Elixir Eats: No Bake Baobab Carrot Cake + Cashew Cream.

Easter is springing up early on us this year, so we thought we would share our first Easter recipe with you in preparation for the weekend.

Easter bunny... means bunnies... which means carrots, which means CARROT CAKE! No wonder rabbits have such strong teeth, they chow down on lots and lots of carrots, which are packed with Vitamin A and beta-carotene. Vitamin A contributes to healthy bone and teeth growth, as well as maintaining youthful hydrated skin and healthy eyes. Carrots are also full of fibre which is great for gut health and helps to reduce inflammation. All orange coloured fruits and vegetables are especially high in Vitamin A, think sweet potato, squash, mango, orange and yellow peppers.

Of course, what is a raw dessert without a little added superfood goodness?

Benefits of Baobab

• Tastes zingy and citrusy

• Energy boosting

• Contains twice as much calcium as milk

• Bursting with skin renewing Vitamin C which stimulates collagen production

• Vitamin C is also and antioxidant, which protects us from free radical damage

• Rich in minerals such as magnesium, iron and zinc

• Strong immunity, 10x more Vitamin C than oranges

• Baobab is packed full of natural digestive enzymes which aids digestion and nutrient absorption

• Contains B1 and B6 which contribute to energy production

This is a seriously gooey and sticky raw carrot cake, crammed with dates, ground almonds, coconut and deliciously sweet, crunchy raw carrots. This treat is completely gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free treat with no baking required!

This recipe is perfect to whip up in advance and pop in the freezer ready for when you need it, if you can make it last that long! You can put this mixture into cupcake cases, a cake tin or baking dish, depending on how you would like to serve it. If you love big slices of cake, use a round cake tin. We decided to go for slabs, using a rectangular baking dish.

Ingredients

CARROT CAKE

250g carrots - roughly 6 small carrots, peeled and chopped

250g ground almonds

500g medjool dates - approx 25

2 cups jumbo oats

1 cup desiccated coconut

2 tbsp mixed spice - coriander, cassia, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, caraway

1 tbsp cinnamon

pinch himalayan salt

2 tbsp baobab powder

1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated

SPRINKLE

whole and crushed walnuts

pumpkin seeds

desiccated coconut

rose petals (because we're fancy)

BAOBAB CASHEW CREAM

250g cashews - soaked, drained and rinsed

4 tbsp coconut oil - melted

juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp baobab powder

1/2 cup brown rice syrup

5 tbsp filtered water or nut milk

makes 1 large raw carrot cake

Prep

You will need a good food processor and high speed blender. You will also need a cake tin or baking dish of choice, lined with greaseproof paper or cling film.

How we did it

1. Put the carrots, salt, spices, ginger and baobab into a food processor and blitz until the carrots are fully shredded, followed by the ground almonds and coconut.

2. Now add the dates. Once they are blended in, transfer the mixture into a bowl. Stir in the oats with a wooden spoon or you can get messy using your hands.

3. Arrange mixture into container of choice, whether it be cupcake cases or a cake tin. Put into the freezer to set.

4. Cashew cream time! Put all of the cashew cream ingredients into a high speed blender, blending away until really smooth.

5. Smother over carrot cake and decorate with your favourite toppings. Keep in the freezer and it will last you for weeks! (Or maybe just easter weekend!)

ENJOY!

ELIXIR TIP: If you want to get more creative with mini carrot cakes, roll the mixture into balls and press into cupcake or muffin cases.

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