Serves: 8

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 40-45 minutes

What You’ll Need:

• 300g (2 cups) almonds, whole unpeeled (or ready bought ground almonds can be used)
• 75g (1/2 cup) amaretti cookies (check they are gluten free), crushed into crumbs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder (check for gluten free)
• 4 eggs, separated
• 45g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
• zest of 2 lemons
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 475g (2 cups) carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
• Icing sugar, for dusting (optional)
• Unsalted butter (or diary free option) and gluten free flour, for greasing the baking tin

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.  Butter and flour a 9″ cake tin.
• Finely grind the almonds in a food processor or use shop bought ground almonds.
• In a large mixing bowl beat the egg yolks with the sugar together until creamy in consistency.  Then stir in the lemon zest and vanilla extract, ground almonds, crumbled amaretti cookies, baking powder and grated carrots.
• In a separate clean mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff and then gently fold into the cake mixture. Pour into the prepared cake tin, and bake in the middle of the oven for 40-45 minutes, less or more depending how hot your oven runs. Test when the cake is cooked by pushing a skewer into the centre and if it comes out clean, it’s cooked.
• Remove from the oven and carefully turn the cake out of the baking tin onto a cake rack or plate. Dust with icing sugar and enjoy.

Recipe by Linda McCartney