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5.0 from 21 votes

Vegan Carrot Cake

This vegan carrot cake is bursting with flavor from fresh carrots and an orange buttercream frosting. It's the perfect springtime dessert, or year round sweet treat.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Cooling Time:
20 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 415 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the cake
  • 1 ½ cups rice flour (1 ¾ cups)
  • ½ cup buckwheat flour
  • 2 cups coconut sugar
  • ½ tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup chickpea flour
  • 2 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp xanthan gum
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 3 cups plant based milk
  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup grated carrot
  • 6 flax eggs (6 tbsp ground flaxseed soaked in ¾ cup water for 5 minutes)
For the frosting
  • ½ cup vegan butter room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp orange juice
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F and lightly grease 3 8-inch cake tins with vegan butter.
  2. To a large mixing bowl, add the rice flour, buckwheat flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, chickpea flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, and ground ginger. Stir together well.
  3. To a different bowl, add plant based milk, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and grated carrots, and mix together.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry together with a flax egg. Mix together until well-combined. The batter should be on the thicker side, but still easy to pour.
  5. Pour an equal amount of batter into the cake tins and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean from the centre.
  6. When the cakes are ready, transfer them to a cooling rack and allow to cool fully either in the fridge or on the counter before adding the frosting.
  7. To make the frosting, add the vegan butter, icing sugar, orange juice and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Use a handheld or stand mixer to whisk until very smooth. I would recommend leaving the frosting in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.
  8. Add a thick layer of the frosting to one of the cake sponges, then place the second cake sponge on top. Repeat the process once more, finishing with a layer of frosting on top of the cake.

Notes

  • Make sure that the cake sponges cool down fully before adding the frosting. I would recommend allowing them to chill in the fridge for best results.
  • If you want to, you can add chopped nuts of your choice, such as walnuts or pecans.
  • For a more fluffy texture, reduce the amount of carrots used by half.
  • I would recommend weighing the ingredients for the best results. See the recipe card for an automatic conversion to metric amounts of each ingredient.

Nutrition Information

Calories 415kcal (21%) Carbohydrates 62g (21%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 18g (28%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Trans Fat 1g Sodium 336mg (14%) Potassium 164mg (5%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 37g (74%) Vitamin A 1612IU (32%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 166mg (17%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 16slices

Amount Per Serving

Calories 415

% Daily Value*

Calories 415kcal 21%
Carbohydrates 62g 21%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 18g 28%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Sodium 336mg 14%
Potassium 164mg 3%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 37g 74%
Vitamin A 1612IU 32%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 166mg 17%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.