Carrot Cake Slice
If you’re just starting out on your solids journey, you probably aren’t looking for snack foods to offer just yet. BUT just as breakfast doesn’t need to be a sweet or fruity option, snack foods don’t need to be limited to morning or afternoon tea. Offering a snack option like a muffin, fruit or a slice with a main meal is a great way to offer variety but also start to normalise these types of foods from a young age.
Many parents are worried that by offering “sweets” their bub will developing a preference for these foods and it will lead to fussy eating and a refusal of veggies. There is no need to fear sweet foods though and offering them regularly can take them off a pedestal and teach our kids that there is nothing mythical about them. Food is just food.
In saying that, many commercial snack foods, cakes, muffins and slices have a lot of added sugar. Where possible, we really want to limit added sugar for little ones, especially before the age of 2. Although this recipe is sweetened with fruit, it doesn’t have added free sugar. You can also reduce the dates if you wish.
This is also a great recipe if you have older kids in the house that need something for the lunch box, but you also want to be able to offer it to your bub too. It also goes very well with a cup of coffee for mum and dad!
Carrot Cake Slice
- Ingredients
- 1.5 cups of self-raising flour
- ½ cup of dates or prunes soaked in boiling water
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 chopped carrots
- ½ cup of walnuts
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- ½ cup of desiccated coconut
- 1 cup milk (can use a plant milk)
Frosting (optional):
- 1 cup of yoghurt (Can use coconut yogurt, just add in 2 tbs of lemon juice)
- 1.5 cup of cashew (soaked for 30 mins in boiling water first then drained)
- 1 tbs maple syrup (optional)
What To Do
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper
- Place all your ingredients into the food processor and blend until smooth
- Put mixture into the baking tray
- Bake for 60 mins (until cooked through and springy to touch on top)
- Take out and allow to cool
- Frosting (optional): Blend it all together! Once your slice has cooled, spread icing over the top and store in the fridge.
This sounds delicious, thanks for the recipe!
Are the chopped carrots raw, or cooked, before blending in the food processor?
They are raw!
I only just got around to making this last week and it was delicious.
You weren’t wrong about it going well with a cup of coffee for mum or dad – I think I ate more of it than I gave to my daughter.
Thank you for the recipe!!
Hello!
Does the date water go in too?
Hi Kiera, No need for the date water to go in 🙂
How long should the dates be soaked in boiling water for?
Thanks!
Hi Winona, a few minutes should be enough time to soften them 🙂
Can you use Greek yogurt or would that be too tart?
Hi Margaret! That would be fine!
Could you turn these into mini muffins instead? What would the time adjust to if so
Absolutely! I haven’t done it so don’t know exact time but I would start with 10 mins in the oven and just test if they are cooked through with a kebab stick or knife. When it comes out clean they are done!