Easy Raw Carrot Cake & Coconut Icing

One thing that I cannot go past in a raw café is raw carrot cake… or raw banoffee pie for that matter! It has been on my list to try for quite a while now, and I can finally say I have made it!! First trial was not as mouth watering as the café raw carrot cake, but after getting a good baseline I have a few ideas of how to make it that little bit more mouth watering next time ;) but this is still a great recipe to try and one of the simpler raw carrot cake recipes I have found :)

Raw Carrot Cake

3 large carrots, peeled and grated
2 cups of walnuts (I mixed walnuts and cashews)
2 cups desiccated coconut
½ cup currants
4 fresh medjool dates pitted and coarsely chopped
¼ cup maple syrup (organic is best or you could use honey here)
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Rind of 1 lemon
Rind of 1 orange

Method
Combine walnuts, coconut, cinnamon, ginger in a bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles a fine crumb, set this aside.

Combine the grated carrots, dates and maple syrup in a bowl of the food processor and pulse until well blended. You may need to scrape down the sides a few times.

Stir in the carrot mixture with the spice mixture, fold in the lemon and orange rind and the currants.

Line a 30cm loaf pan with baking paper and pour the cake mixture into the pan pressing it down firmly. Smooth the top with a spoon and refrigerate for about 30min.

Coconut Icing

1 ½ cups fresh coconut
½ cup raw cashews
1/4/ cup coconut water from a fresh coconut
1 large lemon juiced and rind grated
1 Tbsp maple syrup

Combine the coconut, cashews in the food processor and process until coconut is chopped and nuts are ground. Add the coconut milk or water and maple syrup and pulse for a few seconds. Add the lemon juice and rind and pulse until smooth.

Invert the cake onto a large platter and remove the baking paper. Spread the icing over the top and chill until the icing hardens. Keep in the refrigerator for freshness!

My cheat icing with no fresh coconut!
I didn't have all the ingredients for the original icing so made my own with a lack of a fresh coconut, it wouldn't be as tasty but still worth it :)
1 cup cashews
1 cup desiccated coconut
Juice of 1-2 lemons plus the rind
1tsp vanilla essence

Process the ingredients until smooth and spread on top of the chilled cake.

This is perfect with a cup of tea, especially my favourite chai :)

 xox