Vegan/GF Carrot Cake with Vegan Cream Cheese Icing
Say whaaat? Vegan and gluten-free?! And it still tastes amazing?! YES!
This cake turned out amazing! I made it for my husband and son’s birthdays. I’ll share the cake recipe first, then the icing below. Make sure you make the vegan cream cheese icing too. It’s quick and super worth it! Both recipes are modified from Minimalist Baker!
CARROT CAKE
Vegan, Gluten-Free
Makes: 1 double-layer 8-inch cake
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
3 tbsp Ground flaxseeds + 7½ tbsp Water to make flax eggs
⅓ cup Coconut oil, melted
¼ cup Pure maple syrup
1 scant cup Unsweetened applesauce (scant means just shy of a cup)
½ cup Brown sugar
¼ cup Cane sugar
¾ tsp Fine sea salt
1½ tsp Baking soda
1½ tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Ground cinnamon
¾-1 cup Unsweetened plain almond milk (I used ¾ cup)
1½ cups Loosely packed grated carrot
1½ cups Almond flour
1½ cups Gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF All-purpose baking flour - it does not contain xantham gum)
¾ cup Chopped raw walnuts (optional but totally recommend. You could also sub ½ cup raisins)
Directions:
Preheat the oven 350°F (180°C).
Prepare flax eggs in a large bowl.
Prepare cake pans. Rub coconut oil on the base and sides of 2 8-inch cake pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then rub coconut oil on that again (I do this by default for all cakes, just to make my life easier and prevent sticking). Dust with gluten-free flour and shake out excess. Set aside.
To flax eggs, add oil and maple syrup, and whisk to combine. Add applesauce, sugars, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.
Add ¾ cup almond milk and stir. Add grated carrot, and stir.
Add almond flour and gluten-free flour and stir. The batter should be thick but pourable. If too thick to pour, add the remaining ¼ cup almond milk.
If adding walnuts, add and stir.
Divide batter evenly among can pans. Bake 40-50 minutes or until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. The top shouldn’t feel too spongy if you press it. Don’t be afraid of over-baking since the gluten-free flour can take a bit longer to bake. I cooked the cakes for 42 minutes, but it does depend on your oven.
Remove from oven and let rest in the pans for 15 minutes. Then carefully run a knife along the edges and gently invert onto cooling racks to let cool completely (like actually completely - don’t rush to frost this. Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge, then frost the next day)
Once frosted, you can store leftovers in the fridge. Set out 10-15 minutes prior to serving.
VEGAN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Vegan, Gluten-Free
Makes: Enough icing for 1 double-layer 8-inch cake
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
½ cup Vegan butter stick (not the spreadable kind) - I used Earth Balance sticks, let soften at room temperature
1 8-ounce container of Vegan cream cheese - I used So Fresh brand - leave it out of the fridge for ~1 hour
3-5 cups Powdered/icing sugar (I used 3½ cups)
Directions:
Add softened butter and beat to combine (use electric hand-held mixer - it’s worth it, otherwise you’ll be hand-whisking for a while).
Add cream cheese and mix again until smooth and creamy.
Add icing sugar in 1 cup at a time until thick and spreadable and to desired sweetness. You want it to be thick enough that it won’t slide around when you spread it. I added in 3½ cups and I found that perfect.
Refrigerate after frosting!
