Vegan Carrot Cake
User Reviews
4.9
Vegan Carrot Cake
Description
The Vegan Carrot Cake recipe incorporates a mix of flours for texture, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt adding classic spiced flavor. The wet ingredients include applesauce as an egg substitute, almond milk, oil, vanilla, and cane sugar, providing moisture and sweetness. Grated carrots folded in give the cake a hearty vegetable component and additional moisture. Baking until a toothpick comes out clean ensures even cooking.
The frosting is prepared by blending soaked raw macadamia and cashew nuts with almond milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt until very smooth. This results in a creamy, tangy topping that complements the spiced carrot cake below. Chilling the frosting firms it before spreading.
This cake is suitable for vegan diets and can be served as a dessert or snack. Chilling the frosted cake in the fridge helps maintain the frosting texture. Using fresh baking powder affects the rise of the cake since no eggs are included.
Soaking the nuts overnight (or 3-4 hours minimum) makes the frosting texture smoother. Using a high-speed blender improves frosting consistency. Alternative frostings with vegan butter and cream cheese are available for a more traditional style.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2¼ cups flour half spelt or whole wheat, half all-purpose
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt sea salt
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 cup almond milk or oat milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup cane sugar
- ½ cup coconut oil melted, or canola oil
- 2 cups carrot grated
Frosting**
- ½ cup macadamia nuts soaked, drained, and rinsed, raw
- ½ cup cashew nuts soaked, drained, and rinsed, raw
- ¼ cup almond milk or oat milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice fresh
- ½ teaspoon salt sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the applesauce, almond milk, vanilla, sugar, and oil.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the carrots.
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cake cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: In a high-speed blender, place the macadamia nuts, cashews, almond milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt. Blend until very smooth, for 1 to 2 minutes or more, scraping down the sides occasionally. You can add an extra tablespoon of almond milk if necessary to get your blade moving.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes before spreading. (It will firm up a bit).
- Store frosted cake in the fridge.
Notes
- Ensure your baking powder is fresh for proper cake rise without eggs.
- Soak cashew and macadamia nuts for at least 3 to 4 hours, preferably overnight, then rinse and drain before blending.
- Use a high-speed blender for the frosting to achieve a smooth texture.
- The frosting firms up when chilled for at least 30 minutes before spreading.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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