Vegan Carrot Cake
Wonderfully moist, spicy carrot cake topped with creamy, vegan cream cheese icing.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Bake Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 1 Layer Cake 1x
- Category: Cakes and Cupcakes
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cake
3 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 c applesauce
1 1/2 c nondairy milk
1/2 c canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 c grated carrots
For the Frosting
1 8oz package nondairy cream cheese
1/2 c non-hydrogenated shortening
1/4 c vegan butter
4 c powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C) and grease and line 2 8-inch or 3 6-inch*, circular baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together apple sauce, nondairy milk, canola oil and vanilla extract. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix.
2. Add grated carrots to the batter and gently fold in. Divide batter amongst prepared pans and place them on center rack of preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes and then rotate the pans if necessary. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean with only a few crumbs clinging to it. Allow cakes to cool for 20 minutes before flipping out onto wire racks to cool completely.
3. While cakes are cooling, make the frosting. Add nondairy cream cheese, shortening and vegan butter to a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until completely smooth. Add in sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until silky frosting comes together. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up.
4. If preparing a 2 layer cake, use 1/3 of the frosting between layers, 1/3 of the frosting on top and 1/3 of the frosting to cover the sides of the cake. If preparing a 3 layer cake, use 1/3 of the frosting between each layer and 1/3 on top. If not serving immediately, place in the fridge. Allow cake to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes prior to cutting/serving.
Notes
*When I photographed this cake I spread the batter among 3 8-inch circular pans. While this worked fine it didn’t quite create the look I was going for. Moral of the story, if you want a 3-layer cake go 6-inch and if you want a 2-layer cake go 8-inch.
**Preparation is the name of the game here. If it is possible for you, I would recommend making either the cake or the frosting in advance. You can make the cake layers the night before and allow them to cool overnight OR you can make the frosting the night before and allow it to chill and firm overnight.
***Prepared cake will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for up to a month.
Find it online: https://censoredbaker.com/vegan-carrot-cake/
