GRAIN-FREE CARROT CAKE

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It's Easter Week! We will be celebrating one of our favorite holidays with decoration and recipe ideas. Here's a delicious cake without all the post-junk food guilt!

I took one of my favorite grain-free recipes and put a holiday twist on it. I love this cake because it's the only carrot cake I've ever had that doesn't make me feel sick after eating it. I adapted the recipe from Elana's Pantry, but I have changed several components. I also use real cream cheese in the frosting. Elana has a great coconut-based frosting, should you want a dairy-free option. 

Cake Ingredients:

3 Cups Blanched Almond Flour

1 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

5 Large Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

3/4 Cup Maple Syrup

1/2 Cup Warmed Coconut Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or a combination of both)

3 Cups Carrots, Grated

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice.

In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract and oil. Add Carrots. Stir wet ingredients into dry and mix until completely combined.

Place batter into two well greased round 9" cake pans.

Bake for 35 minutes. Do not over bake! Allow to cool. 

Frosting Ingredients:

3- 8 oz. Bars of Cream Cheese (at room temp)

3/4 Cup Maple Syrup

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

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Topping:

1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut

*For Easter, I've also added some chocolate caramel eggs from Whole Foods.

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Serves 8-10

Combine cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla in a bowl and mix on high for 1 - 2 minutes until thoroughly combined and creamy. Do not frost the cake until it is completely cool.

When you are ready to frost the cake, take a pastry bag with a 1/2" open tip and fill it with 1/2 of the frosting. If you don't have a pastry bag, create your own by taking a large Ziplock bag and cut 1/2" off of a side corner.

Place the first half of the cake top-side down on your cake plate.

Frost the first layer, by starting in the middle and work your way out in a continual circle. It's fine if it doesn't look perfect! Just make sure it is all covered out to the edge.

Place the second layer of cake on top of the frosting top-side up. 

Fill your pastry bag with the remaining frosting and repeat. Now gently smooth the frosting with a spatula. 

Sprinkle coconut shreds evenly on top.

Decorate with candy eggs to add an Easter touch.

I also added this adorable Meri Meri Easter cake topper to make it extra festive. xx

Grainless Pancakes

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It's National Pancake Day! Instead of making a traditional wheat pancake, I thought I would share my recipe for Paleo protein pancakes. I make these pancakes for my family several times a week. Their base is banana and egg. No grains! No sugar! And lots of protein! The banana makes these cakes very sweet, so use maple syrup sparingly, if at all. 

Ingredients:

2 Ripe Bananas

4 Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Banking Soda

2 Pinches of Salt

3/4 cup Frozen Blueberries

Butter and/or Coconut Oil

Makes about 8 medium sized pancakes

Mash the bananas in a bowl.

Add eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Beat with a fork until completely combined. Then gently fold in blueberries.

Heat several tablespoons of grease in a pan or griddle (I like to use a combination of butter and coconut oil) on medium heat. Cook about 4 minutes per side - until golden brown. If the outside gets too dark and the inside is still raw, lower heat.

Enjoy!