Healthy-for-Cake Vegan Carrot Cake
It’s April—can you believe it? March has marched us stright into a new month, seemingly with haste. Winter isn’t quite ready to be over, and we have snow in the forecast for next weekend, but Spring is proclaiming its entrance all around regardless. Coy crocuses are beinning to raise their heads, dotting dewdrop mornings with purple and lilac. Birdsong is building, and there’s a sweet, green freshness in the air that eases some of the heaviness or overhanging anxiety with the promise of budding life and new beginnings. Also, the promise of carrot cake.
Carrots have celebratory flair both spring and fall, but bright, moist, cinnamon-spiced carrot cake shines with peak warmth in spring. While the greens may not make it into the cake, the mental image of carrottops popping from their soil beds just adds to the delight.
April is my birthday month, and it often falls close to Easter, making carrot cake the ideal choice for a dual dessert. My go-to birthday cake was so popular in our house that in general it was THE birthday cake for the three of us and anyone else we celebrated for a long while. It made perfect sense—I’m not exaggerating in saying, carrot cake is absolutely brimming with Joy.
Even Joy gets exhausted sometimes, though, and recently I decided my healthy-for-cake carrot cake wasn’t wholesome enough and make some considerable tweaks. The initial result was something that tasted nice at first bite, but on the second like firm orange glop. Soooo disappointing…yet there was potential.
I could have gone back to the oridginal plan, but it used a good amount of sugar and oil, and I was sure we could do better. This recipe is attempt number two, and it’s not just better, but leagues better. With all the rich flavor—warm, spicy, cozy, and bright—but hardly any of the usual oil, lower sugar than typical and naturally sweetened, THIS is our new go-to spring celebration cake.
I used date sugar for this recipe. Our local Sprouts had a stunning sale on it, and as a diehard fan of delectable dates, how could I resist? Date sugar adds a lovely sweetness to baked goods that isn’t overpowering while couching in a bit of fiber and minerals. That said, date sugar is expensive, even on sale. These days, what groceries aren’t? With that in mind, feel free to sub in coconut sugar or another granulated sweetener of choice. I think pure maple syrup—another favorite of mine—would work well, too, but I haven’t tried it yet. I’ll update this post when I do.
Traditionally, cream cheese frosting makes a lovely rich tangy topping for carrot cake, and today plant-based cream cheese options make that very attainable. My choice for this, though, is a fabulous creamy frosting made from raw cashews, a splash of full fat coconut milk, and tofu. Yes, tofu! The firm or extra-firm kind, too, pressed. Not only does this lend structure, it packs in protein, calcium, and other nutrients. As for the taste, I think it balances out the sugar. Speaking of, for this frosting I go ahead and add in a full cup of organic powdered sugar —be sure to choose organic so as to avoid the bone-char whitening process. I think you can reduce that, and again I also tend to think a lower amount of maple syrup would work as well. I will test out and keep you posted here! If you want to enhance the setting process just a tad more, healthfully, add in a teaspoon of psyllium fiber. I like to use Organic India’s Cinnamon Spice Psyllium Pre & Probiotic Fiber for extra flavor.
You can vary this bake to your heart’s content—use a round cake pan instead of a square dish; top with crushed walnuts and shredded carrot spirals. Add shredded coconut, raisins, or a little shredded pineapple. Be caurious with the pineapple, however; I love the flavor and texture it brings, but it’s easy to make this already moist cake dense, so you may want to cut back a little bit on the liquid. Whatever you do, the flavors will shine. Happy spring!
If you want to try Organic India Psyllium Spice Pre & Probiotic Fiber (optional for frosting), use code HAPPYAPPLE for 15% off that and other products!
Healthy-for-cake Vegan Carrot Cake
Warm, spicy, cozy, and bright, this vegan, wholesome carrot cake uses minimal oil and is both lower in sugar than typical recipes and naturally sweetened—a perfect, joyful celebration cake for spring!
Ingredients
- 1 Cup raw cashews, soaked and drained
- ½ 14-ounce pack firm tofu, pressed
- 1 Cup organic powdered sugar
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla
- ½ Teaspoon psyllium powder, optional
- 1 ½ Cup unsweetened almond milK
- 1 Teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 Cups all-purpose flour (or 1 cup all-purpose, 1 cup spelt)
- 3 Teaspoons baking powder
- 1 Teaspoon baking soda
- 2 Teaspoons Ceylon Cinnamon
- ½ Teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ Teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 Cup date sugar (or coconut)
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ Cup liquid coconut oil
- ¼ Cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 ½ Cups shredded carrots
- Crushed walnuts for topping, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the frosting: Blend all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Transfer to a lidded container and let chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Pour the almong milk into a liquid measuring cup. Stir the teaspoon apple cider vinegar into and let sit.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder,cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and date or coconut sugar. Whisk well.
- Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients, add the carrots and then use a large spoon to gently fold the ingredients from the bottom together until just mixed.
- Add the batter into the prepared dish and gently smooth out the top with the back of the spoon.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Let fully cool before frosting. If desired, decorate with crushed walnuts.
Notes
There will be extra frosting--the extra can be dolloped on pudding or other treats; you can also freeze it for up to 3 months.