Vegan Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A versatile recipe featuring warm spices, coconut, and walnut to make this moist Vegan Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting irresistible.

I’ve always loved carrot cake. Actually, I like pretty much everything made with carrots, be it savory or sweet. Carrot juice, in fact, in one of my favorite beverages. So carrot cake is surely a winner for me. This cake has the cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices that give it its signature flavor along with a frosting that mimics the creamy, slightly tangy flavor of the traditional cream cheese frosting that most often accompanies carrot cakes.

I wanted to make a frosting that was thick, creamy, and a bit tangy without using commercial vegan cream cheeses, as I’ve never been a fan of them. Old-fashioned cooked frosting is what first came to my mind since I knew that the frosting needed an almost custardy, pastry cream-like texture. Cooked frostings sound gross because they use flour to thicken them, but don’t fret, the flour is thoroughly cooked and no rawness remains. I’m still working on perfecting this type of frosting, but this one works well for a carrot cake application and can be further flavored with citrus zests, vanilla bean, or shredded coconut.

Vegan Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

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A versatile recipe featuring warm spices, coconut, and walnut to make this moist Vegan Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting irresistible.

Author: Lands & Flavors

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 2½ cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup orange juice
• ¾ cup water
• ½ cup oil (I use half coconut oil and half olive oil)
• ½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
• ¼ cup maple syrup (or ¼ cup packed brown sugar)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• pinch of clove
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 cups shredded carrot
• ¾ cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut

For the Frosting:

• ⅓ cup cashews (soaked in boiling hot water for 20 minutes)
• 1½ cups nondairy milk
• 5 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 Tablespoons flour
• two pinches of salt
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. First make the frosting by combining the soaked and drained cashews, nondairy milk, sugar, coconut oil, and salt in the blender. Blend on high until completely smooth and no graininess from the cashews remains. Add the flour and blend for 10 seconds more.
2. Transfer the mixture into a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat whisking constantly until it come to a boil. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, while whisking, for 30 seconds then remove from heat. It will have thickened considerably. Whisk in the lemon juice and vanilla extract and set aside for 15 minutes to cool down, then transfer the mixture to the fridge, cover, and cool until it's thoroughly chilled.
3. After it is completely cold, the mixture will look like a congealed mess, don't worry! Take a spatula or large spoon and whip the frosting for 20 seconds. You'll notice the lumpiness smoothing out and the texture becoming more silky. Keep the frosting chilled until you are ready to use.
4. Now make the cake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine in a small bowl the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the orange juice, water, oil, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, lemon zest, and carrots. After the sugar has dissolved, add flour mixture, walnuts, and the coconut and mix until well-combined.
6. Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan and bake for 28-32 minutes, depending on your oven. The cake will take on a golden brown color and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
7. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting the top with the frosting. Cut into squares and garnish with carrot ribbons, orange zest, or walnut halves.

Notes

-Play around with the spices as you see fit. I've used star anise, cardamom, and fennel and have had great results.

-Keep the frosted cake covered (in a cake carrier or under an inverted large bowl) so that the frosting doesn't dry out.

-This recipe is adapted from the Ginger Macadamia Coconut Carrot Cake recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance by Moskowitz.

3.5.3226