When you think dessert, you probably don’t think of something nutritious, but this healthy carrot cake will knock your socks off. My vegan carrot cake recipe includes finely grated carrots, seedless raisins, walnuts, pecans, unsweetened applesauce, and other healthy ingredients mixed in for a delicious texture and flavor! This recipe does require a lot of ingredients to make, but they’re all easy to find, and you probably have a lot of them in your kitchen already if you have a full spice rack. It’s a layered cake, so you will need 3 9-inch round cake pans to make. Yes, this one takes a bit of time and work, but it’ll pay off in the form of the best carrot cake you have ever eaten!
Prep Time
20 Minutes
Cook Time
25 Minutes
Yield
1 9-inch layer cake
Difficulty Level
Easy (Beginner)
Ingredients
Cake
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
3 tbsp egg replacer
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup almond milk (or soy milk if you prefer)
1 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1 cup safflower oil
¾ pound carrots, finely grated (this should add up to about 3 cups worth)
1 cup of chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts work best, or a mix of both)
1 cup raisins, seedless
Frosting
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
12 tbsp non-hydrogenated margarine, chilled and sliced up
1 ½ pound soy cream cheese, chilled as well
Instructions
1. Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While you are waiting, grease 3 round 9-inch cake pans.
2. Next you are going to work on making the cake. Get a large mixing bowl, and add the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, and egg replacer. Whisk them together until they are fully blended.
3. In another large mixing bowl, add the sugar, safflower oil, almond milk and applesauce. Mix all of these ingredients together.
4. Take the wet mixture which you just made in step 3 and add to the dry mixture that you made in step 2. Now all your ingredients should be in one mixing bowl. Continue stirring them together until they are fully combined and take on a relatively smooth texture. Now, add in the carrots, raisins and walnuts. Stir until everything is mixed in nicely, and then your cake mixture will be complete.
5. Take the finished batter and divide it evenly between all three of your cake pans. Put them in the oven and bake them for 25 minutes. You will know they are done when you can press down in the center and it springs back lightly. After the cakes are finished cooking, pull them out of the oven and set them on the wire racks so they can cool.
6. While you are waiting, you will make the frosting. Get a large mixing bowl and beat the margarine using an electric mixer on medium. After 3 minutes, the margarine should be done. Now you can add in the cream cheese pieces and continue blending. Next, add in the sugar and vanilla and continue mixing. Increase the speed to high for about 2 to 3 minutes. When the frosting takes on a fluffy texture, it is done. Cover it up and set it aside for now.
7. Get your first cake layer and place it upside-down on a cake plate so that the bottom is facing up. With a spoon, place a quarter of the frosting on top of it and spread it around. Now put the second cake layer on top of this one, right-sight-up. Spoon a quarter of the frosting onto it and spread it around evenly. Place the third cake layer on top of this one, right-side-up, and frost the top of it with a quarter of the frosting. Use what’s left of the frosting to coat the sides of the cake as evenly as possible.
8. Cover the cake and let it set for at least half an hour. Serve chilled or un-chilled, as per your preference. You may also want to garnish it with some additional walnuts or pecans. This can really add to the presentation and texture of the finished cake.
Servings : 16
Ready in : 75
Course : Dessert
Recipe Type : Vegan Recipes
