Fucking Finally! A cake that doesn’t involve the beloved high-speed blender. I’m a sucker for my Vitamix – she makes my life so damn easy … and cheaper! It’s costs far less of those hard-earned dollars to purchase whole nuts, whole seeds and whole grains, rather than pre-made flours. She (Miss Mix) also whips eggs like a pro, creating thick, fluffy, shut-all-the-front-doors-because-I-can’t-even-handle-the-amazingness-of-their-consistency-type batters. Honesty, I just get lazy and chuck everything in and then take the credit for the amazing results when really all I did was throw bits and bobs into my trusty kitchen (I’d-be-lost-without-you) companion.
I also get into the habit of using nut flours, because that’s what we usually have on hand. However I am conscious that there must be at least a few of you funky little vegemites that can’t eat nuts, or can have them at home, but you want lunchbox options to make the kiddlets for their school’s not-nuts policy. When I say nut I mean the plant kind … unless it’s an all girls school, then I guess no nuts has a double meaning, am I right?
Anyhoo, today I made this recipe but we didn’t have whole almonds like the recipe says. I was about to sub for cashews when I spied the newly purchased packet of organic brown rice. Away went the creamy, curvy drupes and out came the little brown grains. Everything else stayed the same, except I only blended the eggs, carrots, spices and rice together, the caramel was added afterwards in a separate bowl, just before I folded in the dates.
The result was seriously beyond freakin-amazeball territory and getting close to the holy-shiznuts arena, usually reserved only for things like a good self-saucing choccie pudding or a perfectly cooked (and I mean seriously on point!!!) crispy salmon fillet.
It then occurred to me that a blender is totally optional here. You could …
- Use 3/4 cup brown rice flour
- 3/4 cup pre-made carrot puree (just carrots steamed and pureed in a food processor)
- Beat the eggs with an old-school hand-held electric beater.
If you have a Vitamix or equivalent then by all means be lazy practical and use her, but if you don’t, I’m glad to finally share a recipe that doesn’t involve an extra piece of equipment that, sadly, not all households have the privilege of hosting.
Enjoy, whichever way you make it xxx
Basic Recipe (blender-free ingredient swaps in bold)
- 1 cup raw brown rice (or 3/4 cup brown rice flour)
- 1/2 cup rapadura sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped additive-free dates (I love Changing Habits for my baking needs)
- 100g organic, unsalted butter* (it’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of our local Biodynamic Farm Paris Creek brand)
- 2 sustainably sourced eggs (no cages please lovely ones!)
- 1/2 a teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, Seaweed Salt and aluminium- and gluten-free bicarb soda
- 3 small or 2 massive carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces (or 3/4 cup carrot puree)
“Cheats” Easy Option
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and line a muffin tin with 5 non-toxic muffin tins (I think I say this every muffin post but here it is again; I LUUUUURRRRVVVVEEEE the “if you care” brand). Crack eggs into the Vitamix jug, followed by the carrots, spices/soda/salt and brown rice. Blend that all together on high until its a smooth paste. Pour paste out into a large mixing bowl.
In a small saucepan on the stovetop, melt the butter and sugar together on a medium heat to make a caramel (of sorts). Once that’s all brown and smelling like toffee, add it to the mixing bowl with the eggy-ricey-carroty paste and fold the two together gently. Lastly, fold in those chopped dates.
Divide the mix among the 5 muffin cases – yes they will almost be overflowing … but this makes them nice and tall and real “cafe-style”. Bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly browned and nice and spongy.
Blender-free Option
As above, except crack eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat with a handheld electric beater. Slowly add the carrot puree and keep beating. Sift the brown rice flour and spices/soda/salt together in a separate bowl and then gently fold into the egg/carrot mix.
From here everything is the same – except you’ll have more washing up … sozzles about that one.
Notes
*If you can’t handle butter due to reasons such as dairy-intolerance or gallbladder dysfunction, or you don’t support the dairy industry period, swap for coconut oil instead.
If for whatever reason your carrot mixture is on the drier side don’t sweat it – just fold through another egg or two after adding the caramel and before folding through the dates. Keep calm and make this recipe work for your circumstances on the day.