Healthy carrot and banana cakes

Urgh. This RAIN! Now that the kids are back at school and preschool I can just about cope with it, but it’s the afternoons with the 3 year old that need filling with an activity other than CBeebies (which, admittedly, she does watch for at least an hour after getting home at lunchtime). So yesterday I did a spot of baking with her. It was actually really enjoyable!! I know: Mum and 3 Year Old in Fun Baking Shocker! Let’s face it, often baking with young kids often isn’t much fun, but she seems to be very into it right now (“I’m going to be a foooood blogger Mummy!“) and fairly easy to control well-behaved. And with an easy recipe like this, you can’t really go wrong.

Clarks sent me a fab array of natural syrups: maple, carob, agave and golden brown. All of which are great for replacing sugar – not just in baking, but on top of porridge or in savoury cooking (check out my maple glazed ham vlog). I chose maple for these cakes, as I love the caramel, smokey flavour it gives. It is decadent to use a lot in baking, but maple syrup, despite still being a sugar, is at least full of health benefits like being a good source of zinc, and also packed with antioxidants.

These little cakes are very simple but completely delicious, so moist and sweet. I like the austereness of them, especially after a major Celebrations overload at Christmas. They are made with coconut oil instead of butter and also have a large amount of fruit and veg in them, not just a token amount, so they make a very decent after-school snack for the kids, or an after-run snack for me. Oh sorry, did I not mention I’d started running again? Yes, that, and polishing my halo are my main hobbies right now…

Makes: About 20, depending on size
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 
150g coconut oil, melted
100ml maple syrup (or other natural syrup)
300g carrots (about 4), peeled and grated
2 eggs
2 bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g self-raising flour (I used normal but a healthier choice like spelt or buckwheat would be great)

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Then melt the coconut oil in the microwave, 50 seconds should do it.
2. Mix the maple syrup into the coconut oil.
3. Grate your carrots and pour over the oil and syrup mix.
4. Add the eggs and mix well. Now the mashed banana and vanilla.
5. Now fold the flour in.
6. Place the fairy cake cases in a cake tin tray and fill with batter. Bake for 20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. I filled mine and then did another batch. Leave to cool on a wire tray.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post for Clarks. As such I was paid to write it but all opinions are my own. Links are no follow.