Vegan Carrot Cake
Total Time
50 mins
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Rating
4.85 out of 5 stars
(177)
Ingredients
12 servings
- 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 sea salt
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 cup almond milk or oat milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup cane sugar
- ½ cup melted coconut oil or canola oil
- 2 cups grated carrots
- ½ cup raw macadamia nuts (soaked, drained, and rinsed)
- ½ cup raw cashews (soaked, drained, and rinsed)
- ¼ cup almond milk or oat milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
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Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
Step 2
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Step 3
In a separate bowl, whisk together the applesauce, almond milk, vanilla, sugar, and oil.
Step 4
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the carrots.
Step 5
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.
Step 6
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.
Step 7
Chill for at least 30 minutes before spreading. (It will firm up a bit).
Step 8
Store frosted cake in the fridge.
Step 9
Save recipe for the next time?
Chef's notes
Make sure your baking powder is fresh in order for the cake to rise (since there aren't eggs in the recipe). If your baking powder has been in the back of your pantry for too long it may be less effective.
Soak your cashew and macadamia nuts for at least 3 to 4 hours, preferably overnight, then drain and rinse before using. I recommend using a very high speed blender (vitamix, blendtec, or similar). For a more traditional frosting, make this vegan frosting recipe with vegan butter and vegan cream cheese.
