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Easter is in 7 days and I know I'm running behind posting my vegan carrot cake recipe. This should have been up two weeks ago...Life got in the way though ;) Darn you, Life! Better late than never though!
I've seen a few healthy and yummy looking vegan carrot cake recipes. I love a good healthy vegan carrot cake but sometimes I want one that kind of feels naughty...you too, right?
So I tried to stick to my healthy roots by first adding lots of carrots and a bit of lemon juice. Starting off strong...
Then I kind of went off the deep end by adding chocolate chips because that is what needed to happen. Oh, and some other not overly important ingredients made it into the bowl as well ;) But hey, it's also a gluten-free carrot cake so it can't be super unhealthy!
Of course, it wouldn't seem like an Easter recipe without some eggs. Well, Flax eggs to be exact. I mixed all that up and pressed it into my bundt pan.
Okay, before we move on I HAVE to admit that I can't say the word bundt without thinking of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. If you haven't seen the movie (it came out 14 years ago!) then just ignore this part but if you have then you will LOVE being reminded of this scene. You're welcome!
Anywho...You might be looking at the cake batter and think it is way way way too thick. I thought the same thing so the first time I made it I added more liquid and the whole thing fell apart. Then, I finally listened to my original idea of how I thought this recipe should come together and BAM!
This vegan carrot cake doesn't rise much so don't worry about it overflowing but it's moist, soft and heavenly.
So now we have a, perfectly delicious on it's own, gluten-free, vegan carrot cake BUT I wanted it to feel like I was really, I mean REEAALLYY, indulging. So what better way that to add lots of sugar in icing form, some crunchy coconut flakes, chopped pistachios for color, and some cute little frosting flowers for an added springtime touch.
Oh yeah, much better! Now this carrot cake is Easter brunch worthy ;)
Want to know what else is awesome about this vegan carrot cake? It stays completely moist for 4 long days in the fridge UNCOVERED! None of this having to wrap you pretty cake in plastic wrap, hoping to keep all the moisture in. Nope, not needed.
So there you go, my unhealthified GF Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe!
5 from 2 votes
Gluten-free Vegan Carrot Cake w/ Icing
A super moist GF and Vegan Carrot Cake recipe with chocolate chips and Icing that is perfect for Easter and springtime. This recipe doesn't have to be made in a bundt pan. Use other cake pans as well but bake times may vary.
CourseDessert
Cuisinedairy-free, Egg-free, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes 1 cake
Author Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes.com
Ingredients
- 10Ounces285g finely grated Carrots
- 2tablespoonsFresh Lemon Juice
- ½of a cup100g Chocolate Chips (I used these Vegan, GF Mini Chocolate Chips)
- 1and ⅓ of a cup200g raw, whole Almonds (ground - should equal 1 ½ of a cup ground Almonds)
- scant ¼ of a cup30g Coconut Flour (can be substituted with ⅓ of a cup whole wheat or all purpose flour)
- ¼of a teaspoon Salt
- 1and ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- 4Flax EggsSee notes on how to make flax eggs
- ⅓of a cup60g Whole Cane Sugar (can be substituted with equal amount of white sugar)
- 1teaspoonVanilla Extract
- 3tablespoonsof water
- 2and ½ tablespoons melted Coconut Oilcan be substituted with equal amounts of canola oil or applesauce to make oil-free
Icing
- 1cup100g sifted Powdered Sugar (Note that not all powdered sugar is vegan. This one is though!)
- 2tablespoonsunsweetened Almond Milk or Fresh Lemon Juicestrained to remove pulp and seeds
Extra Optional Topping
- Coconut Flakes
- Frosting FlowersMake your own or buy here
- chopped Pistachios
Instructions
Preheat oven to 355F (180C) and grease and flour a bundt pan or other cake pan.
Squeeze out excess liquid out of carrots and then mix together with fresh lemon juice in a large bowl.
