Paleo Carrot Cake (Or Carrot Muffins)

We love carrot cake and carrot muffins in our house.  All three of us.  Perhaps when the baby is old enough, she'll love them too.  She'd be crazy not to!? 

After going Primal/Paleo in May, I wasn't sure we could enjoy special treats like carrot cake.  But I searched through several recipes out there, tested out a few, tweaked them to finally created my own that is perfect for our family.  I don't even think this needs any cream cheese frosting.  It's perfect as is. 

Paleo Carrot Cake (makes one 9 x 13 size)



OR
Paleo Carrot Muffins (makes 10 muffins)

Ingredients:olive oil for greasing the baking pan
2 cups of almond flour, blanched
1 cup of pecans, finely chopped
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
3 eggs
1/3 cup of pure maple syrup
4 Tbsp applesauce, all natural and no sugar added
1 and 1/2 cups of finely shredded carrots (1 to 2 large carrots, steamed and shredded)
1/3 cup of pureed dates
1/3 cup of raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan OR a muffin tin with olive oil.  I don't measure it, just eyeball it. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine your almond flour, finely chopped pecans, baking soda, sea salt, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract and almond extract. 

In a separate mixing bowl, beat your eggs.  Add in the maple syrup and applesauce.  Mix well.  Pour the shredded carrots, pureed dates and raisins to the wet mixture.  Make sure it's all blended well. 



Pour the wet carrot mixture into the dry flour ingredients.  Use a soft spatula to mix well.  Scoop out into the cake pan or the muffin tin, depending on what you want to make. 



Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly brown on top and mixture begins to pull away from edges. 

Such good, good eating!  Parent and kid tested and approved.  If a rabbit would try it, he would approve it too.  Enjoy!