Flourless carrot, almond & coconut cake with chocolate

It was snowing in England today. We don’t normally get much snow in the South of England, at least we haven’t had for the past 5 years. That’s why it was such a novelty and so much fun for the children. We were all quite excited really, children and adults alike and when the kids came back from school we went sledging and we build a snowman in the nearby park. Afterwards we came home to a fabulous rich cake which I baked this morning; I had it with my beloved cup of tea. After 19 years in the UK I have become a tea addict, therefore not just a coffee addict! I am hooked on tea.. English tea is very good and it has a soothing effect. If you ever visit England you must try it.

To make this cake I used up all the carrots I had in the fridge and I added coconut flakes and almond meal. A cake with no flour therefore gluten free and with a topping of rich and dark chocolate. Yes it was divine and quite filling too.

This is a delicate cake, so be gentle when you remove it from the mold. The eggs will help to bind the ingredients together.

• Prep Time : 15 minutes
• Cook Time : 40 minutes
• Yield : 8

Ingredients

• carrots – 300 g – 2 cups
• almond meal – 150 g – 1 + 1/4 cup
• baking powder – 2 tsp
• desiccated coconut flakes – 150 g + extra to decorate – 1 + 2/3 cup
• brown sugar – 150 g – 3/4 cup
• eggs – 3
• chocolate (milk of dark) – 200 g – 1 + 1/8 cup

Instructions

In a processor finely grate the carrots. Put them in a bowl and add the eggs, the coconut and almond meal, the sugar, the baking powder and mix well. If the consistency feels a little dry just add a bit milk to the mixture.

Line the bottom of a round spring form baking tin measuring approx 22 cm or 8 inch with parchment paper and grease the sides with a little oil or butter. Pour the mixture into the mold, level it well and bake at 160C or 320F  for approximately 40 minutes until nice and golden on top. Leave it in for longer if it is still very wet inside.

Let the cake cool down. Melt the chocolate over a saucepan of simmering water.

Pour the melted chocolate onto the cake and with a spatula level it well. Sprinkle with coconut flakes and let the chocolate settle before slicing it.