Add chocolate chips, ground almonds, flour, salt and baking powder to bowl with carrots. Mix well.
Blend flax eggs in a food processor or blender. Slowly add the sugar, vanilla extract and water.
Add flax egg mixture and melted coconut oil to the carrot/flour mixture and mix well. The batter should be fairly thick.
Press the carrot cake batter intoto the prepared bundt pan or other cake pan. Bake in lower third of the oven for 60 minutes. Cake should be golden brown when finished and when a skewer poked in the middle of the pan comes out clean.
Remove cake from oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes before attempting to remove the cake from the pan.
While cake is cooling, prepare icing by whisking together almond milk (or lemon juice depending on preference) with powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle icing over cake once cake is completely cooled.
Add coconut flakes, frosting flowers and chopped pistachios to the carrot cake for decoration if desired.
Store in refrigerator and enjoy within 4 days.
Recipe Notes
1.) To make 1 flax egg combine 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds with 3 tablespoons water. Let the flax seed/water mixture sit for 20 minutes or longer until a gel forms. (Note that this recipe calls for 4 flax eggs. So, you'll need 4 tablespoons of flax seeds and 12 tablespoons of water)
Looking for a few other recipes that might be Easter worthy? Or just perfect for Spring?
I got you covered with my Lemon Cream Bars, Healthy Potato-Pea Soup, and Vegan Lemon Loaf Cake! Enjoy!
More Vegan Cake Recipes
- Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake
- Vegan Coconut Chocolate Cake w/ Vanilla Coconut Oil Frosting
- Blueberry Cranberry Pie
- Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pie (V,GF,P)
Reader Interactions
Comments
Jo from yummyvege says
Beautiful!!! Looks delicious too, i'm going to try and find a moment to make this, this week.
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Aimee / Wallflower Kitchen says
I saw your cake on Instagram and fell completely in love. It's SO beautiful!
Vanessa Croessmann says
Thank you so much, Aimee! Hope you get a chance to try it out ;)
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Lauren says
Damn Girl that is one lovely cake! I think it MUST make an appearance on our Easter table, huzzah for gluten free!
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Thanks Lauren! I'm so happy with how it turned out ;)
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Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
It is stunning!!!! Almost to pretty to eat...almost ;)
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Thanks, Rebecca! That's exactly what I thought and then I just dug in ;)
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Maria G. says
This looks beautiful, Vanessa! I think it would be too dense for my preference though.
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Thanks, Maria. I prefer carrots cakes that a bit more on the dense side ;)
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Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
"Unhealthified" I love it! It's for easter though, so this still totally counts as breakfast. And it's a million times healthier than a Peep even with those wonderful chocolatey morsels mixed in :) Lots of points for presentation too Vanessa, this is gorgeous!
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Oh yes! This vegan carrot cake totally works for breakfast ;) Thanks, Natalie!
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Uma Srinivas says
Looks delicious. I always like carrot cake and got another recipe of that!
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Linda @ Veganosity says
Thank you for sharing that scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. One of my favorite movies ever, and I can't wait for the new one that's coming out soon.
Your cake is gorgeous! I love the flowers and the color. Carrot cake needs to be heavy and dense, or else it's not really carrot cake. Right? Yours looks like the perfect texture, and I love that you made it into a bundt. ;)
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Vanessa Croessmann says
I know! I saw the trailer for the new one a few days ago. Looks funny and I'm hoping it will be as good as the first one.
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Manali@CookWithManali says
What a stunning cake Vanessa!
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Thank you so much, Manali!
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Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
What a gorgeous cake, perfect for this time of year! I've been obsessed with everything carrot cake lately! Love this & how you made it Bundt-cake style!
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Thanks, Patricia! It's the right time of year to be carrot cake obsessed ;)
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Mel @ avirtualvegan.com says
That cake is sooo pretty! I wouldn't want to cut it.....well actually I am lying there because how could I resist?
