Sweetly Spiced Carrot Cake with Walnut Crust

Sweetly Spiced Carrot Cake Bites with Walnut Crust

I’m a lover of carrot cake, the sweet spices and the yummy cream frosting on top, if I stop into a bakery or if I’m dining out it’s always the slice I order. Lately though I hadn’t had one and I certainly never tried a raw version, which to me sounds even more appealing – the thought of eating a slice of carrot cake, with raw nuts and oats and have it be totally healthy and delicious wins me over all the time. My inspiration for the cake was from a friend who posted the raw  treat by The Sweet Life on her Pinterest. It looked incredibly delicious with it’s layer of carrot and cream topping. I had no idea what the recipe was since I hadn’t looked at but I decided the next day to try my version. I wanted this cake to have a crust! I used sunflower the first time I made this and walnuts the second time, they're both great but I prefer walnuts.  For the filling I added a lot of sweet spices and kept the creamy cashew topping simple. This cake is incredibly fresh and has a lot of texture.

Notes: I've made this twice with walnuts and sunflower crust. if you prefer one over the other try it - they both work nicely. I also cut these into small pieces so they are bit size rather than cake size

Crust

1 1/2 cup raw unsalted walnuts - or sunflower seeds at 1 cup

6 dates chopped

2 tbsp agave +1 tsp

¼ tsp cinnamon

1. Add walnuts to food processor along with cinnamon,  pinch of sea salt and blend until crumbly, then add the dates and pulse until combined, add the agave and pulse some more. The texture should hold together when pressing.

2. Add mixture in one even layer using a parchment lined 8x8 inch pan. Put in freezer to set. Using parchment paper helps to lift out the entire cake when ready to cut – nice and easy.

Carrot Filling

2 ½ cups shredded carrot

1 ¼ cup raw rolled oats – not instant

1/8 tsp cardamom

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

¼  tsp powdered ginger

4 tbsp raw agave

1/8 tsp sea salt

6 deglet or medjool dates pitted and chopped - optional

Instruction

1. Add oats, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg to food processor and pulse until combined.

2. Add the carrot in 3 batches and pulse each time until just combined.

3. Transfer to a bowl and add the agave and mix well. – mixture should hold together when pressed between fingers

4. spread evenly on the walnut crust and place back in the freezer

Coconut Cashew Cream

½  cup coconut milk – not the canned kind but the beverage instead

¾ cup raw cashews

3 tbsp raw agave

1 ½ tsp vanilla

1 tbsp + 1tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp shredded coconut - optional

Instruction

1. Add the ingredients in the order listed to a high powered blender until very creamy.

2. Add the cashew cream on top of the carrot layer and chill back in the freezer for 30 minutes.

3. Best to cut this after removing from freezer. You can lift the whole cake out of the pan by grabbing onto the parchment paper. Lay it on top of chopping board and cut into small squares. I like 1 -1 1/2 inches for small bites – about 25 pieces.

Cake should stay fresh for 3 days in the refrigerator