If you’re looking for a quick, easy and delicious cake, this one is made for you ! This carob loaf is totally gluten free, sweetened by ripe banana and with a surprising chocolate carob flavor. You’ll love the thick and creamy tahini caramel frosting that brings the perfect sweet touch and the crunchy roasted hazelnuts on top.

I’ve recently developed a love for healthy cake. It all started with my sugar free Carrot cake and then the Apple cinnamon loaf with maple tahini dressing. You guys showed so much love for the latter that in only one day it became my most liked post on Instagram ! So I came to the conclusion you love healthy cake as much as I do, so I jumped into my kitchen to prepare a new one for you, that’s how this carob loaf came about.

I really loved the previous apple and cinnamon loaf, it’s yummy moist and light texture, so I wanted to keep  a similar basis for the new recipe and just make some arrangement for the new flavor. To make the loaf gluten free, I used buckwheat flour, oat flour and almond meal. Almond meal is perfect to give your cake a pleasant moist and fluffy texture. But if you prefer, you can absolutely sub for your favorite gluten free mix. Oh, and there is nothing easier than making oat flour ! All you have to do is to mix oats until you get a fine flour consistency, voilà ! Also many people wonder if oats are gluten free or not. In fact, YES, oats are naturally gluten free, but as they are often processed and stored in factories that also work with wheat there might be some risks of infection, that’s why they are sometimes not mentioned as gluten free. So if you are gluten allergic make sure you’re using gluten free certified oats, but if you’re only slightly intolerant you can definitely use any kind of oats.

While apple sauce was the main wet ingredient in the apple loaf, I substituted for ripe banana that better pair with the chocolate flavor. Fruit sauces and ripe bananas are amazing ingredients to work with for your cakes : they replace fat (like butter or oil), bring sweetness so no need to add sugar and provide moisture. When using industrial fruit sauces, always make sure they are added sugar free and with as little additives as possible. You can also make your own by simply cooking ripe fruits in a saucepan.

Carob is one of my favorite flavors. I use carob powder everywhere and always add a teaspoon on top of my smoothie bowls. Carob comes from a pod of a Mediterranean tree of the same name. The ripe pods contain a sweet pulp that is dried, roasted, and then ground into a powder, the one you can easily buy at the grocery store. Carob flavor is often said to be similar to chocolate, but let’s be honest, carob flavor is unique and very different ! Carob is less bitter than chocolate and has a roasted, naturally sweet delicious flavor. Not to mention that carob is packed with lot of fibers, antioxidants and caffeine-free. So what are you waiting for to try it ? You can basically use carob the same ways as chocolate in a 1-to-1 ratio. For this loaf, I used both carob and cocoa because, well … I love them both ! 🙂

More delicious healthy cakes to try :

• Apple cinnamon loaf & Maple tahini dressing
• Sugar free Carrot cake
• Plume Cardamome & Rose Polenta cake (Love Persian cake)

Carob loaf with Tahini caramel frosting

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• Author: Alice | Early Brawd
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: A small loaf / 6 servings

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Description

This carob loaf is totally gluten free, sweetened by ripe banana and with a surprising chocolate carob flavor. You’ll love the thick and creamy tahini caramel frosting that brings the perfect sweet touch and the crunchy roasted hazelnuts on top.

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Ingredients

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Carob loaf :

• 2 tbsp ground flax seed
• 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp carob powder
• 3 tbsp cacao powder
• 2 medium very ripe bananas
• 3 tbsp almond milk
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped

Tahini caramel frosting :

• 4 medjool dates
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp coconut cream or soy cream
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• A pinch of sea salt

Toppings :

• 1/4 cup crushed roasted hazelnuts

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Instructions

Carob loaf:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease or line a loaf mold with parchment paper (using parchment paper will make it easier to remove from the mold). Set aside.
2. Prepare the flax egg by mixing the ground flax seeds with 5 tbsp of water and set aside for 5 minutes. The ground flaxseeds will absorb the water and make the mixture thicken.
3. In a large bowl combine the flours, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, carob, cocoa powder and salt.
4. Using a fork, mash the bananas in a flat bottom dish until pureed. In a medium bowl, mix the mashed banana, almond milk, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Add in the flax egg preparation and stir well to combine.
5. Pour the liquid preparation over the dry mixture in the large bowl and stir until perfectly combined and no lumps remaining. The batter should be smooth and pretty thick. If the batter is too dry and crumbly, add a little more almond milk.
6. Fold in the chopped dark chocolate and stir to incorporate.
7. Pour the loaf batter in the prepared mold, spread using a spatula and smooth the surface.
8. Bake for around 40 minutes or until the top of the loaf is dry and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow the loaf to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the mold, while you prepare the frosting.

