I received a request for this carrot cake recipe from an old customer of mine, and because it was one of my favorites I decided to post about it this week. This basic recipe works extremely well with all kinds of vegetables-I have used radishes, beets, parsnips and zucchini!
Carrot cake holds a special place in my heart-it’s my dad’s favorite dessert, so we always had carrot cake on special occasions as a kid! I love the crunch of the nuts and the the shredded carrot. Enjoy!
Carrot Cake
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Rachel Carr
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 3¼ cups + 2 Tablespoons gluten free all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoons cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon ginger
- 1¾ cups coconut sugar
For the flax egg
- 6 Tablespoons ground flax + 9 oz warm water
For the wet mix
- ½ cups safflower oil
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla
- 3 fluid oz orange juice
- 4½ cups grated carrot
- ¾ cups chopped walnuts
For the frosting
- 8 oz vegan cream cheese
- ¼ c vegan "butter", softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups organic powdered sugar
Instructions
For the cake batter
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix the ground flax and water and allow to set for 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients and add the flax mixture.
- Add to the dry mixture along with the grated carrots and fold in well.
- Pour into 2 greased 8" x 8" square baking pans.
- Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
- Allow to cool on a cooling rack before frosting.
- They will set up to a firmer and less gummy consistency as they cool.
For the frosting
- Beat together the frosting ingredients until it just begins to become smooth.
- To frost the cakes, be sure they are completely cooled or they will melt the frosting. In the picture, we cut out small circles with a biscuit cutter first and then layered them with frosting in the middle and on top.
- You can alternately keep the cakes whole and frost the whole thing!
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Hi Rachel!! Thanks for a great post! I don’t do refined sugar. Do you think coconut sugar or agave would be okay in this recipe? How would you do the powdered sugar for the frosting from one of those sweeteners? Also, do you have any recommendations for a soy-free vegan cream cheese? (or maybe even a recipe? ) 🙂
Hope you are doing well. We miss you loads here in snowy Connecticut!
I made this for a special occasion and it was absolutely delicious and enjoyed by all!! Thank you so much!