Vegan gluten free and amazing

Recently I have had lots of requests for a healthy cake. So hands up who likes carrot cake? Hands up who likes banana bread? And hands up who likes fruit cake? Well you are in luck as what I have created here is an amalgamation of all of three!

I often cook this cake for the yoga retreats where they generally tend to be vegan, gluten and refined sugar free and it always goes down a storm. You feel like you are eating a delicious treat but with the benefit of knowing that it is free of refined or processed ingredients. So as a guilt free cake…this is totally it! Here, take a look….

By pre soaking the fruit (sultanas and apricots) in a spiced tea they plump up and retain all the juiciness that runs through the cake.

For a special treat I often serve with whipped coconut cream, ripe pineapple and passion fruit.

Or you can bake in individual loaves…

Ingredients

2 flax eggs made with 2 tablespoons of flax/linseeds with 2 tablespoons of boiled water (or you can replace with two free range eggs)

100g sultanas

60g dried apricots

1 chai teabag (or a regular teabag)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon mixed spice

¼ fresh nutmeg finely grated

50ml light olive oil

50ml coconut oil

100 soft brown unrefined sugar

Zest of ½ large orange

100g buckwheat flour (or spelt flour or plain flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

125g carrots grated (2 small)

2 ripe bananas (one mashed and the other one sliced into 3 long lengthways strips)

70g walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan. Lightly oil and one 20cm cake tin with baking parchment.
2. Put the sultanas and apricots into a bowl and cover with 1 small cup of boiled water and add a teabag (chai tea or a herbal tea is best, if not a regular teabag is fine). Leave to soak for an hour or overnight.
3. Next make your flax egg by also adding 2 tablespoons of boiled water to 2 tablespoons of flax seeds into a cup and leave soften for around 20 mins (or longer) until they go gluey and egg like.
4. Meanwhile, whisk the oils, sugar and orange zest in a bowl until to sugar looks dissolved and the mix looks slightly creamy. Now stir the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, spice and nutmeg with a little pinch of salt into the mixing bowl.
5. Drain the tea from the sultanas and squeeze through your fingers until most of the liquid has gone, then add to the cake mixture.
6. Fold in the grated carrots, one mashed banana and the nuts – mix gently to combine, and then pour into the cake tin.
7. Arrange 3 banana slices on the top of the cake in rows.
8. Bake for 40 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Check the cake 1/3 of the way through the cooking time and if the banana looks like it is browning too much then place a piece of foil loosely over the cake and continue to bake. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.
9. This cake tastes even better the next day and keeps well for up to 4 days in a cake tin (it freezes beautifully too).