Tahini caramel frosting :

1. Pit and roughly chop the medjool dates and blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender until perfectly smooth and creamy. Transfer in a bowl and allow to chill in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm.

Assembly :

1. Once chilled, remove the loaf from the mold and place on a serving plate.
2. Using a spatula, spread the frosting on top of the loaf. Garnish with crushed roasted hazelnuts. Enjoy !

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Notes

1. You can make the oat flour by simply mixing rolled oat until you get a fine flour consistency.
2. This recipe is for a small loaf. If you’re using a standard US bread loaf tin, I recommend to double the recipe.

RECETTE VERSION FRANÇAISE

CAKE A LA CAROUBE & GANACHE CARAMEL AU TAHIN

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• Author: Alice | Early Brawd
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: Un petit cake (6 parts)

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Description

Ce gateau très facile et rapide à réaliser ravira tout le monde avec sa texture moelleuse et généreuse et son surprenant goût chocolat caroube. Il est vegan, sans gluten et naturellement sucré par la banane. Le tout recouvert d’un onctueux caramel à la crème de sésame et de noisettes torréfiées craquantes.

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Ingredients

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Gateau à la caroube :

• 2 c. à s. de graines de lin moulues
• 90 g de farine de sarrasin
• 50 g de farine d’avoine
• 25 g de poudre d’amande
• 2 c. à c. de levure chimique
• 1 c. à c. de bicarbonate de soude
• 1/4 c. à c. de sel
• 2 c. à s. de caroube en poudre
• 3 c. à s. de cacao en poudre
• 2 bananes moyennes bien mures
• 45 ml de lait d’amande
• 2 c. à c. de vinaigre de cidre
• 1 c. à s. de sirop d’érable
• 2 c. à c. d’extrait de vanille
• 20 g de chocolat noir haché

Caramel au tahin :

• 4 dattes de variété medjool
• 2 c. à s. de tahin (crème de sésame)
• 2 c. à s. de crème de coco ou crème soja
• 1/2 c. à c. de cannelle en poudre
• Une bonne pincée de sel

Garniture :

• 20 g de noisettes torréfiées

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Instructions

Gateau à la caroube :

1. Préchauffer le four à 180°C et graisser ou chemiser de papier cuisson un moule à cake (je conseille d’utiliser du papier cuisson pour faciliter le démoulage du cake).
2. Dans un petit bol, mélanger les graines de lin moulues avec 5 cuillères à soupe d’eau, bien remuer et laisser reposer pendant 5 minutes. Les graines de lin vont absorber l’eau et épaissir le mélange.
3. Dans un petit saladier, mélanger les farines, la poudre d’amande, la levure chimique, le bicarbonate de soude, la caroube, le cacao en poudre et le sel.
4. Dans une assiette plate, écraser les bananes en purée à l’aide d’une fourchette. Dans un bol, mélanger la les bananes écrasées, le lait d’amande, le vinaigre de cidre, le sirop d’érable et l’extrait de vanille. Ajouter le mélange de graines de lin moulues et bien mélanger pour incorporer tous les ingrédients.
5. Verser la préparation liquide dans le saladier avec les ingrédients secs et bien mélanger à l’aide d’une spatule jusqu’à obtenir une pâte bien homogène et sans grumeaux. A ce stade, la pâte doit être lisse et assez épaisse. Si la pâte est trop sèche, ajouter un peu plus de lait d’amande.
6. Incorporer le chocolat noir grossièrement haché.
7. Verser l’apparel à cake dans le moule, bien répartir et lisser la surface à l’aide d’une spatule.
8. Enfourner pour 40 minutes jusqu’à ce que le cake soit sec sur le dessus. Vérifier la cuisson en insérant la pointe d’un couteau: si elle ressort sèche, alors il est cuit. Retirer du four et laisser refroidir complètement avant de démouler.

Caramel au tahin :

1. Dénoyauter et hacher grossièrement les dattes. Mixer tous les ingrédients dans un blender jusqu’à obtenir un caramel parfaitement lisse et crémeux. Transférer la sauce dans un bol et placer au frais pour 15 minutes afin qu’il se raffermisse.

Montage :

1. Une fois refroidi, démouler le cake et le déposer sur un plat à service.
2. A l’aide d’une spatule, étaler la ganache sur le dessus du cake pour bien le recouvrir. Garnir de noisettes torréfiées concassées, c’est prêt !

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Notes

1. Pour la farine d’avoine, mixer simplement des flocons d’avoine jusqu’à obtenir une consistence de farine fine.
2. Cette recette permet de réaliser un cake de petite taille. Si vous utilisez un moule à cake standard, je recommande fortement de doubler les quantités.