Carrot Halwa Cake
User Reviews
5
21 reviews
Excellent
Carrot Halwa Cake
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Carrot Halwa Cake integrates caramelized carrot sweetened with maple syrup and spiced with cardamom and lime zest into a spiced cake batter featuring cinnamon and other warm spices. This vegan cake combines the moist texture of cooked carrots with a fragrant, warmly spiced crumb, topped with nuts and raisins for added texture and sweetness.
Description
The Carrot Halwa Cake starts with cooking shredded carrots in vegan butter, maple syrup, almond flour, and cardamom until tender but slightly al dente. These caramelized carrots introduce natural sweetness and spice to the cake. The batter is made by blending all-purpose and almond flours with baking powder, baking soda, and a mix of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and lime zest. Wet ingredients include nondairy milk, flaxseed meal as an egg substitute, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla.
The cooked carrots are folded into the spiced batter, which is poured into a pan and finished with topped soaked raisins and cashews before baking. The resulting cake offers a moist, tender crumb with bursts of warm spices and the sweet, slightly textured carrot pieces. The nuts and raisins add crunch and chewiness for textural contrast.
The cake is served as a dessert or snack incorporating the flavors of Indian carrot halwa in a baked form. Its spiced character and moist texture make it comforting and flavorful. The recipe can be adapted for nut-free or gluten-free diets by substituting flours and omitting nuts accordingly, making it versatile for various needs.
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Ingredients
For the Caramelized Carrots
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 3 cups carrot About three and a half cups of chopped carrots, if you're going to shred them, shredded
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon lime zest
For the Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
For the Spices
- 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon lime zest
For the Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup non-dairy milk such as almond, soy, cashew, oat milk
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal mixed with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla powder
To Top the Carrots
- 2 tablespoons cashew nuts or roasted, unsalted cashews, raw
- 2 tablespoons raisins soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
- 1/2 teaspoon neutral cooking oil optional, generic cooking oil
Instructions
Cook the carrots.
- In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the carrots and mix well. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then add in the maple syrup, almond flour, cardamom, lime zest, and a good pinch of salt and mix really well. Continue to cook until the carrots are cooked or somewhat al dente. Stir occasionally. This will take anywhere from 6 to 8 minutes.
Let the carrots cool while you make the cake batter.
- In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients and spices and set aside.
- In another bowl, add the wet ingredients (that is the milk, flax egg, sugar, oil, and vanilla) and mix really well. Then add in half of the flour mixture. Mix that in, and then add the rest of the flour mixture. Continue to mix until you get a smooth batter. The batter will be slightly thick, like muffin batter. It should not be overly flowy. If it is, add in 1 to 2 tablespoons more flour. If it is too thick, then you can add in a tablespoon of nondairy milk.
- Fold 1/3 of the cooked shredded carrots into the batter and add in half of the drained, soaked raisins. Line an 8- or 9- inch cake pan with parchment paper and pour the batter into the pan. Even it out with a spatula, and top the cake with the remaining shredded carrots, distributing them evenly.
- Then, toss your cashews in the oil so that they are coated well, and sprinkle that on top of the carrot mixture. Put the raisins on top of the carrot mixture, as well. Press the cashews and raisins into the batter and into the carrot mixture, making sure they're not popping out of the mixture. Otherwise, they will tend to burn.
Bake the cake.
- Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 30 to 40 minutes. The baking time depends on your cake pan, your oven, the height of the cake and so on. Cover the pan with parchment after the first 15 minutes of baking, so that the cashews and raisins don't get too brown.
- Check in after 30 minutes with a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, that's when the cake is done. Then take it out of the oven and let the cake cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer it from the pan onto a cooling rack or your cake serving stand and let it cool for another few minutes.
- You can serve this cake as is, or add simple sugar icing or a drizzle of my cream cheese frosting. I usually drizzle the cake with 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons of water, and then just drizzle all of that over, so that the cake stays moist and the top stays moist, as well.
- Store and Reheat: Let the cake cool for another few minutes, then slice and serve or store in a closed container once it's completely cool in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze slices of carrot halwa cake. Reheat in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds if it's refrigerated. If it is frozen, then microwave for 20 seconds, then check and then microwave again for 20 seconds and so on until the cake is warmed through.
Notes
- For nut-free version, omit cashews and almond flour, adding 2 tablespoons extra flour to the batter.
- If you dislike cardamom, increase cinnamon to compensate in the spice mix.
- Gluten-free option uses a mix of almond, oat flour, and potato starch replacing all-purpose flour, adjusting liquids accordingly.
- Use soaked raisins and roasted cashews for topping to add texture and flavor.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
201kcal
(10%)
Carbohydrates
25g
(8%)
Protein
3g
(6%)
Fat
11g
(17%)
Saturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Sodium
198mg
(8%)
Potassium
344mg
(7%)
Fiber
3g
(12%)
Sugar
16g
(32%)
Vitamin A
8086IU
(162%)
Vitamin C
3mg
(3%)
Calcium
131mg
(13%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 8Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 201 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 201kcal | 10% |
| Carbohydrates | 25g | 8% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 11g | 17% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Sodium | 198mg | 8% |
| Potassium | 344mg | 7% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 16g | 32% |
| Vitamin A | 8086IU | 162% |
| Vitamin C | 3mg | 3% |
| Calcium | 131mg | 13% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
21 reviews
Excellent
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