Now, I’m not much of a pastry chef… I can make a few desserts pretty well, but its definitely not a skill that I’ve been sharpening these last years. So you can imagine my surprise when after a bit of research and on my second try I was convinced that this carrot cake is as good a carrot cake that I’ve ever had! The truth is its not that difficult, anyone can make a great tasting cake with a great recipe.
I took some inspiration from La Gloria Vegana’s carrot cake recipe and made a few changes: I added ginger and clove to the mix, I used mainly white flour and finally added a bit more milk.
Here is the recipe, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Vegan Carrot Cake recipe
150g plain white flour
50g whole-wheat flour
130g soya milk
130g vegetable oil
140g panela sugar or demarera
150g carrot
50g grated carrot
100g crushed pecans + move for garnishing
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
the zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp orange juice
Spices
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground clove
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
First, Preheat the oven to 190°C on the bottom heat setting.
1. Mix all the dry ingredients in one large mixing bowl.
2. Blend 150g of carrot with the vegetable oil and plant milk for 15 seconds.
3. Add the remaining 50g of carrot and then pour the wet mix into the bowl of dry ingredients, mix well with a spatula.
4. Transfer the mix into an 8 inch non stick baking tin and bake for 33 minutes, remove the outer layer of the baking tin and leave to cool for a couple of hours.
5. You have the option now of cutting the cake horizontally in half and making the cake a double layer cake.
Simple buttery frosting
500g icing sugar
4 big tablespoons vegan butter or margarine
60ml soya milk + extra if needed
1. Mix the icing sugar and the butter in a mixing bowl until well combined. Add the plant milk and continue to mix with a wooden spoon or a whisk to achieve a better consistency. Add more milk if its to stiff, you want it to spread nicely on top of the cake.
Putting the cake together
Spread 1/3 of the frosting on top of one of the halves nice and evenly with a flat knife. Place the second half on top and then top the cake with the remaining 2/3 of the frosting.
Top with smashed up pecans or walnuts!
Enjoy!
Mike