CARROT EGGWHITES SQUARES
January 09, 2020This is an easy homemade dessert, where carrots are the main ingredient of this moist cake, bringing some natural sweetness and intense color to these squares.
When I have leftover egg whites from other recipes (mainly around Christmas), this is one of the recipes I use most often to spend them, also because it doesn't require many ingredients and is quick to prepare.
The Ingredients
Carrot - is the main ingredient and the fresher they are, the more you'll notice in the flavor and color of these squares.
Egg whites - will give consistency to the cake and also help to insert some air into the preparation. I've never tried it, but I estimate that for a vegan version of this recipe, it can be replaced using about 8 tablespoons of aquafaba.
Self-raising flour- to bind and balance the moisture present in the carrots and egg whites. Gluten-free flour can be used, but it will probably change (slightly) the consistency as some gluten-free flour mix absorb more liquid and make some cakes drier, but I believe that in this case, it will not be significant.
Baking powder - as it has two moist main ingredients, baking powder helps to make it a little lighter.
Sugar - because carrots have some natural sweetness (but there are some sweeter than others ...), I reduced the amount of sugar to 150gr instead of the original 200gr. You can use coconut sugar instead, or use 100gr of a sugar-stevia blend.
Butter or coconut oil - any of these fats can be used, but also olive oil or grapeseed oil, or even vegan butters/margarines (as long as they refer in the packaging that is suitable for cooking).
Orange zest - The combination of orange and carrot is quite common to find in both sweet and savory recipes. Anyway, I mention the orange zest as optional because I often don't add it, because I like the carrot's own flavor.
How to make
Of the several times that I made this dessert, many were those where I previously cooked the carrot. Lately, however, I have been making these squares with raw carrots that I previously pulverized. This way, the carrot's vitamins aren't lost in some previous cooking. To do this, just peel the carrots and chop them into slices about 1cm thick and grind them in a food processor.
For those who wish to cook them, I advise steaming the carrot so that the pulp doesn't absorb too much water, which will present a cake with a different consistency.
They can also be cooked in the microwave (personally I am not an advocate of cooking in the microwave, especially vegetables and fruits) and to do so just put the carrot slices in a bowl (or microwave-safe container) with 3 or 4 tablespoons of water, covering the container with cling film and cooking at maximum power for approximately 8 minutes.
After mashing to a puree, just add the rest of the ingredients: sugar, orange zest, butter, and flour mixed with the baking powder (if using a food processor to prepare the whole recipe, add only the butter/oil when transferring to a bowl so no fat residues remain in the food processor when you beat the egg whites).
Beat the egg whites together with the pinch of salt.
Carefully wrap the egg whites in the previous mixture, pouring everything into a rectangular or square pan (mine was 30x20cm) previously lined with parchment paper.
Finally, bake it at 180ºC for approximately 25 minutes, or until it starts to brown slightly on the surface.
For those who wish to cook them, I advise steaming the carrot so that the pulp doesn't absorb too much water, which will present a cake with a different consistency.
They can also be cooked in the microwave (personally I am not an advocate of cooking in the microwave, especially vegetables and fruits) and to do so just put the carrot slices in a bowl (or microwave-safe container) with 3 or 4 tablespoons of water, covering the container with cling film and cooking at maximum power for approximately 8 minutes.
After mashing to a puree, just add the rest of the ingredients: sugar, orange zest, butter, and flour mixed with the baking powder (if using a food processor to prepare the whole recipe, add only the butter/oil when transferring to a bowl so no fat residues remain in the food processor when you beat the egg whites).
Beat the egg whites together with the pinch of salt.
Carefully wrap the egg whites in the previous mixture, pouring everything into a rectangular or square pan (mine was 30x20cm) previously lined with parchment paper.
Finally, bake it at 180ºC for approximately 25 minutes, or until it starts to brown slightly on the surface.
Carrot eggwhites cake squares Recipe
500 gr carrots
4 egg whites
150 gr of sugar
80 gr of self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon butter, ou coconut oil
1 small orange zest (optional)
- Peel the carrots and cook them in water, steam or microwave, and reduce to a puree in a food processor.
- If you do not wish to pre-cook the carrot, cut it into slices or thin quarters, and chop it raw in the food processor.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, yeast, butter, sugar, and orange zest to the carrot puree/mince.
- Beat the egg whites with the salt and add it to the previous mixture.
- Place in a rectangular or square form, covering the bottom with parchment paper.
- Bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes, at 180ºC.
Adapted from "Quadrados de cenoura" of "Cozinha Saudável e Vegetariana" magazine / Originally posted in 2012
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