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Moist Vegan Carrot Cake with Cashew Cream frosting

Moist Vegan Carrot Cake with Cashew Cream Frosting

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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10 Slices

Equipment

  • Mixing bowls You’ll need at least two—one for dry and one for wet ingredients.
  • Box grater or food processor For shredding the carrots. A box grater works great, but if you have a processor, use it for speed.
  • Loaf pan or cake pan A standard 9x5-inch loaf pan is ideal if you’re going for a vegan carrot cake loaf recipe, but you can also use an 8-inch round cake pan.
  • Blender or food processor For the cashew frosting. A high-speed blender gives the creamiest results.
  • Rubber spatula Helps to fold in ingredients and scrape every last bit of frosting.
  • Wire Rack For cooling the cake evenly without making the bottom soggy.

Ingredients
  

For the Cake

  • 1 ½ cups finely grated carrots about 3 medium carrots
  • 1 cup mashed ripe banana about 2 large bananas
  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce or an extra banana
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • ½ cup light brown sugar or coconut sugar
  • ½ cup neutral oil like avocado or grapeseed
  • 1 ½ cups almond flour
  • ¾ cup oat flour
  • ¼ cup arrowroot starch or cornstarch
  • 1 ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp allspice optional
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans optional
  • ½ cup raisins or chopped dates optional
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar to activate baking soda

For the Cashew Cream Frosting

  • 1 ½ cups raw cashews soaked in water for at least 4 hours or boiled for 15 minutes
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp coconut cream
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 –4 tbsp water as needed for blending

Instructions
 

Prep Your Cashews

  1. If you haven’t soaked your cashews yet, boil them in water for 15 minutes, then drain and set aside.

Preheat and Prep

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line your loaf or cake pan with parchment paper or lightly grease it.

Mix the Wet Ingredients

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together mashed bananas, applesauce, maple syrup, brown sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. Stir in the shredded carrots.

Combine Dry Ingredients

  1. In another bowl, sift together the almond flour, oat flour, arrowroot starch, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and salt.

Mix the Batter

  1. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Fold in nuts and dried fruit if using.

Bake

  1. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Make the Frosting

  1. Add soaked cashews, maple syrup, coconut cream, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, and a couple tablespoons of water into a high-speed blender. Blend until very smooth and creamy, adding water a little at a time to reach your desired consistency.

Frost the Cake

  1. Once the cake is completely cool, spread the cashew cream frosting generously on top. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or shredded coconut for an extra flourish.