This recipe was inspired by a gorgeous carrot cake from the South African television series "Recipes for Love and Murder" and it feels just right for the Valentine's Day party. A raw recipe can only mimic the baked cake but the outcome can be just as delicious. Here is my first try.
It is an elaborate recipe that requires many ingredients and some preparation. One day before you decide to make this scrumptious cake you will have to start by soaking the cashew nuts for the frosting; soaking the walnuts, pecans, dates, apricots and raisins for the cake; and by making the frosting and the orange marmalade.
I usually soak the dates overnight to make them very soft and plump. I soak the nuts and the other dried fruits for about 4 hours, in separate bowls or jars. At the end, I dehydrate the walnuts and the pecans for another 4 hours before using them in my cake.
You could smooth out the frosting with a confectionery knife and use a piping bag to decorate this cake, I preferred to give my cake a wild, bohemian look. And it turned out great, as far as I am concerned.
Ingredients:
for the cake
- 3 cups grated carrots
- 3 cups walnuts
- 2 cups pecans
- 1/4 cup freshly ground golden flax seeds
- 1/2 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
- 4 dates
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1 Tbsp orange zest
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- freshly pressed juice of 1 small lemon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
- 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt to balance the flavors
for the orange marmalade
- orange peel from 2 organic oranges
- supremes of 1/2 orange
- juice of 1/2 orange
- 3 Tbsp freshly pressed lemon juice
- pinch Celtic sea salt
- 1/3 cup raw light liquid honey (orange blossom, acacia or linden blossom)
for the pink frosting
- 1 cup cashew nuts, soaked in water and rinsed for the cashew milk
- 1 cup cashew nuts, soaked in water and rinsed for the frosting
- 1/4 cup cashew milk
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- freshly pressed juice of 1/2 pomegranate or 1 Tbsp beet powder
- 1 Tbsp freshly pressed lemon juice
- few drops of vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
for garnish
- edible flowers
- fresh berries
- carrot shavings
Method:
- Make the orange marmalade. In a bowl mash the orange supremes with a fork. With a sharp knife cut the orange peel into thin slivers. Toss the cut peel to a bowl with the mashed orange supremes, add the honey and orange juice and mix well. Add the lemon juice, mix again. The mixture should be thick and sticky. Using a wide rimmed funnel transfer the marmalade to a jar. Close the jar and keep it on a kitchen counter for a few hours and then, place it in the fridge overnight.
- To make the frosting start by making cashew milk. Blend 1 cup of cashew nuts with 2 cups of filtered water. Pour the milk to a jar and set aside. Gently melt the coconut oil over hot water bath (bain marie) and set it aside. Make sure that it stays liquid. Using a high speed blender whiz 1 cup of cashew nuts, 1/4 cup freshly made cashew milk, 1/4 maple syrup, pomegranate juice, lemon juice and the vanilla extract. Blend until all ingredients are well combined into a smooth mass. With the blender running on low speed, slowly pour in the melted coconut oil and blend for a few seconds. Do not over blend. Transfer the frosting to a glass container. Close it tightly and refrigerate overnight. Use the remaining cashew milk to make a smoothie or a salad dressing.
- To make the cake pulse blend the nuts, flax seeds, and the dates, raisins and apricots in a food processor. Add carrots, orange and lemon zest, spices, ginger, salt, and lemon juice, and pulse blend until well combined. The dough should be sticky, rather firm and it should have a slightly coarse texture. Adjust the taste as needed.
- Transfer the dough into two 6 inch (15 cm) springform cake pans. Smooth the top of each and place them in the fridge overnight.
- Next day: Remove the frosting from the fridge and allow it to warm up a bit at room temperature for at least half an hour. You may want to divide it now into two parts: save 1/3 as it is, and whip the remaining 2/3 with 1/2 cup of coconut whipping cream to achieve a finer texture.
- Gently transfer one of the cakes from the cake pan onto a serving dish. Spread 2-3 Tbsp orange marmalade on top of the cake. Allow it to drip over the edge. Add 1/3 of the frosting and spread it unevenly. If it flows over the edge, that's all right, unless you strive for a very neat look in which case you will have to use confectioners knife and work a little longer to get it the way you want it.
- Carefully remove the second cake from the springform pan and place it on top of the other. Spread 2-3 Tbsp of the orange marmalade on top of it. Once again, allow it to drip over the edge.
- Place the remaining frosting in a large dollop in the middle of the cake. Allow it to spread to the edges. Use a confectioners knife or a spoon to spread it out just a bit. You want to cover the entire cake but have the most of it in the center. Unless you are ready to serve it right away, place the cake in the fridge for an hour or so, better even, overnight. The taste improves as the flavors are allowed to mingle and unfold.
- When you are ready to serve, decorate the cake with carrot shavings, fresh berries and edible flowers. Enjoy it in good company!
Notes:
As I mentioned above, this was my first try with this recipe. The cake turned out great. It was very moist and soft. It tasted fresh and fruity thanks to the apricots, the orange marmalade, lemon juice and the citrus zest that I used. There was no need for any additional sweetener. The frosting and the orange marmalade were sweet enough.
In my first try I used the more of carrots than nuts and had to regret my decision because my carrots were very juicy and the cake turned out a little too soft. It needed longer refrigeration before serving. I adjusted the amount of nuts in the ingredient list for a little firmer texture. Using more nuts and maybe adding a little melted coconut oil to the dough would improve the texture. Also, the frosting did not turn as pink as I wanted. You may need to add more pomegranate juice or beet powder, or even use both together to achieve a deeper pink tone, or you could also simply leave it as is. Despite these little hick ups, the cake turned out fantastic.
Happy St. Valentine's Day to all!
In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique
Dominique Allmon©2025