SS&GF: Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

When Ester of The Lilac Kitchen posed this month’s Daring Baker’s Challenge my gears started rolling.  The challenge was actually to use a traditional ingredient: suet, raw fat from around the loin and kidneys of beef. Thank goodness she allowed suet substitutes.

Carrot cake is one of my favorites.  Not only does it taste great, but it has some nutrition from the carrots.  More importantly, I’ve never been able to muck it up. So carrot cake it was.

A Little About Puddings…

Puddings can be steamed in the oven or on the stove top.  I used my CrockPot.  I didn’t want to my oven going for hours and was too busy to fuss over pots on the stove.

To keep the condensed steam out of the batter, a covered container is imperative.  My vintage Pyrex worked perfectly.

My pudding turned out to be more of a cake.  I think.  I’ve never had a traditional, steamed English pudding so I’m just guessing.

It’s one darn good cake, though.  This won’t be the last time dessert comes out of my CrockPot.

Do you have a favorite CrockPot dessert?

Printer-friendly recipe

Steamed Carrot Cake Pudding
makes a 1 quart cake

1/4 cup packed dates
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup sorghum flour
2 tablespoons arrowroot
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup toasted pecans

Set a pot of water to boil on your stove top. Once it boils, reduce the heat and keep it hot.

Grease a 1 quart stoneware container.  Ideally, it should have a snug fitting lid.  Alternatively, cut two sheets of parchment paper and a piece of foil to fit the top.  It should have enough overhang to tie with kitchen twine.  (I used paper, foil, and a lid to make sure it was sealed tightly.)  Make sure the container fits in your CrockPot without touching the edges.

Put the dates in a heat proof bowl.  Cover with hot water and let them sit for 15 minutes.

Whisk together the coconut sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and xanthan gum. Set aside.

Drain and pit the dates.  Puree the plumped dates and softened butter in a mini-food processor or with an immersion blender.  Beat together egg and egg white.  Add to pureed dates and mix until just combined.

Dump pureed date mix on top of flour mix and stir until just combined.  Stir in carrots and pecans until just mixed. Turn mix into buttered stoneware container.  Cover with parchment paper and foil.  Tie with string.  Place lid on top. Form a foil coil to set on the bottom of your CrcokPot to keep the dish off of the bottom.  Set the dish on the foil coil.  Carefully pour the hot water halfway up the side of your pudding dish.

Cover the CrockPot.  Turn on high.  Check after one hour and 15 minutes.  A cake tester should come out clean.  Let cool for 10 – 15 minutes in the dish then invert onto a plate and serve.

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