ROTW: Whole Wheat Vegan Carrot Cake

Our ROTW (recipe of the week) is Whole Wheat Vegan Carrot Cake from fitmittenkitchen.com. Everybody needs a good carrot cake sometimes. Fitmittenkitchen.com delivers the perfect solution to this problem while successfully satisfying your sweet tooth at the same time. This recipe is exquisite. With just the right amount of sweetness infused with heartiness and the perfect blend of spices it more than delivers.

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup milled flax seeds* + 3/4 cup lukewarm water, soaked for 10 minutes
• 3/4 granulated sugar
• 3/4 organic light brown sugar (or sub coconut sugar)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted & cooled
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat white flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 TBS ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp ginger
• 3 cups grated carrots (about 1lb)

Vegan Cashew Cream Frosting:

• 2 cups raw cashews, soaked for 6 hours, drained & rinsed
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup non-dairy milk (canned coconut milk is best for texture)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF; line two 9″ round cake pans with parchment paper, plus lightly grease. Set aside.
2. In medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup flax seeds and 3/4 cup water and whisk together. Let seeds and water form gel, about 15 minutes total, whisking every 5 minutes.
3. Grate carrots while flax seeds thicken. (I used my food processor with shredding disc + blade, see pictures in post)
4. In a large bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Whisk until evenly combined, then fold in grated carrots.
5. In the clean bowl of your food processor (or large bowl using hand mixer, or stand mixer with whisk attachment) combine sugars, flax “eggs”, and vanilla extract until creamy, about 30 seconds. With the motor still running, add in applesauce, and pour steady stream of coconut oil until wet ingredients are evenly combined.
6. Pour wet ingredients into large bowl of flour/carrot mixture. Using a large rubber spatula, gently combine and then add in milk to fully combine. Disperse batter evenly into prepared pans.
7. Bake cake for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Let cake cool in pans for about 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Make the frosting: Combine rinsed cashews with 1/3 cup of maple syrup, and 1/3 cup of non-dairy milk in a high speed blender or food processor. Process until creamy, even consistency forms. Transfer frosting to a bowl and set in freezer for 30 minutes to firm. Once chilled, whip frosting with hand mixer or use whisk. Spread a medium-thick layer of frosting evenly over first layer of cake, then layer second cake on top and frost completely. Store cake in fridge to chill and set frosting before serving.

RECIPES NOTES:

FLOUR: You can use half whole wheat, half all-purpose flour with similar results. Whole wheat pastry flour can be subbed equally. Also if looking for a gluten-free friendly option, your best bet is to use a 1-to-1 all-purpose gluten-free baking flour.

EGGS: Chia seeds (same amount/water ratio) can most likely be subbed for flax seeds, but I have not tried this myself. If wanting to use actual eggs, use 4 whole large eggs. (1 TBS milled flaxseed + 3 TBS water = 1 egg.)

Store leftover cake in fridge up to 5 days.

This cake can by made in a 9×13 pan, but baking times will differ. Check cake with toothpick at 35-40 minutes and adjust times accordingly.

What do you think of our ROTW, Whole Wheat Vegan Carrot Cake? Will you try it for yourself?