There’s something about carrot cake that really hits the spot. To me, a good-carrot cake recipe is a staple, and is perfectly served at brunch, a picnic, or as a dessert when entertaining. Well, look no further, as this Orange carrot cake is so light, bright and refreshing thanks to the zest of the orange. And of course its also nutritious as the combination of spelt and oat flour gives it a healthy dose of protein and fiber, making it a perfectly suitable breakfast cake.

So stop looking- as you have just found the best carrot cake recipe out there! (ok you be the judge, but I’m sure you will agree).

Tip- I would place the ricotta glaze on each individual piece as you are serving it.

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 45 min
Servings: 8-10 slices

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 cups spelt flour
• 1/4 cup oat flour
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup pure olive oil
• 1/4 cup pure orange juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cup finely grated carrots
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

Frosting

(place the ricotta mixture in a food processor to make it an extra smooth consistency, and then refrigerate until ready to serve, glaze each piece of cake individually to avoid it from getting too wet).

• 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional Toppings

• Edible seasonal flowers
• Icing sugar

Directions

1. 01. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line and grease an 8″ cake pan and set aside. (This pretty bundt pan from Williams Sonoma is a show stopper)
2. 02. FOR THE CAKE: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
3. 03. In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs, olive oil, orange juice, and vanilla extract. Add this wet mixture to the dry ingredients bowl and whisk just until incorporated.
4. 04. Add the grated carrots and orange zest; mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
5. 05. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean.
6. 06. While the cake is baking, let’s make THE FROSTING. In your food processor, whip together the frosting ingredients until completely combined. Refrigerate until you are ready to spread it over the cake.
7. 07. Once the cake is ready, let it cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. You can also choose to dust with powdered sugar if you want to skip the “frosting”
8. 08. Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cake. Transfer to a serving plate and if desired top with edible flowers. Enjoy!

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