Description
This moist and flavorful vegan carrot cake is perfect for any occasion, featuring a blend of warm spices, grated carrots, and a creamy vegan cream cheese frosting. It’s a delightful plant-based dessert that satisfies cravings without any dairy or eggs, making it suitable for vegans and those seeking a deliciously healthy cake option.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients
- 4 cups grated carrots
- 2/3 cup vegan buttermilk (vegan milk mixed with apple cider vinegar)
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free blend
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegan butter, melted
- 2/3 cup dairy-free yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting Ingredients
- Vegan cream cheese (quantity as needed for frosting)
- Optional: powdered sugar and vanilla extract for frosting sweetness
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease three 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Prepare Vegan Buttermilk: In a small bowl, mix vegan milk with apple cider vinegar. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes to curdle into vegan buttermilk.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt until evenly combined.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, combine the melted vegan butter and granulated sugar, mixing until smooth. Add dairy-free yogurt and vanilla extract, then stir to incorporate fully.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with the vegan buttermilk. Mix just until combined to avoid overmixing, then gently fold in the grated carrots.
- Bake the Cake: Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool and Frost: Allow the cakes to cool completely in their pans on a wire rack before removing. Once cooled, frost with vegan cream cheese frosting evenly over each layer and assemble the cake.
Notes
- You can substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free blend to make this cake gluten-free.
- Spices can be adjusted according to your taste preferences.
- Make sure not to overmix the batter to keep the cake moist and tender.
- If you prefer a sweeter frosting, add powdered sugar to the vegan cream cheese with vanilla extract.
- The cake layers can be prepared a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly to preserve freshness.
