Vegan Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
This vegan carrot cake is smothered in a plant-based cream cheese icing to make a satisfying tea time treat
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Carrot cake is a delicious teatime classic and this vegan version is no exception.
Made with apple sauce, the sponge is beautifully light and moist, making it the perfect indulgent springtime treat.
Raisins or sultanas add beautiful bursts of flavour to this delicately spiced sponge, but it’s just as delicious without.
How to make cake without eggs
There are lots of choices for vegan egg substitutes but when it comes to baking, how do you know which to choose?
Different recipes use eggs for different reasons, so it’s important to understand the bake you’re trying to make before you invent your own substitutions.
This vegan carrot cake is moist and dense, so apple sauce makes a great choice. The apple sauce in this recipe provides moisture and texture to the cake, much like eggs would, while baking powder provides the lift to give this cake a fluffier crumb.
Muffins, brownies, fruit cakes, and chewy cookies can all benefit from apple sauce as an egg replacer, and mashed banana, soaked chia seeds, and vegan yoghurt can work just as well. Just make sure you also include baking powder in your recipe if you want your bake to rise.
Is carrot cake healthy?
Carrot cake is a satisfying and wholesome cake that provides some of the health benefits of carrots, despite being a craving-crushing sweet treat.
Along with fibre and vitamins, carrots offer an array of antioxidants that can support your immunity, eye health, and skin health.
Cooking carrots helps our bodies to absorb their valuable nutrients, so they don’t lose their potency by being baked into a cake.
This recipe also has the benefit of wholemeal flour, offering healthy slow-release carbohydrates and extra fibre.
Ultimately, carrot cake is still a cake and is no substitute for salad, but it can certainly find its place in a healthy, balanced diet.
Total Time: 2 hours
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Calories: 304
Servings: 10
Rating:
Nutritional information per serving:
Serving size
100g
calories
304
fat
12g
saturates
1.1g
carbs
48g
sugars
37g
fibre
2g
protein
2.5g
salt
0.7g
Total Time: 2 hours
Calories: 304
Servings: 10
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 10)
- For the cake
- 15 15 g plain flour
- 13 13 g wholemeal flour
- 0.2 0.2 tsp baking powder
- 0.05 0.05 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 0.2 0.2 tsp cinnamon
- 0.1 0.1 tsp ground allspice
- 0.05 0.05 tsp nutmeg
- 0.1 0.1 tsp salt
- 24 24 ml soya milk
- 0.1 0.1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 12 12 g apple sauce
- 0.2 0.2 tsp vanilla extract
- 12.5 12.5 g light brown sugar
- 12 12 ml vegetable oil
- 0.1 0.1 orange, zest only
- 24 24 g grated carrots
- 15 15 g raisins or sultanas (optional)
- For the cream cheese icing
- 11 11 g dairy-free butter, softened
- 23 23 g vegan cream cheese, slightly softened at room temperature
- 60 60 g icing sugar, sifted
- 0.1 0.1 orange, zest only
- You will also need
- 0.2 0.2 equally-sized cake tins
- Decorations of choice (for example, edible sugar carrots, edible flowers etc.)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and grease two cake tins. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the soya milk and apple cider vinegar. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before adding the apple sauce, vanilla, sugar, oil and orange zest and mixing well.
- Tip the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir well to combine.
- Fold in the carrots and raisins (if using). Then divide the batter between the two cake tins. Bake the cakes in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Whilst the cake is baking, make the frosting by beating the softened butter and cream cheese together until creamy and smooth.
- Add the sifted icing sugar to the bowl, 100g (1 cup) at a time, and fold it into the icing until the mixture is thick and spreadable. Then stir through the orange zest before placing the icing in the fridge to firm up.
- Once the cake is cooked, let it cool completely before icing. Then decorate to your taste.
Want more? Try this gluten-free chocolate courgette cake recipe
