I get home from the store, with my re-usable bags overflowing with watercress and cascades of kale. I wrestle my bike through the door and Mac helps me unload the bags. And then, I realize - I forgot the pears! I had soaked and sprouted the pecans, sun seeds and hemp seeds for the pear tartlettes. I was all ready to make a cheesecake filling, a cacao drizzle, a berry reduction. But without the pears, it would've been a plain old cheesecake. Delicious, but not new, and the night was supposed to be all about new recipes. I didn't want to go back out into the cold. So I looked around, and... CARROTS! Let's make a carrot cake. :)
Cake:
Ingredients:
1/2 c. pecans, soaked
1/2 c. sunflower seeds, soaked and sprouted
1/2 c. hemp seeds, soaked and sprouted
3 1/2 c. chopped carrots (roughly 5 carrots)
1 t. sea salt
1 t. coriander
1 t. nutmeg
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 - 2 g. raw stevia powder
2 T. maple syrup
1 1/2 c. raw, dried, flaked coconut
1/2 c. dried cranberries
Directions:
Put all ingredients except for coconut and cranberries into food processor and process until it is a uniform batter. Transfer into a bowl and add in coconut and cranberries, mixing by hand. Spread onto a teflex sheet into a 1/2" tall loaf, then separate into little cakes using a 4" round cutter. It should make 11 full rounds with a little left over. Dehydrate at 104 degrees for 2 hours, flip onto screens and dehydrate for another 2-3 hours.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 c. cashews
1/2 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. water
1/2 t. nutmeg
pinch of salt
Combine all the ingredients in a high speed blender. (If you don't have a high speed blender, make sure that the cashews are well-soaked and try it in a regular blender.)
Assembly:
You can put a dab of frosting in the middle of a dessert plate to keep the cake from sliding around. Put one cake over the dab of frosting, spread a nice thick layer of frosting over the cake, top with a second cake, another thick layer of frosting. Garnish with fresh grated carrot and berries, mint leaves, whatever you have around. I used dried mulberries, which were delicious and gave an extra little burst of superfood goodness.