this wholesome carob cake has a brownie-like effect as its a bit more dense and gooey – one piece is satisfying and filling when you need something sweet, and all ingredients are simple healthy and nutritious

dry:

• 1 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup whole grain flour (i use einkorn but spelt kamut ww etc all work)
• 1/2 cup carob powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp ground flax meal (golden if available)

wet:

• 1/3 cup unsweetened plain plant yogurt (i use cashew or soy)
• 2 mashed ripe medium size bananas / about 3/4 cup
• 5 pitted medjool dates
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup hot water

mix dry ingredients in a bowl and combine evenly – add wet ingredients to a blender (you can just add the bananas in chunks to the blender, or mash them first to check the amount but 2 medium size bananas makes about 3/4 cup) and blend well on a higher speed, its nice with some date bits though so you don’t need to blend too long – add the blended wet mix into the dry and with a large spoon mix it all up real good

let the mix sit 5 to 10 minutes while oven preheats and you clean up, allowing the flax and oats to absorb some of the moisture – pour mix into a 9×9 baking dish and bake at 350 for 35 minutes – cool completely before cutting – makes 16 squares – refrigerate after the first 24 hours if there is still some left, or refrigerate as soon as they are cool – the consistency is more cakey at room temp and more brownie-like chilled

super good if you slice a piece in the middle and stick some nut butter inside like a sandwich – skip the fancy frosting and just go with some almond or peanut butter – makes a healthy treat most any kid would love

nutritionally, carob is high in fiber low in fat and has no caffeine – rich in calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, b-vitamins, riboflavin and niacin, antioxidant polyphenols and prebiotics – its wonderful for digestion

it is sweet and nutty on its own with a beautiful smell, and the effect of eating it is very calming – you feel satisfied, nourished, gently comforted and mellow 🙂

background:

growing up we ate whole food plant based and as young children we always had carob instead of cocoa or chocolate, as it had no caffeine and was very nutritious – we didn’t have chocolate until we were older and LOVED everything carob! carob cupcakes, cakes, candies, cookies, breads – it was a favorite for us and all the kids who ate at our house

historic note:

the wild carob / locust bean gum tree grows throughout the mediterranean and has been enjoyed by humans throughout the ages – also widely known as st. john’s bread as st. john the baptist, believed to be a vegetarian (a counter-culture figure of love kindness and compassion for the times) survived on the pods of the locust bean gum tree in the desert – in the early vegetarian communities like seventh day adventists, carob was widely used and enjoyed as a healthier alternative to chocolate (this was before organic cacao was available and cocoa options were pretty limited comparatively), especially for growing children due to its nutrition content – some of the earliest treats available in health food stores were carob since these stores were often run by christian communities who truly did offer a very warm welcoming and abundant array of healthy meat and dairy free alternatives in those early days where there were far less options

environmental note:

carob is far lower impact than cacao – its carbon footprint is significantly smaller, the trees grow well in arid conditions and produce a highly nutritious food, so as far as sustainability carob is a food from the future past that has much to offer to both human and environmental health – grab some and give it a try – if you’ve never had it you’re in for a treat

photos show sandwich style, the cake after being refigerated (it gets more gooey), the cake just cooled and unrefrigerated, and the batter for reference – its good every way, even the batter 😉