Protein-free Carrot Cake

This is a protein-free carrot cake, which is perfect for celebrations or the occasional treat. I have adapted the recipe from the UK Guardian’s ‘How to make the perfect carrot cake’, and have test baked it several times.

I use the Nutricia Loprofin Mix and egg replacer, but it should work with the Fate Low Protein All-Purpose Mix, and the Promin Low Protein All Purpose Baking Mix too.

Protein calculations: under UK guidelines, and if you use protein-free egg replacer, cream cheese, and flour, then the only protein we need to count is in the butter. Butter usually has 0.6g protein per 100g, and the recipe below uses 75g of butter. That is 0.45g of protein in the entire cake, so each slice is allowed freely.

Recipe tips:

• I use a food processor with a grating attachment to grate the carrots, and the dough blade to mix the liquids.
• if using unsalted butter, add 1/4 tsp of salt to the flour;
• cake mix can be baked in two equal diameter cake tins, or in one large loaf tin;
• the oil reduces the protein content and helps keep the cake moist, but you could use 150g butter and cut the oil if preferred.

Ingredients

75g butter, melted
75g oil, plus extra for greasing
150g soft light-brown sugar
3 tsp PKU-friendly egg replacer
6 tsp Luke-warm water
200g PKU flour
1 1/2 tsp baking power
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp grated nutmeg
Zest of 1 orange
100g sultanas or raisins. (I have used 60g raisins and 40g crystallised ginger in these photos)
200g carrots, peeled and grated

For the icing:

100g Violife creamy spread (or other PKU-friendly cream cheese spread)
150g icing sugar
Zest of ½ lemon and a squeeze of juice (or just the juice if, like me, you were too lazy to clean the zester!)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line the bases of 2 × 15 cm cake tins, or on large loaf tin.

2. Weigh out the butter and oil in a microwave safe dish. I used the same mixing bowl which I will use later to cut down on washing up. Mix the egg replacer powder and lukewarm water together. Weigh the sugar into the food processor bowl (or mixing bowl), then add the melted butter & oil and mixed egg powder & water mixtures. Whisk well until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the mixture has almost doubled in volume.

3. Weigh the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt (if using, see note on butter in tips above) and spices into a mixing bowl and stir briefly to combine.

4. Fold the liquid mixture into your dried ingredients bowl, being careful to knock as little air out as possible.

5. Fold the grated carrots and raisins or sultanas into your mixture until all ingredients are just combined.

6. Pour or spoon the mixture evenly between the two tins. Bake for about 30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the tins.

7. Meanwhile, beat together the icing ingredients and refrigerate. When the cakes are cool enough to ice, remove from the tins, top one with half the icing, and then the other cake. Ice the top, and decorate with the lemon zest, if using.

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