Carrot Cake with Almond Milk & Chia seeds

Recipe Title:  Carrot Cake with Almond Milk & Chia seeds (please click on this link to go to my YouTube video of this recipe)

This cake is a little bit different in that it has no dairy, it uses less sugar than most cakes and adds the nutritional advantage with the Chia seeds.

By: Miriam Borys

Servings: 1  X 9 inch round cake  (or 3 round 9 inch pans for a triple layer cake)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

4 eggs (small)

1 cup white sugar

2 tbsp. vanilla

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 cup almond milk (normal milk can be used if almond milk is not available)

1 tbsp. chia seeds

½ cup olive oil

2 ½ cup grated carrots (loosely packed)

½ cup crushed pineapple (drained)

In a measuring cup measure 1 cup of almond milk. Add chia seeds to almond milk to hydrate. Do this approximately 15 minutes before you start mixing the cake so that the seeds soak up some of the almond milk (hydrate).

After seeds have hydrated add 2 tbsp. lemon juice to the almond milk to make the milk sour. Hold for later.

Line a 9 inch spring-form pan with parchment paper (for a double layer cake) or line 3 X 9 inch round cake pans (for a triple layer cake). Spray all sides of the cake pans first and place parchment onto the greased surface.

Sift together into a bowl the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

In the mixer or by hand beat eggs with sugar and then add oil, almond milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix on low speed until blended. Remove from the mixer and by hand fold in carrots and drained pineapple. Mix so that all the shredded carrot is coated with cake batter. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into cake pan(s). If baking in one spring-form pan bake at 350° for 40 – 45 minutes. The baking time will be reduced to about 30 minutes if baking in 3 cake pans.

Cool on wire rack. Ice with a Cinnamon Cream Cheese icing (see below).

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing (makes enough to ice a double or triple layer cake)
16 oz. (2 pkg.) cream cheese
4 oz. butter
4 cups icing (sifted)
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. cinnamon

It is reported that Chia seeds have a high nutritional value when added to recipes, it is high in dietary fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids