Cake for breakfast

With the inevitable healthy-eating, whole food mantras floating around on the Internet this month, I thought it would be the perfect time to share this cake with you. 

I baked Sophie's Morning Glory loaf cake a few weeks ago. I had been going a little bit crazy on Pinterest during the last few weeks of term, just itching to get back into the kitchen at home and try something new. Old favourites are all very well, but sometimes you get the urge to experiment! 

This carrot cake is unlike any other carrot cake you've tasted. In fact, I'm not even sure it should be called carrot cake. But it is essentially that - a cake (or rather, loaf) made with all the key ingredients: carrot, nuts and dried fruit. It's a loaf that is most definitely suitable for breakfast - not too sweet, with juicy cranberries, crunchy pumpkin seeds and a satisfyingly spongy interior. There's no sticky cream cheese icing - though that could have its place here  - and the oats sprinkled on top positively sing "I'm good for you".

Eat it on its own, or spread with a little butter (nut or dairy, your choice). Alternatively you could jump on the cake toast train (like Molly and the others) - but do make sure to cut yourself a  thick slice. I cut a rather skinny slice of cake which fell to pieces inside the toaster and resulted in a ten-minute struggle with the toaster and a plastic spatula. 

I'll admit that this recipe isn't quite like the original. I used more plain flour than spelt flour, swapped chia seed eggs for real eggs, and used walnuts instead of pecans. I imagine you could throw in any combination of nuts/seeds/dried fruit that you wanted - I think raisins and walnuts would go together particularly nicely. I also ran out of maple syrup so used honey instead, which lent it a distinctive - though not unpleasant - aftertaste. 

In short: bake, and enjoy.

Morning Glory Loaf (adapted from Whole Hearted Eats, original recipe here)

1 1/2 Cups Flour (I used a mixture of spelt flour and plain flour)

1 tsp. Baking Powder (slightly rounded)
1 tsp. Bicarbonate of Soda
1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
3/4 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/8 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
6 Tbsp. Maple Syrup or honey
2 Tbsp. Caster Sugar
1/2 Cup. Unsweetened Applesauce
4 Tbsp. Oil (e.g olive oil or melted coconut oil)
2 eggs
1 Cup Grated Carrot (about 2 large)
1/4 Cup Shredded Coconut (Desiccated coconut)
1/4 Cup Cranberries
1/4 Cup Chopped Pecans
1/4 Cup Pumpkin Seeds

1. In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, soda, spices and salt. Mix the maple syrup, eggs, sugar, applesauce, and oil togetherl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until halfway combined.

2. Stir in the carrot, coconut, cranberries, pecans, and pumpkin seeds and mix just until combined.

3. Pour the batter into a parchment lined pan. Sprinkle the top with some seeds and oats and bake in a preheated 175 C (350 F) oven for 55-65 minutes, or until the top springs back.