Carrot Cake (or Carrot Bars)
4 eggs
1 c coconut oil
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 c almond flour (I used natural, unblanched)
1/3 c whey protein powder (I use unflavored, zero carb, zero sugar)
1/4 c coconut flour
1/8 t xanthan gum
1/3 c Ideal sweetener
1 T Truvia
1/2 t liquid sweetener
1 t salt
2 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
2 t cinnamon
3 c carrots - finely shredded
Oven preheat: 350
Pan: Your choice. Larger means thinner, smaller means thicker. Use a 9X14 or larger for 'bars' and a smaller one, down to 2 - 9X9" for cake with filling options. Grease or spray the pan(s) of your choice.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with coconut oil and vanilla. If it's a cold day, you can partially melt your coconut oil, if it's a hot, humid day, it might already be partially melted. I haven't found it matters when I make these.
Beat in the dry ingredients; almond flour, whey protein powder and coconut flour along with the sweeteners (using 2 or 3 gives the best flavor but just use your favorites if you wish), the xanthan gum, leavening agents, salt and cinnamon. If you don't have or don't want to use coconut flour, I've added about 1/3 cup total of a mixture of oat or wheat bran before or just added a little more almond flour and whey protein powder to make up the difference. The coconut flour tends to make it 'less over wet and moist' as is the texture with most almond flour breads and cakes. Stir in the carrots last. Pour and spread into a prepared pan.
If you've used coconut flour, let your batter sit for about 3-4 minutes and see how thick it gets. Coconut flour tends to absorb a lot of liquid. This should make a nice, really thick batter like a quick bread would be (not a typical flour/sugar cake batter). Still, if you think it's so thick that it will be hard to spread, you can add a tablespoon or two of coconut milk, stir well. Bake times will depend on the pan you use. I baked an 9X15" pan about 40 minutes until it was golden brown, just started to pull away from the edges and when I jiggled it, the center did not move any longer. Let cool completely in the pans before frosting with your favorite frosting.
The frosting I used on the bars above didn't come from a recipe but here is what I used;
1 - 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 stick real butter
2 t vanilla extract
1/4 c coconut milk
Just like Sugar Baking Blend (because it's powdered form) - about 1/2 cup
Few drops of liquid sweener
Added Ideal Sweetener by tablespoons and tasted until I got the sweetness I wanted
Mix on medium high til smooth. Spread.
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