I sometimes eat cake. And on special occasions, I’ll serve a glorious moist carrot cake for dessert and enjoy a leftover slice with a mug of steaming herbal tea.

The carrot, ginger and coconut cake could be made as a celebration birthday cake:

• double the recipe

• frost it as a semi-naked layer cake with 3 or 4 layers and sandwich with plant cream or coyo icing

• leave off frosting and sandwich 3 or 4 layers with plant cream or coyo frosting, adding walnuts or hazelnuts with a little grated carrot on top

Cakes are for special occasions, a time when I sometimes waver the “no sugar” rule for unrefined sugar. Scientific research proves all sugar, regardless of its “exotic” name, is sugar and it’s a myth that one is healthier than the other. If you choose to use sugar, realise the ‘natural’ and wholesome-sounding language used for sugars are still added sugars, the packaging is just more exotic.

Health benefits:

·       Carrots are crunchy, tasty, and highly nutritious. They’re a particularly good source of beta carotene, fibre, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants.

·       They're a weight-loss-friendly food and have been linked to lower cholesterol levels and improved eye health.

CARROT, GINGER & COCONUT CAKE

PB, V, DF, GF option

Makes 1 cake, double mixture for a layer cake

1 cup (116 g) carrots, finely grated

1 orange juiced

¼ cup (62 ml.) grapeseed oil

2 cups (240 g) white spelt flour or GF flour

1 tsp (3 g) baking soda

2 tbsp (20 g) flaxseed meal

1 tsp (3 g) cinnamon

¾ cup (165 g) unrefined sugar

½ tsp (2.5 g) of sea salt

1 cup (250 ml.) plant milk

2 tbsp (30 g) apple cider vinegar

4 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated

1 cup walnut pieces

Soak the grated carrot in orange juice. Preheat the oven to 180’C. Wet the baking paper under tap water, squeeze out the excess water and line the base and sides of your cake tin. Add the flour, baking soda, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, unrefined sugar and sea salt into a large bowl and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix into a smooth batter. Spoon the batter into the 23 cm lined springform cake tin and spoon with the back of a spoon. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cake is spongy to touch in the centre and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

COCONUT ICING:

300 ml. Coyo yogurt

1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract

To serve:

handful of walnuts  

Whip the Coyo yogurt using an electric beater until it becomes thick, for about 10 minutes. Once it’s thick and holds its shape, add the vanilla extract, continue whisking until the mixture is quite thick. Spread some icing over the lower cake layer, sandwich with the other cake and then ice the top half. Place walnut halves around the edge of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for a least 15 minutes before slicing so the cake can hold its shape when cutting.