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Square photo of a vegan carrot cake
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5 from 2 votes

Vegan Carrot Cake

Vegan carrot cake, moist, fluffy, and decadent. It is perfectly sweet and delicious and great to enjoy as a birthday cake.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 16
Calories: 492kcal
Author: Iosune

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsweetened plant milk I used soy milk
  • 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 and ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 and ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 and ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ cup oil I used canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups grated carrot
  • 1 cup walnuts chopped (optional)
  • 1 batch of vegan cream cheese frosting

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF or 180ºC. Grease two 7 or 8-inch (18-20 cm) cake pans. I also line the bottoms with a circle of parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Mix the plant milk and vinegar in a jar or bowl until well combined. Let the mixture rest at room temperature for at least 5 minutes. After this time, the milk will thicken and curdle.
  • In the meantime, add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg) and mix until well combined.
  • Add the oil, vanilla extract, and the plant milk and vinegar mixture. Stir until well combined.
  • Incorporate the grated carrot and the walnuts and stir again until well combined.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. 
  • Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Baking time may vary depending on the oven.
  • Let it cool for 15 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack and then let it cool completely before frosting. If you don’t have a cooling rack, just use a dish or what you have on hand.
  • Once cooled completely, frost with vegan cream cheese frosting using an icing spatula or a butter knife, adding a thick layer of frosting between the top and bottom layers of the cake. 
  • Slice and serve. Ideally, refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes before serving, but this is optional.
  • Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. You can also freeze the vegan carrot cake for up to 1 month, but in that case, freeze the cake without the frosting and defrost right before serving. 

Notes

  • You could also make cupcakes using this recipe. Just fill the liners ¾ of the way full and bake for about 20-25 minutes. 
  • Feel free to use our vegan buttercream frosting or any other frosting instead.
  • Cut the recipe in half to make a 1 layer round cake. You can also omit the frosting for a healthier and simpler version.
  • If you don’t want thick layers of frosting, cut the frosting ingredients in half.
  • Feel free to use any type of plant milk, but soy milk is my favorite one for baking. 
  • Use any kind of sugar, salt, and oil.
  • Walnuts can be omitted or replaced by raisings, vegan chocolate chips, or any other nuts. 
  • Nutritional info has been calculated without the vegan cream cheese frosting.
  • Prep time doesn’t include neither the time you need to wait while the cake is cooling down after baking nor the time you need to keep the cake in the fridge to firm up.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 492kcal | Carbohydrates: 69.6g | Protein: 4.6g | Fat: 22.5g | Saturated Fat: 4.7g | Sodium: 216.2mg | Fiber: 1.75g | Sugar: 49g