Last weekend was Potluck Weekend! I love potlucks but they also tend to require a fair amount of time spent cooking (surprise surprise). Given that I wasn’t so keen to spend my whole weekend in the kitchen (I do have a life, you know), I opted to do a 2 in 1 deal on Saturday. Mission: Carrot Loaf had begun.

Now one would think the easiest thing to do would be just double the recipe right? Well one of the hosts of Saturday’s potluck was celiac so I wanted to take the opportunity to experiment with gluten-free baking, while sticking to a more fool-proof glutenous version for Sunday.

Fast forward to gluten-free cake emerging from oven: a sad sad tale.

I think I jumped to “cool on wire rack” a bit too early.

I was crushed – much like the cake that lay in chunks strewn across my kitchen counter. I would have taken a photo but the humour of the situation really didn’t dawn on me until much later …after the wound licking (and requisite finger-licking) had been taken care of. (I have to say, it did taste great! But it’s just that its curb appeal was clearly lacking)

I’m determined to get this gluten-free baking thing right though, so I’ll give it another go soon. Although I’m not sure my ego will be able to weather another flop. It’s funny how much of myself I invest in my own cooking – a loss of a cake is a personal loss, just like a cake’s *rising* success puts my ego on the up and up as well!

Which brings me to spelt. Oh, my beloved much-less-likely-to-disintegrate-spelt. Spelt is a relative of wheat, so it isn’t gluten-free but it’s definitely less gluten-y than wheat. Many people who have wheat sensitivities (not celiac disease) can tolerate spelt. I am one of these people. Spelt can readily be substituted for wheat in baking recipes – measure for measure generally works but try starting with 3/4c spelt for every cup of wheat flour since spelt doesn’t need as much liquid. Be careful not to over-mix it, though, as whatever gluten it does have will begin to break down.

Oh right…back to the kitchen. Spelt loaf emerges from oven and holds its own!

The result was a perfectly moist and rich carrot-raisin-walnut loaf whose ingredients screamed health while fooling the mouth into thinking otherwise. YES! I was on my way to baking-redemption.

Once I get the GF one right, I’ll be sure to share. But for now, hurrah for spelt!

1 3/4 cups whole spelt flour*
4 stevia packets (1.6grams, the equivalent of 8 tsp sugar)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup grated carrots, loosely packed* (~2 medium carrots?)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup of broken pieces of walnuts or pecans, plus 1-2 Tbsp reserved to sprinkle on the top

1 cup + 2 Tbsp vanilla or plain “milk” (I used almond)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup*
~ 2 Tbsp unsweetened apple sauce*
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp oil (sunflower*, organic canola, or coconut oil)

* denotes a local ingredient

Preheat oven to 350°F.** Lightly oil a loaf pan (approx. 5” x 9”). In a large bowl, sift dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and add carrots, raisins and walnuts to it and stir. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, stirring until it’s just mixed (careful not to over mix because of the spelt). Pour into a the lightly oiled loaf pan and sprinkle the rest of the nuts on the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden brown and somewhat cracked. A toothpick inserted into the middle should come out dry. Once done, remove from pan and let cool on a rack before slicing (although I wasn’t that patient).

**Note: The first time I made this cake I baked it at 375°F for the first 25 minutes or so and then reduced it to 350°F as I thought it might burn. The result was great. The second time, I baked it the whole time at 350°F and the result was not quite cooked enough in the centre, although there were other variables at play – like I used 1cup of carrots (packed) and 2 cups spelt flour, which may have contributed to added density. In conclusion, the recipe above is what I think it ought to be but please let me know how it turns out if you make it – I’m getting close!