I absolutely love carrot cake, here is my vegan and little healthier take on it. Made with apple sauce and a whipped cream frosting that’s is just lightly sweetened.
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Ingredients
Listed below are the ingredients needed for this vegan carrot cake recipe. For the full ingredient measurements, scroll down to view the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Cake
- Almond milk, my favorite milk to bake with! You can substitute with any other kind of plant based milk of your choice.
- Apple cider vinegar, to create a vegan “buttermilk”
- Coconut oil or other neutral tasting oil like sunflower oil or avocado oil
- Unsweetened applesauce, very important to use unsweetened here since the cake will be very sweet if you use the normal sugary kind. In a pinch I have very finely grated apples to use instead but it will give a little denser cake.
- Vanilla, either vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder. I love to use the powder for an intense vanilla. You can also substitute for vanilla extract.
- Grated carrots, I used about 3 carrots. My preferred method is to weigh the carrot since they are all different sizes and the cake can turn out a little too wet if you use too much. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, loosely fill the measuring cup with the grated carrot, do not pack it in there like you would with let’s say, brown sugar.
- Coconut sugar, the slight caramel flavor tastes great in this cake. If you don’t have coconut sugar you can substitute for light brown sugar for a sweeter cake.
- All purpose flour, I use a good quality organic brand
- Baking powder and baking soda, a mix of both to give extra lift to this cake.
- Spices: cinnamon, ground ginger and cardamon. You can also substitute for all cinnamon instead of the cardamom.
- Salt, a little salt brings out the flavors
- Walnuts, they are optional but give a great crunch and flavour to this cake.
Whipped cream frosting:
- Vegan whipped cream, the best result for me is using very cold cream.
- Powdered sugar, use 2-5 tbsp depending on how sweet you like it. The more sugar you add, the more stable the whipped cream will be.
- Vanilla, either vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder. I love to use the powder for an intense vanilla. You can also substitute for vanilla extract.
- Walnuts and carrots for topping, optional but it really makes for a pretty cake!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This is a resume of how to make this healthy vegan carrot cake. For the full written instructions, see the recipe card below.
Cake
- In a large bowl, add the almond milk and apple cider vinegar, mix and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in the coconut oil, applesauce, vanilla, grated carrots and the coconut sugar.
- In a separate bowl, stir together add flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
- Add the flour mixture and optional walnuts to the wet ingredients and fold to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake. Allow the cakes to cool down before carefully removing them from the pans. Let them cool down completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Whipped cream frosting
- Whisk the cold cream with the sugar and vanilla until you have soft peaks. Frost the cake with the cream and place in the fridge to set. Top with walnuts and carrots if desired.
OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
Double Chocolate Matcha Tart (Vegan and Gluten-free)
Chocolate Granola Breakfast Tarts
Healthy Snicker Doodles (Vegan and Gluten-Free)
Chocolate, Banana and Hazelnut Chia Pudding
Healthy Strawberry crumble bars (Vegan and Gluten free)
I would love to hear from you! Let me know what you think by leaving a comment, rating, and tagging me at @thedeliciousplate in your picture on Instagram.
Happy cooking!
Vegan carrot cake that's a little healthier. Made with apple sauce and a whipped cream frosting that's is just lightly sweetened.
- ¾ cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 1 ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or extract
- 3 cups (300g) grated carrots, about 3 carrots loosly packed if using cups
- 1 ½ cup coconut sugar
- 2 ½ cups(310g) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup chopped walnuts optional
- 400-600 ml vegan whipped cream
- 2-5 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or extract
- walnuts and carrots for topping
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Preheat the oven to 175C (350F)
Line 2 round 20cm (8inches) cake pans with parchment paper and set aside.
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In a large bowl, add the almond milk and apple cider vinegar, mix and let sit for 5 minutes. Then add the coconut oil, applesauce, vanilla, grated carrots and the coconut sugar and whisk well.
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In a separate bowl, stir together add flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
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Add the flour mixture and optional walnuts to the wet ingredients and fold to combine, do not over mix or your will end up with a dense and rubbery cake!
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Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 35-45 minutes depending on your oven, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool down for about 20 minutes before carefully removing them from the pans. Let them cool down completely on a wire rack before frosting.
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Whisk the cold cream with the sugar and vanilla until you have soft peaks. Frost the cake with the cream and place in the fridge to set.
Top with walnuts and carrots if desired.
Enjoy!
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