Lebkuchen traybake bars with carrots and cocoa glaze

Lebkuchen bars baked on a tray with hazelnuts, almonds, carrots, eggs and honey, topped with a cocoa glaze. Moist like carrot cake – a family-friendly Christmas dessert.

At a glance

• Serves 12
• Prep time: 25 min
• Cooking time: 30 min
• Total time: 55 min
• Calories: 313 kcal per serving
• Protein: 8 g
• Fat: 21 g
• Carbs: 20 g

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 120g honey
• 300g carrots
• 1 orange
• 200g ground hazelnuts
• 100g ground almonds
• 100g spelt flour
• 50g coconut oil
• 40g maple syrup
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 tsp gingerbread spice
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 25g cocoa powder

Method

You’ll need: oven · hand mixer · chopping board · knife · grater

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan) and line a 20 × 30 cm tin with baking paper.
2. Whisk the eggs, honey and salt with a hand mixer for 5 minutes until fluffy.
3. Finely grate the carrots and the orange zest. Mix the hazelnuts, almonds, spelt flour, gingerbread spice and baking powder.
4. Fold the nut mixture, carrots and orange zest into the egg mixture, spread the batter in the tin and bake it for 25 to 30 minutes.
5. Melt the coconut oil, stir in the cocoa and maple syrup and spread the glaze over the cooled cake.
6. Leave the glaze to set in the fridge for 30 minutes and cut the cake into 12 bars.

Good to know

These bars are a cross between Lebkuchen and carrot cake. You can't see the carrots, but they keep the cake moist. The glaze of cocoa and coconut oil sets like chocolate in the fridge.

Swaps

Carrots → courgette (milder). Spelt flour → buckwheat flour (then gluten-free). Hazelnuts → walnuts. Honey → maple syrup.

Cooking tips

Whisk the eggs and honey for a full 5 minutes – the air replaces some of the flour. Cut the bars with a knife dipped in hot water.

Storage

The bars keep for 5 days in a tin in the fridge; without chilling, the glaze turns soft.

Allergens

Contains gluten (spelt), egg, hazelnuts and almonds; no milk. Suitable for children and during pregnancy.

Frequently asked questions

How long do Lebkuchen traybake bars keep in the fridge?

The bars keep for 5 days in a tin in the fridge; without chilling, the glaze turns soft.

Dairy-free recipes