Genius carrot cake hack using surprising ingredient in every Aussie pantry: 'A must try'

As the days get shorter leading up to the winter solstice, you wouldn’t be alone in struggling to find the time (and motivation) to prepare food in advance. Meal prepping work or kids' lunches is one thing, but it’s another when you have to factor in snacks — particularly those that are nutritious AND delicious.

Well, look no further as we’ve got just the hack for you. And it’s all thanks to popular plant-based nutritionist Luba Pavia who recently dropped the recipe for her viral carrot cake bites — think cake pops, but made in minutes using only a handful of ingredients (including veg that kids won’t detect!).

The star ingredient (that's probably already in your pantry)

It’s the perfect bite-sized snack for when you’re in need of a sweet treat or afternoon pick-me-up, coated in decadent white chocolate concealing a nutritious ball of cakey goodness. And, here's the best part - the base of this tasty treat is something you probably already have in your pantry!

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You see, rice cakes take centre stage in this recipe, making it healthier and fairly cost-effective.

‘I’ve been making these on repeat the last few weeks!,” Pavia said in the caption of her video recipe shared to TikTok and tbh, we can see why. “They’re perfectly moist inside, just like a carrot cake and the hint of spice adds a wonderful depth of flavour.”

Nutritionist-approved carrot cake bites

Ingredients:

• 8 rice cakes

• 1/2 cup walnuts + more for rolling

• 1 medium carrot

• 1 cup medjool dates, pitted

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 50g melted white chocolate

• Desiccated coconut for rolling

Start by peeling and chopping your carrot, then place the carrot pieces along with the rice cakes, walnuts, dates and spices into a food processor before pulsing until the mixture combines to resemble a sticky paste. You can also add more dates or a teaspoon of melted coconut oil if your mix is too crumbly!

Once the mixture is ready, make tablespoon-sized balls using your hands, before cooling them on a plate in the freezer for 15 minutes to help the next step — the chocolate coating — set faster. In the meantime, melt your chocolate. Pavia uses a dairy-free variety, but regular white chocolate works well too. After the 15 minutes are up, take the balls out of the freezer and dip each one into the melted chocolate, before sprinkling them with coconut and crushed walnuts. When the chocolate has set, enjoy!

Social media raves about healthy cake hack

Despite some questioning the fact that the cake balls are raw, rather than cooked like a traditional cake, Pavia’s followers wholly raved about the recipe. In fact, dozens of eager foodies flocked to her comments section to sing praise of the hack.

“These look so good,” one follower gushed. “A must try. Thanks for sharing.”

“Just brilliant,” another chimed in.

“This one got me so excited,” said a third enthusiastic commenter. “I love carrot cake but it doesn’t love me so I have been searching for a healthier version.”

“Looks amazing!,” a fellow foodie exclaimed.

“Can’t wait to try it!,” another wrote eagerly.

It comes after the TikToker went viral last year for a similar five-ingredient brownie bite recipe. So, if carrot cake isn’t your thing and you’re more of a classic chocolate kind of person, these might be the perfect snack for you — they’re also packed with protein thanks to the inclusion of peanut butter.

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We’ve included the recipe for Pavia’s brownie bites for your convenience below (you’re welcome).

Viral brownie bites recipe

Ingredients:

10 rice cakes

6-8 medjool dates, pitted

½ cup peanut butter

¼ cup cocoa/cacao powder

⅓ cup melted dark chocolate

Like with the carrot cake bites, Pavia blends all of the brownie bite ingredients — including the melted chocolate – in a food processor, pulsing until the mixture crumbs and sticks together. She recommends adding more dates or peanut butter if it’s too crumbly.

Once rolling the mixture into balls, she sprinkles the brownie bites with extra cocoa or cacao powder. Enjoy immediately, or store in the fridge for up to a week.

Happy snacking!

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