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Nick’s Carrot & Raisin Cake

April 27, 2012 by Cara

Brace yourselves ladies, today’s guest poster is actually a dude. Don’t let the cold, British “Hey look at me, I use big, smart non-American words” attitude fool you, Nick over at Frugal Feeding is such a quality person. Just don’t tell him that I think the world of him. It will ruin the witty {on my behalf. not on his} banter back and forth between the 2 of us. In all seriousness though, he has such an incredible blog full of wonderful recipes and photography that perfectly encapsulates his passion towards cooking. It is a no-brainer as to why this guy is one of my favorites. And he made us cake! Nick’s Carrot & Raisin cake to be exact.

This is my very first guest post, but I shan’t be approaching it with any trepidation what so ever. Neither shall I be indulging in a self-deprecating gush about my gracious host; though, it should be said that some offers are far too good to be refused. Of course, there isn’t anything fundamentally wrong with a jolly good gush, apart from the fact that such a thing would be bally well out of character.

Deciding on what to make for this occasion proved incredibly tricky. Cara, bless her soul, said that my recipe needn’t pay heed to her dietary requirements. However, ignoring such an important part of her life simply wouldn’t do – such a thing would be both rude and foolish. Besides, it would have made very little sense to post a recipe that would appear incongruous in the eyes of her readers. Since I’ve gone to such extraordinary lengths as to pick out all of the suitable ingredients from my cupboard and arrange them into a barely discernible mass, I fully expect Cara to make this herself. If she fails to do so, I shall be forced to appear disconsolate until my dying day. Then again, that may well turn out to be next Wednesday.

In truth, gluten free cakes probably appeal to me more than those which contained run-of-the-mill flour. In general, they turn out a little moister and ever so slightly more flavourful. This probably has everything to do with the fact that all of my gluten free cakes contain ground almonds; an ingredient eminently more toothsome than the usual suspect. Indeed, everything was going swimmingly until the need for egg arose. It would have been such a waste for me to have purchased an egg substitute
for this; we keep hens and it is difficult enough to use all of their eggs without supplementing them with an impostor. However, a good egg substitute will certainly get the job done, since the carrot already plays the part of a rather wonderful cake adhesive.

I hope you enjoy my first foray into baking cakes which seem to contain so very little that their existence still surprises me. However, the photographical evidence is before you. One and all can bear witness to its actuality – though, not yet to its deliciousness.

Carrot and Raisin Cake:

Makes one 9” cake

Ingredients:

100g caster sugar
75ml rapeseed oil
2 eggs, or suitable substitute
150g ground almonds
100g raisins
250g carrots, grated
½ tsp mixed spice, be generous
½ tsp gluten free baking powder
The zest and juice of half a lemon

Method:

1. Grease a 9” springform pan and heat the oven to 180C. Begin by whisking together the oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, or the egg substitute little by little. Fold in the almonds, raisins, carrots (which should have had as much of their juice wrung from them as possible), spice, baking powder and lemon juice/zest.
2. Transfer this to the lined pan, level off and bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown on top. Once cooked remove it from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack. Leave to cool completely.

Cost: The one negative of gluten free baking is that it is often a little dearer than the good ol’ fashioned way, but needs must. However, despite this fact, the cake you see before you ought to come in at a rather reasonable £2.

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  • Giant Oatmeal Chocolate Chip CookieGiant Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

Filed Under: Kid-Friendly

About Cara

Based in Chicago with her husband and son, Cara is the creator behind the site Fork and Beans: A place where kids can have fun with their food.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. ninaherbert

    May 3, 2012 at 8:01 pm

    What a delectibly moist cake. Thank you Nick, and Cara for the introduction.
    By the way, two quid for a cake sound rather good to me. 🙂

    • ninaherbert

      May 15, 2012 at 8:24 pm

      I made this last week. It was FAB! Only lasted a day and a half. 😀
      Thanks again

  2. PolaM

    April 29, 2012 at 3:39 pm

    This cake looks great! Must be delicious!

  3. Healthiful Balance

    April 29, 2012 at 5:26 am

    Great guest post! This cake looks AMAZING! I’d like to have a slice of it right now. 🙂

    • Cara

      April 29, 2012 at 7:57 am

      I would too! Let’s see if Nick saved us a slice…

      • frugalfeeding

        April 30, 2012 at 9:49 am

        Nope.

