Cranberry carrot cake with a healthy twist

Adrian loves a good carrot cake and I know the kids love muffins and breads to munch on during our day trips over the school holidays these next couple of weeks. So, when I bought a bag of carrots for $5 (I had so many carrot recipe ideas - from carrot juices with apple and ginger, to muffins) and then I whipped up this delicious baby! (With the help of Mietta and Zali of course.)

Dani's cranberry carrot cake

I typically use whatever ingredients I have in the pantry and mix dry ingredients with the wet and then experiment as I go along. Our family cooking experiences are always happy and fun – the girls LOVE it - and I’ll recap it here with the important ingredients and instructions so you can recreate it in your own home.

I choose ingredients that pack a powerful punch when it comes to health benefits (not just yummy flavours) and cranberries are one of my faves. Did you know that, in the past 5 years, there have been lots of studies that have identified a number of reasons that help explain the anti-cancer properties of these colourful little berries? The cancer-preventative benefits are now understood to stretch to breast cancer, colon, cancer, lung cancer AND prostate cancer.

Then there’s the carrots. Beta carotene, which is converted into Vitamin A in your liver, is known for a number of great benefits – including better vision, better skin (anti-ageing qualities) and cancer prevention.

We had such a ball sharing this recipe over on Periscope. (Do you have it yet? It is LOTS of fun!) See for yourself - if you have Twitter, then YOU HAVE to join us over on Periscope as we broadcast live.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of grated carrots

1 juice of an orange*

Handful of dried cranberries*

1/2 cup of honey (or you can use raw sugar, rice malt syrup etc...)

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

2 eggs lightly whisked

I love making my own buttermilk (yoghurt and milk) so I made 1/4 cup

Method

At this point, I mix all the wet ingredients together and let them have a little fun while they absorb each other’s flavours ;-) then I have a separate bowl for the dry ingredients.

1 1/2 cups Wholemeal flour  (you can use whatever flour you prefer eg: gluten free, spelt etc...)

1/2 cup crushed walnuts

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon powder

The girls helped me line a 20cm round tin and we went and had a play while it was cooking for 30-45 minutes.

Toppings

I use a really thick natural Greek yoghurt with some grated orange rind, then sweeten with a little honey and serve beside it, or heat up some orange juice with honey and drizzle on the top. Yum!

I also then store pieces and freeze them for on-the-go snacks!

SO much fun over the weekend - from surfing to bike riding and exploring our amazing new neighbourhood. This was pretty cool – it looks like the kids are running to the edge of the earth!

Life is short. The world is big. It awaits your exploration. If you're not living on the edge, you're just taking up way too much space

 

What about you? What moves you on a Monday? I always love to hear inspiration and motivation from this great community we are part of – talk to me. Have a great week!

XxDani