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Carrot Cake with Watercress & Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe by www . watercress . co . uk
Vegan and Gluten Free
Serves : 8 Prep time : 30 minutes Cook time : 40 minutes
Ingredients
For the cake
• 3 tsp baking soda
• 3 tbsp white vinegar
• 80ml rapeseed oil plus a little extra to grease cake tins
• 60ml golden syrup
• 235g apple sauce ( preferably unsweetened )
• 200ml non-dairy milk ( we used soy milk )
• 100g dark brown soft sugar
• 50g caster sugar
• 160g grated carrot
• Pinch of salt
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 170g ground almonds
• 150g gluten free flour ( we used Dove ’ s )
• 30g chopped walnuts
• 30g raisins
For the icing
• 100g vegan butter ( we used Naturli , a hard block which is better for this than a spreadable tub )
• 1 tub vegan cream cheese
• 500g icing sugar , sieved
• 30g watercress , finely chopped
To decorate ( optional )
• Edible flowers
• Chopped nuts
Method
1 . Pre-heat the oven to 180 ° C . Prepare three 15cm loose based cake tins by brushing the insides with rapeseed oil and placing a circle of greaseproof paper in the bottom of each .
2 . In a large bowl , whisk together the baking soda and vinegar , then add in the rapeseed oil , apple sauce , oat milk , sugars and golden syrup . Mix together . Add in the grated carrot and stir thoroughly .
3 . In a separate bowl sieve together the salt , baking soda , baking powder , cinnamon , ground almonds and gluten free flour . Fold the dry ingredients into the wet , ensuring they are fully incorporated , then add in the chopped walnuts and raisins and stir through .
4 . Divide the mix equally between the three cake tins . Bake for 40 minutes before inserting a skewer or knife into the centre of each cake . If the skewer comes out clean then the cakes are baked , otherwise return to the oven and check again after five more minutes . Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing carefully from cake tins . Once removed , allow the cakes to cool completely before icing .
5 . To make the icing , take the cream cheese out of the fridge one hour before using so that it is slightly softer and ensure your vegan butter is soft too . Use an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment to beat the butter until smooth . Then add in the cream cheese and beat on a low speed until fully combined . You
may need to stop the machine and scrape down the sides before beating again to ensure everything is fully mixed . Be careful not to beat on too high a speed as the mixture may split . Add in the icing sugar then beat on a medium speed until combined fully before stirring through the chopped watercress .
6 . Once your cakes are cooled completely , use the icing to cover each layer before stacking , finishing with a thick layer of icing on top . Add fresh edible flowers and / or chopped nuts to decorate .
Beetroot Mary Recipe by www . dimasvodka . com
Ingredients
• 50ml Dima ’ s Vodka
• 3 dashes worcestershire sauce
• 3 dashes tabasco ( adjust for extra spice )
• 1 / 2 tsp of horseradish
• 5-10ml pickle brine
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of pepper
• 20ml beetroot juice
• Top with tomato juice
Method
1 . Build all in a highball glass , garnish with a sprig of dill and a slice of pickle .
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