  4. Heather

    April 29, 2012 at 4:33 am

    I am so hungry for cake after reading this, I love how the moisture comes from the grated carrot- that is just awesome!

  5. Richa@HobbyandMore

    April 27, 2012 at 5:43 pm

    i love this cake! all the almonds carrots and raisins! i just need some cardamom and i am done. great going nick! i should show some of his posts to hubbs. who knows he might get inspired.. though then we would need 2 kitchens!
    and i just google.. sorry bing all them words!

    • Cara

      April 28, 2012 at 8:06 am

      I love how you googled the words–that is one step further than I was willing to take 🙂 And yes! 2 kitchens at your house. 1 for you and 1 for me. That’s what you meant right??? 🙂 ha

  6. Bob Vivant

    April 27, 2012 at 1:57 pm

    This is my kind of gluten-free recipe–I love baking with almond meal/flour. It adds so much depth to the flavor of baked goodies. I’m a bit obsessed with carrot cakes as of late. Can’t wait to give this one a go. Thank you!

    • Cara

      April 28, 2012 at 8:11 am

      I have yet to start using almond flour–I’m afraid it won’t turn out as good because I don’t use eggs. But from the looks of your blog, you know what you are talking about so you and Nick both might just be inspiring me to do so 🙂

  7. Shira

    April 27, 2012 at 12:58 pm

    Well done you two! I can’t imagine two people I adore more getting together! This cake looks amazing and flat out crazy impressive!

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 9:08 pm

      Party at Frugal’s house. He is bringing carrot cake 🙂

  8. egg me on

    April 27, 2012 at 12:44 pm

    Coming here from Frugal Feeding. This is a great recipe, and a really great site! Adding you to my bookmarks.

    • Cara

      April 28, 2012 at 8:12 am

      Hi Egg Me On! Welcome 🙂 So glad you made your way over here!

  9. cibusamare

    April 27, 2012 at 12:16 pm

    Yum! I only recently discovered carrot cake – I just made a traditional one, but the addition of raisins is definitely one to try out soon!

    • Cara

      April 28, 2012 at 8:12 am

      Who knew that vegetables in dessert form could actually be good huh? I cannot wait to try this cake out either 🙂

    • frugalfeeding

      April 29, 2012 at 5:21 am

      Believe me once you go raisins you’ll not go back.

  10. Wheat Free GG

    April 27, 2012 at 11:42 am

    This looks spot on, Frugal! I just need to translate it to my measuring devices, and think it might be a nice treat for Sunday 🙂

    • Cara

      April 28, 2012 at 8:13 am

      Are you giving out invitations for Sunday? 🙂

      • Wheat Free GG

        April 30, 2012 at 8:08 am

        Ha, good thing I didn’t! It’s going to have to wait until my most recent nut flour order hits 😉 It’s on my to-do list though!

  11. AnonymousBurn

    April 27, 2012 at 10:53 am

    oOo this looks fantastic! Can’t wait to try this but am wondering if can be down with cashews or another nut? No worries, though, I’ll try it and report back.

    • frugalfeeding

      April 27, 2012 at 2:23 pm

      Do you mean chunks of cashews as well as ground almonds? Or do you mean to replace the ground almonds. If it’s the former, then fine; if it’s the latter, I have no idea.

      • AnonymousBurn

        April 27, 2012 at 3:58 pm

        I mean the latter, I need gluten-free and almond-free. Nuts I can have are pecan, walnut, and cashew. Thoughts??

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 9:07 pm

      What about hazelnuts Meg? Let me know how it works out.

      • AnonymousBurn

        April 28, 2012 at 12:42 am

        Also allergic because why not.

        • Cara

          April 28, 2012 at 8:14 am

          SUCKS! 🙁

  12. Sarah C

    April 27, 2012 at 10:31 am

    Is this seriously flour-free? Only ground almonds? I am totally going to have to try it!!!! It looks gorgeous and now I have a new blog to read – thank you!!!

    • baconbiscuit212

      April 27, 2012 at 1:57 pm

      I was thinking the same thing! I can’t believe that a cake this pretty is gluten-free. Bravo, Nick!

