Raw Chocolate Carrot Cake

I've been dying to try some chocolate carrot cake after seeing a few recipes floating around the web last year. And also wondering how is it that Carrots and Chocolate have never been introduced to each other in my kitchen before? Well, this week I finally got down to it (yes, it took me whole year to get to this!) I headed into the kitchen to make a warm, fresh baked carrot cake and then somehow ended up with a raw chocolate carrot cake version instead -- because, you know me and raw cakes!  I did squeeze a baked version in too (coming soon)... but the no-bake version was quite lovely, so I thought I'd start by sharing this one with you... you know, get the weird recipe out of the way first ;)

So where to start... well, let's just say you have no reason to take the next year to make this because it's extremely simple to make. Process the filling (just have patience and keep pausing and scraping down those sides as needed), squish it into a springform pan, and freeze to let it set. Then frost and chill. And DEVOUR. No dairy, no gluten, eggs, refined sugar, and also no oils, coconut, or nuts... Done!

Here's the caveat: The recipe does use gluten-free oats. So for you Aussies and anyone oat-sensitive, you may want to check out this raw carrot cake recipe instead (try adapting it by adding cacao) -- and stay tuned for the baked version in the next day or two ;)

Now, I do have one tiny little mishap to confess. Notice anything strange about the slice above? Like how big and tall it is... and how it's MISSING the filing? Ok maybe most people wouldn't notice, but in my hasty, spontaneous chocolate-making glee, I sort of mixed up two ideas in my head. One was making this cake a two layer 6" beauty, the other was making an elegant, single layer 9" piece. Somehow I ended up with a 6" but with only one layer! It only dawned on me that I forgot to cut the cake in half before frosting when I noticed I had aaaall this extra frosting left over, which was intended to be the filling. Eeek!

So, I ended up cutting my slices in half and spreading extra filling on top. No biggie and still very delicious. But yeah, don't do that. My advice is to just make it a 9" or 8" flatter springform cake -- less hassles in the slicing and filling department ;) -- that's what I'm doing next.

Raw Chocolate Carrot Cake

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★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 6" or 9" cake
• Category: Cake
• Method: Raw
• Cuisine: Dessert

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Description

A gluten-free, vegan raw chocolate carrot cake recipe made with an oat flour base.

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Ingredients

Base:

• 6 raw carrots
• 4 cups gluten-free quick oats
• 10 soft medjool dates, pitted
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp apricot jam (I used St. Dalfour's fruit-sweetened jam. Or can use this homemade raw version)
• 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ¾ cup cacao powder

Frosting:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 12 soft medjool dates, pitted
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup water
• ⅓ - ½ cup cacao powder (to taste)
• ½ cup gluten-free quick oats, ground into a flour first (or for a smoother frosting use sweet sticky rice flour instead)

Optional toppings:

• dried edible rose petals and buds

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Instructions

1. Line a tall 6" springform pan or a 9" springform pan with plastic wrap along the base and walls. Set aside.
2. Process carrots into a fine mince in a food processor. Add in all remaining base ingredients and process to thoroughly combine. Pause and scrape down sides as needed. Transfer this mixture into the springform pan. Press it down evenly and firmly all around. Then cover with a piece of parchment paper and press down with a flat-bottomed object to flatten and compress the mixture evenly. Remove the parchment, and smooth out any uneven areas with a spoon. Place the cake base into the freezer for about 4-5 hours.
3. Prepare frosting once the cake is chilled. Blend all frosting ingredients, except cacao and oats, together in a high power blender (use that Vitamix tamper if you have one, or pause and scrape down sides as needed). Add the cacao and oats and blend once again into as smooth a mixture as possible.
4. Remove cake out of the freezer and out of the plastic wrap. Optional: if making a layer cake, carefully slice the cake in half at this point (or thaw it out a little first for easier slicing). Frost the cake and place back in the freezer to chill and set for about 20 minutes. Keep cake frozen and thaw out for about 20-30 minutes prior to serving. Enjoy!