Carrot and Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Imagine if Carrot Cake and Blueberry Porridge had a baby. The result would be this Carrot and Blueberry Breakfast Cake which first featured in Jess' Vegan One-Pot-Wonders book which was released in 2020, and became so popular with our postpartum clients and doula community, that we absolutely had to include the recipe in Life After Birth as well.

This recipe is full of galactagogue-rich oats, as well as hemp, chia and flax seeds, warming spices, healthy fats, antioxidants and a whole lotta fibre. The smell that wafts through your home when this is baking is next level; this recipe is a cult classic for a reason.

Ingredients:

Coconut oil, for greasing
400 ml (14 fl oz) tin coconut milk 
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
230 g (2 cups) grated carrot (about 3 medium carrots)
110 g (1/3 cup) maple syrup
70 ml (1/3 cup) olive oil or melted coconut oil
200 g (2 cups) quick-cook oats
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of sea salt
generous handful of walnuts (about 50 g)
115 g (¾ cup) fresh or frozen blueberries

Optional additions:
⅓ cup/ 40g goji berries - excellent for postpartum recovery
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
2 tablespoons ground flax/linseed
2 tablespoons coconut sugar to sprinkle on top
 
To serve:
coconut yoghurt
lemon zest
 
Method:

Preheat oven to 160°C
 
Combine the coconut milk, chia seeds and apple cider vinegar in a bowl and allow it to curdle while you peel and grate the carrots.
 
Add the maple syrup, oil and grated carrot to the wet mixture, stir until well combined and then add the dry ingredients and stir again. Fold in the blueberries then pour the mixture into a greased cake tin, enamel pan or glass dish. Place in the hot oven for 30-40 minutes, until golden on top and crisp around the edges. In Life After Birth, we share how to make it as little cakes, by baking in greased muffin pans for approx 20 minutes.
 
Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Serve warm, topped with coconut yoghurt and lemon zest, or in a bowl with milk of choice. Heaven. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

If you'd like to see a video of how to make this, you can see one here.