Paleo Coconut and Carrot Cake

In my GCSE year, I studied food technology where by myself and my class mates would find our favourite recipes to cook, explore food, and learn about the science behind it. My friend Emily decided, for her final cooking practical, that she would make a carrot and coconut cake; and oh my was it scrummy! She later gave me the recipe and I made it a few times since, sharing it with another few who asked.  Seven years later, and I have (annoyingly) misplaced the well-used scrap of paper that read the recipe to Emily's carrot and coconut cake (DANG)!!  So... using my foggy memory, my interest in paleo food and a little research into Paleo baking, I have attempted to recreate this little gem; I substituted flour for coconut flour, sugar for honey, and butter for coconut oil. PALEO here we come!
The coconut ingredients in the cake keep the whole thing completely moist, while the raisins and the walnuts give it a little bit of texture.

I think I have succeeded in recreating it? ....... Well you can judge that after making it yourselves....

For the icing, I used Greek yoghurt and for some Paleo followers, they would argue that this is not part of the diet. You can decide weather you want to add this or not, and by all means make a different icing!! The one I have put here is only a suggestion!!

Ingredients:

Sponge:

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut oil

3 medium carrots, grated

4 eggs, beaten until they are well scrambled

1/4 coconut flour

1/2 desicated coconut

1/4 linseeds

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts

2 tsp cinnamon

1 heaped tsp baking powder

Icing: (optional)

2 tbsp fat free greek yoghurt

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp ground almonds

1 tsp cinnamon

Toasted coconut flakes

Directions:

Set oven to 180 degrees. Line a medium sized tin loaf with baking parchment, and grease to make sure nothing sticks.

Wash, peel and grate your carrots. Set aside.

In a bowl, melt coconut oil so it is liquid, and beat well with the honey.

Add your beaten eggs, and sift in your coconut flour over the top (this is to make sure there are no lumps!). 

Beat well.  You will be able to see the coconut flour expand and thicken the batter. Make sure there are no lumps!  Add your grated carrot, your linseeds, raisins, chopped walnuts, desiccated coconut and baking powder. Beat well until all the ingredients are mixed well.

Tip mixture into your prepared cake tin and set in the oven. 

Bake for about 50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.  Equally you can make the mixture into muffins, but keep in mind it will probably take a shorter time to bake!

Once cooked, take it out and set it onto a wire rack to cool. 

The Icing is optional, but I think it adds something a little extra to the flavour... plus it looks pretty too! To make the icing, measure out all of your ingredients into a bowl.

Beat well. It should look something like this....

In a small frying pan, tip out a large handful of coconut flakes and put them into the pan dry. On a low heat, toast the flakes until golden brown. Keep your eye on them, they will start to brown very quickly! 

Once the cake has cooled, spread over your icing evenly and sprinkle on your toasted coconut flakes.

Serve and Enjoy.....

 

Peanut butter Chicken

This is a recipe I came up with after having made my first batch of home-made peanut butter.... 

(Follow the link for the recipe here: loubieloup.blogspot.com/homemadepeanutbutter )  

I was so addicted (actually.... correction, I am still very addicted to it), and I consequently got carried away adding it to a main meal sauce. Holy smokes was it delicious I have made it three times since then! If you want something bursting full of flavour, easy to make yet super impressive- give this a go!! It makes great left overs to add into salads, wraps or cous cous for lunch too!! I promise you wont be disappointed...

Ingredients:

800g (approximately) chicken breasts, cubed

4 heaped tablespoons of chunky peanut butter

Chicken stock cube

1 cup boiling water

1 tbsp tumeric

5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 tsp chilli flakes (or use a small fresh chilli if you have them lying around!)

1/4 cup coconut flakes

2 large leeks

1 red bell pepper

coconut oil (or oil of choice) for frying

I used spinach to serve, however those who want filling up a bit more go for rice/ sweet potato, whatever you like!!

Directions:

In a large bowl, add your peanut butter, your stock cube, garlic, chilli, tumeric and coconut flakes. Pour over about a cup of boiling water mashing (the peanut butter and stock cube) and mixing the ingredients together to get a yellow chunky peanut like sauce. Add your chicken, cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge while you do your other prep. 

This step could also be done in the morning and left to marinade all day, ready for you to fry up for dinner!

Chop your leeks and bell peppers up into your desired shapes. In a large frying pan, add your coconut oil and fry your vegetables on a low heat. 

After they begin to soften, add in your bowl of marinated chicken and leave to simmer, stirring every 5 minutes or so to make sure the chicken is cooked evenly. 

Once cooked though, serve immediately! Season if desired, however there is a lot of salt from the stock cube!

As mentioned before, I served mine on a bed of spinach with sweet potato fries (recipe to come!) but equally this curried flavour would go well with rice, noodles, sweet potato or even wacked in a wrap! Yum yum yum.....