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 9:06 pm

      And he is not even gluten-free which makes it all the more jealous-inducing, right???

      • frugalfeeding

        April 28, 2012 at 7:07 am

        Dreadfully sorry, old thing.

  13. Gaby

    April 27, 2012 at 9:38 am

    When I saw the word “British” I had keep to reading this! Just kidding. 😉 The recipe was great. I’m looking forward to more guest posts in the future!

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 9:06 pm

      Being British apparently gets you into many doors apparently… ha!

  14. ohshineon

    April 27, 2012 at 9:35 am

    I’m glad to see the British are making their mark here on this site. Nick is a quality dude and I’m glad his guest post led me here!

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 9:05 pm

      It’s like I always say, I need more Brit in my life 🙂

  15. Kristina

    April 27, 2012 at 8:59 am

    thank you Cara, for another entry into my reader! I have already poked around Nick’s place, and have found three things I want to make.

    this cake looks simply perfect.

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 9:00 am

      Like I said, he is one of my faves and I just knew he would be the same for everyone else 🙂

  16. Brooke

    April 27, 2012 at 8:52 am

    GAH! You beat me to it! My next post, my very next one, is going to be on making your own almond flour! That stuff is dang expensive on this side of the pond, but it is far and away the most delicious gf flour substitute I’ve ever had the pleasure of shoving in my pie hole. How’d ya like that language? Ya bet yer ass I’m classy. But I didn’t mention boogers or pee so I’m ahead of someone I know…

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 8:54 am

      Who would ever mention boogers and pee in their comments to someone’s blog. That is classless and disgusting. That person is probably repulsive and friendless…
      I cannot wait for that next post, B! What a great idea.

      • Brooke

        April 27, 2012 at 8:58 am

        Repulsive, yes. Friendless, no… X,O Lol!

        • Cara

          April 27, 2012 at 8:59 am

          *cue big cheesey grin* How do you think she gets friends in the first place? Her repulsiveness is ultra attractive 🙂 Or so I hear…

  17. spree

    April 27, 2012 at 8:48 am

    Bloody awesome, Nick! Toothsome and jolly good moistness going on in this cake! Brilliant and well done, old chap! Tally-ho! 🙂

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 8:51 am

      Best laugh of the morning! Goodness Spree, I needed that–thank you.

  18. Karista

    April 27, 2012 at 8:28 am

    Frugal is indeed one of my most favorite bloggers! Love this gluten free cake. As usual, Frugal has posted a most brilliant recipe. And I adore his use of big words too. Although I am like baker Bettie and have to have my dictionary out while reading Nicks posts. Haha! Love your blog Cara. Can’t wait to browse.

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 8:30 am

      Karista, I too use a dictionary. No, actually I just nod my head in agreement as if I was going to use that word if he hadn’t 🙂 Love Nick! Hope you like what you find here..

      • Karista

        April 27, 2012 at 8:34 am

        thanks Cara! Fabulous blog and recipes. I too am gluten free and dairy free, although because of my work I still post recipes using both ingredients. However at home it’s a different story. Can’t wait to try some of these yummy recipes. So glad to have found you!

        • Cara

          April 27, 2012 at 8:38 am

          Loving YOUR blog! Cannot wait to stalk you 🙂

          • Karista

            April 27, 2012 at 8:43 am

            haha! Thanks Cara! Stalk away as I’ll be stalking you as well 🙂

  19. Just A Smidgen

    April 27, 2012 at 8:08 am

    Wonderful recipes just emanate from your being as well, Nick! I’m so impressed that you could create this cake.. it would have intimidated me to no end to do gluten, wheat.. and, well, everything free vegan, etc… a daunting task!! Beautiful, luscious cake !!

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 8:27 am

      Isn’t he just incredible? He does it so effortlessly too, it’s rather sickening 🙂 <–in a delightful way

  20. Laurel

    April 27, 2012 at 8:01 am

    Astounding, most especially since its creation ’emanates’ from a GF newbie. It appears to me one could also dispense with the eggs and yet enjoy a most satisfying repast. Ambrosia though begs, nay demands, to be baked and so it shall be. Lovely erudite post. hehe

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 8:25 am

      Ohmygoodness, Laurel. You need to stop! I cannot decipher more than one person’s beautifully poetic, though completely over-my-head vocab 🙂 You crazy!

