Coconut Carrot and Pumpkin cakes

Coconut Carrot Cake

A delicious, light and easy-to-make carrot cake.

Ingredients 

1lb (500g) of carrots

1/2 cup of sugar 
4oz (100g) breadcrumbs

2oz (50g) coconut butter (oil) or 4oz coconut milk for less calories

6 eggs

1/2 cup raisins

Directions

1.Steam the carrots or boil them in a small amount of water until soft, then puree them in a food processor while they are still hot. 

Preheat  the oven to 350F

2.While the oven is preheating add sugar and coconut butter or milk to the carrot puree right in the food processor. After the sugar and coconut butter are fully dissolved, add six egg yolks, one at a time ( save the egg whites in a separate bowl ). Keep the food processor running. After the carrot mixture becomes a thick foam add bread crumbs.

3.Put the carrot mixture in the mixing bowl and add raisins. In a separate bowl whip the egg whites to a thick foam and put them on top of the carrot mixture. Mix gently the egg whites and carrot mixture by folding  the carrot mixture over the egg white (mixing from bottom up)  until the two mixtures are completely mixed.

4.Place the cake mixture in the greased  9 inch pie pan and bake for approximately an hour. This cake can be served hot, room temperature or cooled and topped with whipped cream, jam or syrup.

Pumpkin Cake

This cake is a good addition to the Thanksgiving dinner.

Ingredients

1lb (500g) of pumpkin

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp clove.

1/2 cup of sugar (could be brown sugar)

4oz (100g) breadcrumbs

1/3 cup oil

6 eggs

Directions

1.Cut the pumpkin into small cubes ( approximately 1 inch) and steam or bake them until soft. Then puree the pumpkin pieces in a food processor while they are still hot.

 Preheat  the oven to 350F.

2.While the oven is preheating add sugar and oil to the pumpkin puree right in the food processor. After the sugar is fully dissolved, add six egg yolks, one at a time ( save the egg whites in a separate bowl ). Keep the food processor running. After the pumpkin mixture becomes a thick foam add bread crumbs.

3.Put the pumpkin mixture in the mixing bowl. In a separate bowl whip the egg whites to a thick foam and put them on top of the pumpkin mixture. Mix gently the eggs whites and pumpkin mixture by folding the pumpkin mixture over the egg whites (mix form the bottom up) until the two mixtures are completely mixed. Place the cake mixture in the greased  9 inch pie pan and bake for approximately an hour. This cake can be served hot, room temperature or cooled and topped with whipped cream or maple syrup.

Suggestions.

If you have a garden and harvest an excess of carrots and pumpkins at the end of the season, you can freeze them for later use to make these two wonderful and healthy cakes. Steam the carrots and/or pumpkins until soft, then puree them in a food processor and freeze them in portions of 500g (1 pound).

Prior to use defrost the vegetables, and heat them slightly. Microwave oven or hot water would do. You can use these vegetable purees  also at room temperature..

If you put less sugar you can turn those cakes into a vegetable dish. These cakes include mostly vegetables and protein (eggs) and some carbohydrates. They are healthy and very nutritious. The good way to make your kids eat vegetables!