Happy EASTER gang! I’ll keep this intro short and sweet – I’ve adapted my Coconutty Carrot Cake recipe for your Easter Sunday baking into a lovely Carrot Cake Squares recipe – I hope you enjoy it! Remember you can freeze a batch of these and save them for snacks for the week too!

Recipe (Makes 12 Squares)

Ingredients 

• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil (you could sub coconut oil if you like!)
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 banana
• 2 tbsp of maple syrup or honey
• 70ml of milk of choice
• 2 tbsp of coconut flour
• 150g oats, blended into flour
• 1 medium sized carrots, washed, peeled and grated
• 4 tbsp dessicated coconut flakes
• 50g walnuts or pecans (or whatever you have!), roughly chopped
• 1 handful of sultanas

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C (fan oven). Line a square baking tin with grease-proof paper or greased tinfoil, and set aside.
2. Take a large mixing bowl and add the dry ingredients to it – oat flour, coconut flour, coconut, nuts, baking powder and spices. Save a little bit of the nuts to pop on top!
3. Take a blender or food processor, and blend your wet ingredients except for the carrots – eggs, banana, oil, vanilla extract, maple syrup/honey and milk.
4. Create a well in the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet. Stir until you have a batter consistency for your cake.
5. Finally, add the grated carrot and sultanas, and mix again until combined.
6. Pour the batter into your baking tin, sprinkle some extra chopped nuts and sultanas on top, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Insert a tooth pick at 30 minutes, and if it comes out 90% clean you’re sorted! This is my baking rule always! If not, then give it another 5 minutes in the oven.
7. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before slicing up and tucking in!

Enjoy guys, and Happy Easter again! Tag me if you try these out – @theirishbalance on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook!

Ciara 🙂 x