  21. Willow

    April 27, 2012 at 8:01 am

    Another great guest post! Nick’s blog (and carrot cake) look incredible. You’ve never steered me wrong! 🙂

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 8:29 am

      It’s such a beautiful cake, huh Willow? I think we all should travel overseas to Nick and demand this to be made for us 🙂

  22. Baker Bettie

    April 27, 2012 at 6:56 am

    This recipe is not only gluten free, but grain free too! Good job Nick!

    Although, I had to get out my dictionary like 5 times during this post. Quit trying to be so damn smart Nick! 😉

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 7:00 am

      RIGHT??? He did it on purpose because never have I seen so many big words in one of his posts before. ha!

      • Baker Bettie

        April 27, 2012 at 7:15 am

        I KNEW it was on purpose! Nick, we are onto you!

        • Cara

          April 27, 2012 at 7:23 am

          So annoying, and it’s not like he has to say more than 1 big word before we feel like a moron anyway. Regardless I will always nod my head and act like I know what he is trying to communicate.

        • frugalfeeding

          April 27, 2012 at 7:23 am

          It honestly wasn’t! I don’t try it simply emanates from my being.

          • Cara

            April 27, 2012 at 7:28 am

            Up yours. hahahaha

          • Laurel

            April 27, 2012 at 7:47 am

            “it simply emanates from my being.” Don’t be fooled Cara, he’s having you on. Oxford does that to a fella. 🙂

          • Somer

            April 27, 2012 at 8:13 am

            Your use of a plethora of intelligent multi-syllable words is half the reasons I read your posts, I can’t help but laugh half the time! Guaranteed that’s why readers love you.

          • Cara

            April 27, 2012 at 8:28 am

            For me, it’s intelligence through association. I feel like I am smart because I hang with smart people 🙂

          • Somer

            April 27, 2012 at 8:39 am

            Is there a better way to feel smart? 😉 Love it!

          • Cara

            April 27, 2012 at 8:42 am

            Some say education but I think that is completely overrated!

  23. naturalnoshing

    April 27, 2012 at 6:24 am

    Wow this cake looks amazing! I love carrots and dried fruit and anything with almonds is delishhhhhh! Love Nick’s writing style too, can’t wait to check out his blog! 🙂

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 6:52 am

      Doen’t it though? Despite the fact that he’s British, Nick is super awesome 🙂 ha

  24. Kelly Klepfer

    April 27, 2012 at 4:49 am

    another blog to follow. This looks delish.

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 6:53 am

      And the list gets bigger, doesn’t it?

  25. Caitlin

    April 27, 2012 at 4:06 am

    wow- this cake looks amazing! i can’t believe the only “flour” in it is ground almonds! i need to make this!

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 6:55 am

      He’s a show-off, isn’t he?

  26. Alexiasana

    April 27, 2012 at 3:31 am

    i LOOOVE carrot cake! whenever i feel like treating myself to a nice breakfast (which is whenever i have a little bit of time in the morning) I make a carrot, raisin and buckwheat bake. it has the same ingredients as yours, except i half half buckwheat and almond flour and sometimes sub with coconut flour or even quinoa flour, whatever i feel like that day! amazing recipe and yes, although gluten free baking is a little bit more expensive, buying a slice of “normal” cake on a daily base can get even pricier! 🙂

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 6:59 am

      This carrot bake recipe is on your blog, yes? 🙂

      • Alexiasana

        April 29, 2012 at 10:05 am

        not yet but i will put the recipe up soon!

  27. veghotpot

    April 27, 2012 at 3:21 am

    ooo this cake looks amazing! I love reading Frugal Feeding so it’s lovely to see a guest post on here 🙂 thanks Cara and Nick!! I’m going to give this cake a go and hopefully impress my gluten free mother in law – Bonus points!!

    • Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 6:59 am

      You SO are getting bonus points. And you know it will taste amazing because Nick is a genius of some sort 🙂 hehe. Okay, okay, he is a master in the kitchen. There, I said it.

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