Happy Solstice! Time to really get into it now with the holiday shenanigans — I can’t believe Christmas is Sunday! Sneaky little sucker.
It’s been below freezing in the mornings here, which is definitely considered a cold snap around these parts! As if I needed an excuse to run the oven and bake for extra kitchen warmth… I took advantage of the cold to not only bake carrot cake but also to re-season all of my cast iron skillets! They’re all shiny and beautiful now, as they should be.
Other new things…
Holiday fun in the city! My Christmas isn’t complete without seeing the SF Ballet’s Nutcracker.
More architecture and drawing, obviously.
What better way to celebrate the solstice than with carrot cake?!
I’ve been jonesing for it lately, and thankfully I had a seconded favorable opinion, so… it happened! Lightly sweet, carrot-y, and full of nuts just like carrot cake should be. Carrot cake isn’t carrot cake without walnuts! No way. Aside from that, I was tired of the usual cashew-creme frosting, so I got cray with some macadamia nuts to see what would happen, and luckily it was a favorable outcome. Hooray for new things!
Enjoy your Solstice-day with those you love! Indulge yourself in a little healthier carrot cake, you deserve it.
Skillet Carrot Cake with Coconut Maple Macadamia Frosting and Maple Walnuts
To me, this is pretty much the perfect carrot cake. Carrot cake and walnuts are a match made in heaven, which is why they’re in this twice! Paleo-ish, refined sugar free, dairy free, gluten free, grain free! Cake adapted from Texanerin Baking – only lightly adapted because this cake is damn perfect as is! Frosting is a Wait are those Cookies original.
For the cake:
- 1.25 c almond flour
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- scant 1/3 c melted coconut oil
- 1/3 c runny honey
- scant 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 c grated carrots
- 1/3 c chopped walnuts
For the frosting:
- 1 c macadamia nuts, soaked for at least an hour
- juice of 1 meyer lemon
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- large pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 c maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut butter
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
For the maple walnuts:
- 1 c raw walnuts
- 1/4 c maple syrup
- large pinch of sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
I tend to make the walnuts in advance so that they have time to cool completely. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat until warm, then add maple (it will fizz a bit). Add in walnuts and sea salt, and cook for a few minutes, stirring regularly and scraping up the caramel forming on the bottom, until the maple syrup has mostly reduced and caramelized – about 3 minutes. Turn off heat, stir in vanilla, and pour the walnuts out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet to cool completely. Store in an airtight jar until needed.
I soaked the macadamia nuts for the frosting about an hour, which meant that I put them to soak, made the cake, then made the frosting, which was a great timeline. The cake can easily be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge overnight.
For the cake: preheat the oven to 350, and grease an 8″ cast iron skillet. In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs, melted coconut oil, honey, and vanilla. Stir wet into dry, add in grated carrots and chopped walnuts, and stir until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared skillet, and bake for 28-30 minutes (mine was perfect at 30); the top should be lightly browned and firm to the touch, and a tester should come out clean. Let cool completely before frosting and serving.
For the frosting: add soaked macadamia nuts to a high-power blender or food processor (I used a vitamix), and blend until smooth. You’ll have to stop and scrape the sides repeatedly, but it’s worth it! Patience is a virtue, ha. Once the nuts resemble nut butter, add in lemon juice, vanilla, salt, maple syrup, coconut butter and cinnamon. These can be adjusted to taste! I usually just taste as I go, until I’m satisfied. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge until needed; any extra will keep for about two weeks.
To serve: I like to serve the cake straight out of the skillet, so I frost and top with walnuts as is. This cake is excellent with vanilla ice cream (what isn’t) — enjoy accordingly! Store any leftovers in the fridge — covering the skillet with foil works nicely, as does moving the cake to a tupperware.
Wait...are those...cookies?! 