Vegan Carrot Cake: Easy And Healthy (with Cashew And Coconut Frosting)

In our country it became fashionable a few years ago and now it is really easy to find it in any cafeteria with a good assortment of biscuits and cakes. I tried it more than 20 years ago in New York and I still like it as much as the first day. No other flavor of cake or cake has yet managed to take its place.

Personally I prefer the vegan version of this cake because it is juicier, but I also give you the amounts and ingredients that you have to change to prepare the conventional version.

If extra virgin olive oil seems to give you a very strong flavor, you can substitute a milder oil of your choice.

If you are only going to put frosting on top, you will have enough with the amount on the list. If you want to cut it in half and fill it inside, you will have to prepare double the amount.

Ingredients for the cake:

• 80 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 120 g applesauce
• 60g coconut sugar
• 150 g spelled flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄4-1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cloves, crushed
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 200 g grated carrot
• 70 g walnuts
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1⁄4 cup sultana raisins
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• The skin of 1⁄2 grated orange

Ingredients for the frosting:

• 60 g of cashews (60 g)
• 3 tablespoons cream or coconut cream (the thick part of a can of milk chilled overnight in the fridge, upside down)
• 5 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3-4 tablespoons powdered agave or xylitol (to make it white)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of coconut oil

How to prepare your vegan carrot cake step by step

1. Put the orange juice in a small glass and add the raisins to soak while you prepare everything.
2. In a bowl add the compote, the sugar and the oil, and stir well. Reservation.
3. In another bowl put the flour, yeast, baking soda and dry spices. Stir and add to the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix well and add the grated carrot and the contents of the juice glass with the raisins. Also add the grated orange peel and vanilla. Add the chopped walnuts.
4. Pour the mixture into a mold about 18 cm in diameter, covered with non-stick paper. Put it in the previously heated oven, and bake at 180 ° C for about 40 min with a fan, or until when you insert a rod, it comes out clean.

For the frosting:

1. Soak the cashews the night before or for a minimum of 8 hours, and, when you go to prepare it, simply drain them, wash them under the tap and blend them together with the rest of the ingredients in a blender, until it is a creamy mixture consistency.
2. Store it in the fridge for a few hours to solidify.

Tip: this cake is much richer if we keep it in the fridge and serve it cold. Add the frosting when it is more solid and store it already prepared, and well covered, in the refrigerator until you are going to serve it.

Egg version

If you want to prepare a non-vegan version of carrot cake, make the following substitutions:

1. Substitute 2 full-size eggs for the applesauce.
2. Add 70 g of grated apple.
3. Subtract 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda from the recipe.
4. The cooking time and the rest of the recipe is the same.

This vegan carrot cake recipe belongs to my book Kitchen Delights, where you can find a wide variety of tasty recipes in which vegetable products are the protagonists. If you want to start taking care of yourself, and for your body to find balance naturally, the key is not to eat less … but to eat better!