Get Festive With A Decadent Nutty Carrot Cake from Franke

This beautiful nutty carrot cake boasts cashew-lemon cream, pecan-rice caramel crunch and fresh thyme. It’s a decadent dessert for the season! 

Everything about this dessert screams scrumptious decadence and we can’t wait to try it for ourselves. If you’re looking for a last minute recipe for the festive season, this this one will certainly impress!

Here’s what you need:

CAKE:

3 Tbsp milled flaxseed
110 ml lukewarm water
680 g grated carrots
200 g pecans
150 g almonds, peeled
220 g rolled oats, gluten-free and ground OR gluten-free flour of your choice (e.g. spelt flour)
150 g ground almonds, peeled
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Himalayan or sea salt
1 tsp vanilla paste (or 1 scraped-out vanilla pod)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch cardamom
200 ml maple syrup
60 ml coconut oil, melted
100 g coconut yoghurt, unsweetened
100 ml lemon juice, fresh
+ grated zest of 1 1/2 lemons
6 g ginger, freshly grated

CASHEW CREAM:
200 g cashews, soaked overnight
150 ml coconut milk
3/4 lemon, juice and peel
3 Tbsp (approx. 90 g) rice syrup (or honey)
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

CRUNCH:
120 g coconut blossom sugar
2–3 Tbsp water
50 g whole rice puffs
100 g pecans, roasted
1 bunch thyme, fresh
3–4 Tbsp coconut milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

Recipe – Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C on convection mode. Mix the flaxseed with the water, stir well, leave for 10 minutes. Place the cashews for the cream in a bowl, cover with water and soak for at least 2 hours. Roast the 300 g pecans and 150 g peeled almonds in the preheated oven for 10 minutes until golden brown, remove and leave to cool.
2. Peel and finely grate the carrots into a large bowl. Chop 200 g pecans and 150 g almonds into small pieces and add to bowl. Finely grind the rolled oats and the remaining almonds in a blender. Mix with the baking powder and cardamom and add to the large bowl.
3. Mix the maple syrup with the freshly grated ginger, add to the large bowl and then mix everything well until uniform. Line a baking tin (20 x 20 cm or Ø 24 cm) with baking paper, fill with cake mixture, smooth (approx. 4 cm high) and bake for 80–85 minutes. Open oven slightly and allow to cool for 30 minutes, then take cake out and leave to cool down completely.
4. Thoroughly rinse the soaked cashews in a sieve, place in a powerful blender, add the remaining ingredients for the cream and mix for 5–6 minutes at high speed until really smooth and creamy. Pour into a bowl and place in fridge until slightly firmer.
5. For the crunch, heat the coconut blossom sugar with the water in a frying pan; allow to caramelise slightly. Add the rice puffs, the remaining 100 g of finely chopped pecans, cinnamon and about 1 Tbsp of plucked thyme leaves; add 2 Tbsp of coconut milk and stir well on medium heat until the mixture is caramel-like and sticks together. Remove from heat, add another 1 Tbsp of coconut milk if needed, spread out on baking paper, wrap in it and leave to cool in the freezer until set.
6. Cut the cooled cake into two even layers (cut off edges if necessary) and spread the lower half with some of the cold cashew cream. Sprinkle with half of the now-firm crunch, place the upper half of the cake on top, spread the cashew cream on all sides, garnish with thyme leaves and the rest of the crunch. Delightfully fresh if refrigerated for two hours before serving; otherwise – enjoy immediately.

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