Happy weekend, guys! Hope you have some good things planned? We are having our guest bedroom floor sanded on Saturday, whoop whoop. From 8 am in the morning though so that’s less cool, but we are very excited as it means that we will soon have at least one room that’s completely renovated and we will be able to assemble our bed and no longer have to sleep on the floor. Exciting! We will move into the guest bedroom for the time being until we have the energy and money (let’s be real) to renovate the main bedroom.
At the beginning of a new project, I tend to get really enthusiastic and ‘burn bright’, as Duncan lovingly puts it (what he really means is that I am being annoying 😛 ) and this house malarkey was no different. I definitely had an unrealistic expectation as to how quickly we will be able to put our own stamp on this place. In practice, everything is taking ages and with the roof needing an essential and expensive (I’m still mourning this) repair, I am learning to appreciate what every long-time house owner has said to me over the years – taking care of a house is a lifelong project. So there won’t be new kitchen (or the kitchen extension that I was dreaming of) happening any time soon and I am okay with that. In fact, I am exploring how to turn the existing kitchen (which is perfectly functional) into something I actually like and I have lots of ideas already. It will certainly be more cost-effective, satisfying and environmentally friendly so I am down with all of that. Although our weekend looks to be fairly uneventful, I’ve baked a cake to celebrate two days off work. Duncan has been working really hard lately so we will probably just sleep in, chill, assemble a bed and go for a run. This is a carrot cake, but with a difference. It’s a deliciously moist and fragrant with spices carrot cake, yet it is oil-free and contains no refined sugar either, which I know that some of you will appreciate. I tested it last weekend on our friends, Melanie and Josh, and while it was a touch dry then (the temperature indicators on my oven have worn out) and the coconut frosting I attempted was not as smooth and creamy as I was hoping – they put brave faces on and hoovered it up. Now that I finally bit the bullet and put new temperature stickers on my oven (Melanie empowered me with a great tip to wet the surface before applying the sticker so that you can re-position it easily), I did another test and this time the cake was a success – moist, with a good crumb, fragrant with cinnamon and cardamon and topped with a thick and creamy cashew frosting. It’s easy to make and a crowd pleaser so I do hope you’ll make and enjoy it too! x
180 ml / ¾ cup maple syrup or other liquid sweetener 80 ml / 1/3 cup smooth almond butter 105 ml / ¼ cup + 3 tbsp apple sauce 240 g / ½ lb carrots, coarsely grated
DRY INGREDIENTS
210 g / 1¾ cup all purpose flour or GF all purpose flour mix (I use this one) ¾ tsp baking soda 1¼ tsp baking powder 1½ tsp cinnamon + 1/3 tsp cardamom (5 pods) OR 2 tsp cinnamon pinch of salt
CASHEW FROSTING (makes 1½ cups)
30-45 ml / 2-3 tbsp coconut milk (I use this brand) or thin plant milk 4 tbsp maple syrup, adjust to taste 3 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp vanilla extract 195 g / 1½ cups raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes chopped nuts, for decoration
