This vegan carrot cake is the perfect sweet treat to enjoy with a cup of tea! Fudgy, moist, and well-flavoured, it’s easy to make together with a slightly zesty frosting. Dairy-free, gluten-free.
The warmer seasons, in my opinion, are the best time to eat dessert. I know many people associate treat like cake, brownies, cookies etc with winter and Christmas in particular. I do too. But as the weather warms up, there’s nothing quite like sitting outside and enjoying a slice of cake in the sunshine, as the street blooms about you. Well, as I’m writing this from Russia, that’s not quite the case – to my great surprise, it’s still snowing here. But I hope that full-on spring weather will greet me when I get back to England in two weeks’ time.
For now, I’m sharing one of my favourite desserts with you that I hope you will try out as easter approaches, which is this yummy gluten-free vegan carrot cake.
Vegan carrot cake
I’m in love with this vegan carrot cake, and so is everyone else who has tried it. If you’re looking for desserts to share with your family and friends for easter, this is perhaps the perfect one.
This vegan carrot cake has a very dense, moist (I hate that word too but there literally isn’t an alternative lol) and ‘caky’ texture. I certainly wouldn’t call this a ‘lighter’ dessert: it’s very indulgent, but life is too short to miss out on your favourite sweet treats. I always talk about how important it is to ensure you have balance in your life, and to me that means eating plenty of vegetables and healthy meals, as well as carrot cake whenever I feel like it!
It’s also super easy to make, which makes it perfect for a last minute treat to bring to special occasions. Even if you’re not an experienced baker, it’s very difficult to go wrong with this vegan carrot cake recipe.
Why you’ll love this vegan carrot cake
It’s…
- Undetectably plantbased
- Moist
- Well-flavoured
- Fudgy and indulgent
- Gluten-free
- Perfect with a cup of tea
- Great for special occasions
- Easy and beginner-friendly
How to make vegan carrot cake
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 F.
Add the flour, coconut sugar, carrot, pecan nuts, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg to a large mixing bowl and mix. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the plant milk and melted vegan butter.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix them together until thoroughly combined.
Pour the batter into two 8-inch cake tins. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Add the vegan butter to a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, gradually adding in the icing sugar. At the end, add the orange juice and vanilla essence, whisking once more to incorporate.
Assemble the cake. First, ensure the cake has cooled down fully before adding the frosting by leaving the sponges on a cooling rack or in the fridge for around 15 minutes. Then, spread around half of the icing on one of the sponges. Layer with the second sponge, and spread the rest of the icing on top.
Serve immediately or store in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
Other vegan dessert recipes
- Easy gluten-free vegan chocolate cake
- Chocolate avocado mousse tart
- Gingerbread cake with coconut frosting
- Peanut butter cookies with tahini
- Banana oatmeal cookies
Let me know in the comments – what’s your favourite cake? If you give this gluten-free vegan carrot cake recipe a go, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@earthofmariaa) so I can see your creations, and leave your feedback in the comments below!
Vegan Carrot Cake (Gluten-free)
Ingredients
For the cake
- 15.5 oz gluten-free flour (1 3/4 cups)
- 14 oz coconut sugar (2 cups)
- 10 oz carrot grated
- 2 oz pecan nuts chopped
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1.25 cups unsweetened plant milk
- 3.5 oz vegan butter melted
For the frosting
- 3.5 oz vegan butter room temperature
- 10 oz powdered sugar (3 cups)
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- 1/4 tsp vanilla essence
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 F.
- Add the flour, coconut sugar, carrot, pecan nuts, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg to a large mixing bowl and mix. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the plant milk and melted vegan butter.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix them together until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the batter into two 8-inch cake tins. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Add the vegan butter to a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, gradually adding in the icing sugar. At the end, add the orange juice and vanilla essence, whisking once more to incorporate.
- Assemble the cake. First, ensure the cake has cooled down fully before adding the frosting by leaving the sponges on a cooling rack or in the fridge for around 15 minutes. Then, spread around half of the icing on one of the sponges. Layer with the second sponge, and spread the rest of the icing on top.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
This is a beautiful cake!!
I wish we had it in THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE-OFF yesterday – it would have been perfect!
YUMMY!! I miss having my own kitchen to try baking in xx
Aw thank you! Yes I always miss my own kitchen too after being away! Xx
Can you replace The gluten free four to almond flour or coconut flour?
Hi! I haven’t tried it, but I’m not sure if it would work because those flours are much heavier unfortunately :(.