Carrot cake baked oats recipe is a 'warming' breakfast you can make ahead

Due to its moist consistency, sweet taste, and fluffy sponge, carrot cake is difficult to resist. Nevertheless, because of its high sugar levels, it has missed out on earning a place among nutritious breakfast options. Instead, it's reserved as a teatime treat, best enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee.

If you're craving the flavour of carrot cake at breakfast time but need something that will actually satiate you, this baked oats recipe hits the mark. It's brimming with satisfying oats, a protein-packed egg, naturally sweet bananas, and grated carrots; the dish has everything you need to feel full all morning. According to Waitrose's recipe developers, it's sure to "warm you up nicely." Plus, the recipe is easy to prepare on an evening, you can savour the cake-like breakfast with little fuss come morning.

Carrot cake baked oats recipe

Ingredients (for two)

• 50g gluten-free oats
• One small carrot, grated (about 40g)
• 25g chopped walnuts
• 25g raisins
• One tsp baking powder
• One tsp ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 tsp ground ginger
• 1⁄4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 100ml unsweetened almond milk
• One free-range egg
• One tbsp maple syrup
• One tsp vanilla extract
• One small ripe banana, mashed

Method

The cake-style consistency comes from baking the oats, so begin by preheating the oven to 180C, gas mark 4, to guarantee it's lovely and hot when the mixture is prepared.

Mix the oats, carrots, walnuts, raisins, baking powder, and spices in a bowl, then add the remaining ingredients to a separate jug. The jug should contain the milk, egg, mashed banana, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.

Now whisk all the liquid products together to form a smooth mixture.

Combine the liquid with the dry ingredients in the bowl. For those preparing the baked oats the night before, mix everything except the baking powder and nuts and leave them in a bowl in the fridge overnight.

When you're ready to eat the baked oats, transfer the mixture into two small ovenproof dishes (about 250ml in volume) and bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the oven.

There should be a very slight wobble in the middle. Allow the baked oats to cool for five minutes, then serve with a spoonful of coconut milk yoghurt and a drizzle of more maple syrup, if you like.