I never really considered myself much of a carrot lover. I always liked carrots, but no more than the average child. When I was younger, I was told that carrots made you see further– I vividly recall when I was in kindergarten, and I theatrically proclaimed to my classmates that I could see the details on a distant mountain top with every bite I took of my baby carrots- (crunch) “I see a woman walking her dog!”, (crunch) “and a squirrel!” I can’t recall if my classmates bought it, considering the mountains were a good 60 miles off in the distance.
Anyway, I always loved carrot cake. No matter what. I asked for a carrot cake at every birthday, and I was always sure to specify that I wanted cream cheese frosting. I remember one year when the store made one with whipped frosting– the kind that tastes like a mix of wax and plastic. I was devastated, but somehow managed to recover.
Ever since I began to acknowledge the way that animals are treated in the meat, eggs, and dairy industries, I began to bake vegan. Why use animal products when they are not necessary? I quickly discovered that we can bake perfectly delicious food without using any eggs, butter, or milk.
I came across this delicious recipe, which is, in all sincerity, the best vegan carrot cake ever. For being a carrot cake lover, I feel like I have some validity in saying this.
I came across this delicious recipe, which is, in all sincerity, the best vegan carrot cake ever. For being a carrot cake lover, I feel like I have some validity in saying this.
My husband and I ate half of it the night we made it. Then, we finished it the next day.
I wanted to try to make a healthier version- less sugar, less flour, no white flour, less oil… Here’s what I came up with:
My (halfway gluten-free) cake. It’s dense and hardy and tastes best when it’s cold. I always eat it the day after baking it, that way it has some time for the flavors to mix and for the texture to firm up.
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| Fresh OJ with a juicer or strained from a blender! |
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| DIY Cake Stand |
Carrot Cake
1 cup whole wheat Flour
1 cup raw Almond meal/Almond flour
1 cup raw Almond meal/Almond flour
½ cup white Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Cinnamon
Nutmeg (just a pinch)
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¼ cup Maple Syrup
Nutmeg (just a pinch)
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¼ cup Maple Syrup
2 cups shredded Carrots
¼ cup Apple Sauce
½ cup Coconut oil
½ cup Coconut oil
1/2 cup Orange Juice
1/2 cup Raisins
1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened Coconut
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts
Frosting
There are two frostings that I’ve used with this cake- one is my cream cheese frosting, and the other is my raw frosting. Both are great on this cake!
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8×8 inch square pan with oil.
In a large bowl mix the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg until thoroughly combined. Add the maple syrup, shredded carrots, apple sauce, and oil to the dry ingredients and mix well with a spoon.
Add the orange juice and mix again. Next, add the nuts, raisins, and coconut.
Put the batter into pan and bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.
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