🙂
Just wondering…….with the sweetness from the carrots and the pineapple, do you need to use that much honey still? Do you think it’s possible to omit the honey…..or would you need to replace it with something else?
Thanks again for all your inspiration…..I have only had my Thermomix for 2 weeks today and am loving trying all new ‘healthy’ alternatives 🙂
Cheers!
Sure, the honey is to taste, leave it out if you prefer to.
These sound yummo, just wondering if you have frozen once iced?? (Would be making cupcake size)
It should be fine to freeze with icing!
Can this be made egg free to make it vegan friendly?
No, sorry because there are 4 eggs its too many to replace 🙁
Hi Jo, what about flax eggs? Or for those who are not vegan even halving the eggs? Using 2 of each?
I’m not sure how that would go as the eggs are for rising as well as binding – but see how you go. Maybe half and half.
Could I use tin pineapple instead of fresh?
Yes just strain it really well.
Hi Jo,
Can you use just normal flour if we have no intolerance?
if you were to the liquid quantities would change, so you may have to play around a little depending on the flour..
Hi Jo i just made these and they were absolutely amazing. I did replace the gluten free flour with a mix of wholemeal and white spelt flour and it was just a straight swap didnt have to ammend any of the other ingredients and they were perfect. I also used goji berries instead of the sultanas and they gave it a nice bitter taste amongst the sweetness.
Thanks so much for this recipe
I made these yummy cakes as cupcakes using your flour mix & only 160g honey, light olive oil as I didn’t have macadamia oil & drained tinned pineapple as that’s all I had.
Thank you Jo, they are amazing! Couldn’t tell they were gf at all & the yummy “icing” was just perfect. Froze some for a treat.
Absolutely yummy! Thank you. I used a mix of spelt and red rice flour for the gluten free flour, coconut oil (instead of macadamia oil) and date sugar (instead of honey). The cake was beautifully light. Thank you for this delightful cake.
hi Jo, Can I omit the raisins?
Yes that should work fine.
Hi, Can I use wholemeal spelt flour instead of gluten free flour? Do I have to amend quantity?
Many thanks ?
Swap them 1:1, haven’t tried but it should work 🙂
Hi there, I’m interested in a healthy steamed cake/cupcake and was wondering if this could go into mounds in the Varoma? Any suggestion or alternative recipe for the Varoma.
You might be able to put the batter into silicone cupcake/muffin cups and steam in varoma, but I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how it’ll go.
Hi Jo, this looks incredible! Can I make it without pineapple? Is there a replacement that I can include?
Thanks!
First time making this and unfortunately my cupcakes were taken out too early ( 40 minute mark) and have sunken. To prevent this happening again, would you recommend fan forced or just conventional at 165? Obviously i needed to leave them for closer to 45-50 mins. Bummer. Will try this recipe again next time though as i love carrot cake!
Hi,
Great recipe! Is this for the Thermomix TM5 model?
Thanks
Hi Jo,
Just wondering…re oven temps in all of your baking…is this fan forced or conventional ? Have just happenstanced on your site….made your Butter Chicken with cauli rice last night (first time using the Varoma..have only had my Thermie a week or so)…it was purrrrfect…I am in LOVE with your site…thank you so much for all of these fantastic recipes…am having a Thermie party on Sat and one of my guests is gluten intolerant …so many wonderful recipes here…thanks again Jo 😀
Hi Pat! 🙂 Thanks for your lovely comments! So glad you are enjoying our recipes. Our recipes are developed and tested in fan-forced ovens but also keep in mind that ovens can really vary in temp so check as you go. xx
Thank you Jo, for all your wonderful recipes! You’re a real gem! ????
You are very welcome:-). Thank you.
Hi Jo, Can I make this recipe in the TM31
Sure can!
Hi Jo,
My friend makes these and they are soooo good but I don’t have a Thermomix, is there another way I could achieve the absolute perfection that these are without one?
So happy you loved this recipe! You can use a food processor, it will work well.
Can I use regular low fodmap flour instead of gluten free? In my experience gluten free is more absorbent and needs more liquid , does that man normal flour I need to add more or can be the same ratio substitution? thanks . Also one cake is that 25 cm tin? I am not sure if i need to half the recipe
I’ve never tried it so you might just have to see how you go! But it should be fine! Half the recipe would be one 25cm cake tin so if you’re only wanting one cake, just halve everything!
Can you make this without the pineapple? Looks great!
Yes for sure, you can leave out the pineapple!