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Thanks Mel, I felt the same way at first too but then dug in and devoured it ;)
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The Vegan 8 says
Prettiest carrot cake I've ever seen, that's for sure!! Love the chocolate chips addition, not typical of a carrot cake but there is always a good reason for chocolate chips, I just love it Vanessa!
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Hedi says
This looks so pretty, I love carrot cake!!!
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Jenn says
Vanessa, this is simply gorgeous!! What a stunning dessert for the Easter table (or any celebration!) YUM!
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Natalie Freed says
I was just talking to my mom about what to make for Easter. This is a perfect idea. Gorgeous!
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dixya @ food, pleasure, and health says
these look so pretty..esp the icing! yummy
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Hauke Fox says
Carrot cake is the best!!! Interesting how versatile carrots are now that I think of it :-)
Looks super delicious, Vanessa!Reply
Lucie @WIN-WIN FOOD says
This looks absolutely heavenly Vanessa!!! So beautiful and festive <3
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Amanda says
Hi, I would like to make cupcakes instead of a bundt cake. Do you have any suggestions on appropriate cooking times?
Thanks you! This cake looks beautiful!
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Hi Amanda, I can't give you an exact cupcake baking time for these but I would start with 20 min and then do skewer tests. The batter also barely rises since there is no flour so fill the cupcakes up to the top. Let me know how it goes :)
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Jennifer says
I really hoped this would work out and I just hope it tastes good. Not eating it until Sunday, but the cake did not rise whatsoever. It's very flat and squished looking even when I made it in a bundt pan. Seems moist enough but also the icing was really translucent and when I drizzled it on top of the cake, it just... disappeared. It'll still make it sweet but looking at it, I can't even tell there's icing on it at all. *sigh* I guess I'll cut it into pieces on Sunday and make individual slices rather than the whole cake because as is, it looks pretty sad on the plate.
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Hi Jennifer, I did mention that the cake won't rise much. There isn't enough flour in the recipe for that to really happen. The icing will soak into the cake if it is made too thin. If you like more of glaze over the cake then the icing should be more like a honey consistency. If you are looking for a thicker icing that stays white then you'll need your icing to have more of a toothpaste consistency. It's all an issue of preference. I'll add a note about that in the Notes section of the recipe. Thanks ;)
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Olivia says
Would spelt flour and coconut sugar work?
Thank you!
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Sorry for the late reply, Olivia. Spelt flour will work and use the same amount of coconut sugar.
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Bianca @ ElephantasticVegan says
What a pretty cake! It's a piece of art, really :) Carrot Cake is one of my favorites, because it's always super fluffy and soft.
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JoSLYN R. says
This was more like a nut carrot cake but it tastes so good. Don't make this is you are expecting a traditional carrot cake because it does taste different. It's yummy though! I didn't like the icing with so much lemon for this though so I made it again with the almond milk in the recipe. Very good. Will make again.
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Hi Joslyn, I'm happy you like the carrot cake. You are right. It is definitely more like a carrot-nut cake. I think it's a nice alternative to the regular cake some people are used to. ;)
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Kara m. says
Made this for Easter and forgot to write you how fantastic it was. You were right the cake does not rise but it really does not need to. It tasted perfect. Definitely a different type of carrot cake with lots of nuts but great! thank you1
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Thanks Kara! I'm so happy you liked it ;)
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Susan Emmerson says
Hi is it a third of a cup orn200grams? As a third of a cup is only 25g? Thanks
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Vanessa Croessmann says
Hi Susan, looks like your comment got slightly cut off. Are you referring to the almonds?
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Gaby says
Can i substiitute the chocolate chips with raisins
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Jenn Swanson says
what can I substitute for the almonds...being allegic to nuts? I am having such trouble finding vegan, gf and nut free anything that is nice enough to bring to a dinner, and I need something for tomorrow evening. I love carrot cake...so what could I use instead of almond flour? Thanks.
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