Cake
300ml Cake Flour, sifted
200ml Oat Bran
125ml Wholewheat ProNutro
125ml Digestive Bran
100ml Canola Oil
250ml Sugar
100g Plain Yogurt
2 Belinzona Organic Rooibos tea bags
125ml Milk
750ml (3 cups) grated carrots
10ml Cinnamon
4 Eggs
5ml Baking Soda
10ml Baking Powder
125ml Grated Pecan Nuts
2ml Salt
Icing
230gr Plain Low Fat Cream Cheese
50ml Icing S
Method
Cake
- Bring milk to boil. Add 2 Belinzona Organic Rooibos teabags to milk and simmer for a few minutes while allowing the milk to extract the flavours from the tea bags. Let the milk cool down while the Rooibos flavour and taste enhances.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease 2 round cake pans or a tube pan.
- Beat the eggs and sugar very well with an electric beater until light and foamy.
- Add the oil, jogurt and Rooibos tea milk to the egg mixture and blend thoroughly.
- In a large bowl, sieve together the flour, Oat Bran, ProNutro, Digestive Bran, Cinnamon, Baking soda, Baking powder and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir to mix well.
- Fold the grated carrots and nuts into the mixture.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until done (when a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean).
- Leave to cool into the cake pan for at least 5 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Icing
Mix Cream Cheese with Icing Sugar to form a smooth paste.
Spread the icing on top of the cake.
Decorate with grated Pecan Nuts.
Dietitian notes:
- Oat Bran is a soluble fibre and makes this carrot cake healthier! Soluble fibre helps to stabilize the blood sugar, it slows down the rate at which the stomach empties, therefore the result of improved digestion and absorption of nutrients.
- Whole wheat ProNutro and Digestive Bran brings insoluble fibre to the recipe that is good for increasing the wholesomeness and total fibre intake of the product. Fibre binds fat/cholesterol and the body can get rid of it.
- Canola Oil is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids which is good for lowering cholesterol, improves concentration and omega 3 is anti-inflammatory, it works against inflammation.
- Something to say about sugar: These days sugar is kind of a “sin word” in many peoples vocabulary. It really all depends on the situation…. Diabetics always benefit from eating less sugar and less fat.
- This recipe, high in both soluble and insoluble fibre, will have a lower glycaemic index (the rate at which carbohydrates are digested and absorbed in body and affects the blood glucose levels) than a recipe not including these fibre.
- Fibre improves blood glucose control. If dividing this carrot cake into 12 slices for 12 people, each will have the intake of 4 teaspoons of sugar.
- Sometimes products can contain sugar, but will not affect the blood glucose in a negative way, because of the combination of other healthy ingredients used in the recipe.
- On the other hand: When struggling with IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome), brown or white sugar, in a small quantity, is preferred above the use of a natural product such as honey for example (according to FODMAPS – one of the most recent methods in treating IBS)
- Belinzona Organic Rooibos tea adds a different touch and flavour to the recipe. Rooibos is beneficial because it is caffeine-free, it is low in tannins (tannins usually interferes with iron absorption) and it is high in antioxidants. Antioxidants stop free radicals (toxins) from damaging cells in the body.
Dianda Snyman
Registered dietician RD(SA)
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