Baked Carrot Cake Porridge

I used to make this – minus the nutty crumble topping – for Otis when he was a baby. Once cooked you can break the porridge in to pieces to allow it to cool, it’s then the perfect size for little hands to pick up and shovel in. It’s also a dish that the whole family loves, which always makes breakfast time easier and I love that I’ve got half-an-hour while it bakes to get myself and everybody ready and out the door, or just climb back in to bed for a cuddle on the weekend. Pop any leftovers in the fridge and either re-heat in a saucepan with a little more milk or simply eat cold.

Oats or eggs, served in a variety of ways, is pretty much the standard breakfast in our house. I’ve spoken here about why oats are such a great way for kids to start the day, and this Baked Carrot Cake Porridge also includes the added benefit of eggs, one of my top 10 superfoods for kids. Sneaking carrots in at breakfast also means the kids are already on the way to getting their required 5 serves (that’s 5 kid-sized handfuls) of veggies a day in.

A couple of cheats/tips: Don’t worry if you don’t have all the spices, cinnamon alone is fine. Same goes for the nuts/seeds in the crumble topping, just use whatever you have to make up the required amount. To save time in the morning, combine all the dry ingredients together in a bowl the night before, the same goes for the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then all you have to do in the morning is combine everything with the grated carrot and apple – which to be honest, I’ll often pop in the Thermomix/food processor and blitz rather than bother with the grating – and pop in the oven to bake.

BAKED CARROT CAKE PORRIDGE

Serves: 4-6 – Prep time: 10-mins – Cook time: 30-40-mins

Ingredients:

Dry mixture –

2 cups rolled oats *preferably organic

2 Tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Pinch of sea salt

1 large carrot, grated (peel if not organic)

1 apple, grated (peel if not organic)

Wet mixture –

2 large eggs *organic or free-range

500ml milk of choice

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

1 Tbsp macadamia nut oil or melted coconut oil

Crumble topping –

½ cup sunflower seeds

½ cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup pecans, roughly chopped

1 Tbsp pure maple syrup

1 Tbsp macadamia nut oil or melted coconut oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease the base of a 20x20cm baking dish with coconut oil and then set aside.
2. Combine the oats, baking powder, chia seeds, spices and salt in a mixing bowl, then add grated carrot and apple and stir to mix. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and add milk, vanilla, macadamia oil and maple syrup.
3. For the crumble topping, combine the nuts, seeds, coconut oil and maple syrup together in a small bowl and mix together so that everything gets coated in the oil and syrup..
4. Spoon the oat mixture in to the baking dish and then pour the egg mixture over the oats so everything is evenly soaked. Sprinkle the seed and nut mixture on top and bake for 30-40 minutes. When it’s done, the oat mixture should be set and the nuts and seeds lightly browned and crunchy. Leave to cool slightly before serving.
5. Serve with a drizzle of extra milk and a dollop of yoghurt.

Dietary variations:

Egg free/Vegan – use chia eggs (1 Tbsp chia seeds + 1 Tbsp water = 1 chia egg)

Dairy free – use any plant-based milk

Gluten free – use gluten free oats

Fructose free – omit apple and use rice malt syrup

Nut free – omit nuts and replace with seeds, use coconut oil in place of macadamia nut oil

Happy Cooking!

Lucy x