Winter Rosemary & Carrot Cake (GF)

Are you looking for a cake for your book club to please all?
A recent event at N&B made me searching for a cake that was winter delicious, gluten free and ‘healthy’.
I found the perfect recipe for what I was looking for from The Beauty Chef. I don’t pretend to be a recipe developer, but am pretty good at following a recipe and I found this one simple and easy to follow. Carla Oates recipe book The Beauty Chef is full of whole food recipes if you are looking to add to your recipe book library.

Ingredients
3 ¼ cups peeled & grated apple
1 cup grated red apple
1 ½ cups coarsley chopped walnuts
8 medjool dates, pitted & chopped
3 large eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup
¼ cup macadamia oil (I think I used olive oil)
2 tspns apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp finely chopped rosemary
1 ½ cups almond meal
½ cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup arrowroot flour
1 ½ tsp GF baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground nutmeg
fresh rosemary leaves

Cacao Butter frosting
50 g cacao butter
2 Tbsp maple syrup
250g labneh, strained for 2 days

note: for frosting I used 1 can thick coconut cream chilled then very lightly beaten/mixed with maple syrup, and spread just before serving. This does not hold well, especially if warm, but perfect for winter temps.
I also used 2 cake tins to make a layered cake.

Directions
Preheat oven to 180 C, lightly grease and line 20cm round cake tin with baking paper - I used 2 tins (watch cooking time closely if using 2 tins as will cook faster).

Combine carrotsm apple and walnuts in a bowl.

Blend dates, eggs, maple syrup, macadamia oil and apple cider vinegar in food processor/blender until smooth. Add to the carrot mixture with rosemary and stir to combine.

WHick almond meal, buckwheat and arrowroot flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking sodain a medium bowl. Add to the wet carrot mixture and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared tin.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 mins or until skewer comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in tin for 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack to cool completely.

Frosting
Place cacao butter and maple syrup in heatproof bowl over saucepan with simmering water. Whisk a large spoonful of labneh into the mixture. Remove from heat and continue to add labneh whosking until smooth and creamy.
Spoon and spread over cake. Dust with cinnamon and decorate with fresk rosemary sprigs.