Hey ya'll! I'm back from Monaco and flew right into crispy cold and snowy Estonia. It's freezing outside but so cozy inside. A perfect time to bake this wonderfully easy vegan carrot cake. I've discovered a couple of nuances to make this cake really perfect. First - cover it with frosting and let it sit in the fridge at least over night. It's one of those cakes that keep getting better the more they sit. So when at first it tends to be a little dry, then after a night in the fridge it's perfectly moist and delicious.
For the frosting, I used an amazing two-ingredient invention - condensed coconut milk. It contains organic coconut extract and organic sugar. It's super sweet, thick and creamy like a real buttercream. You can use it everywhere where you would normally use condensed milk or buttercream. Just keep the cans in the fridge and when the time comes, flip them upside down, pour away the extra liquid and whip the remaining cream. If you don't have access to the condensed coconut milk, you can always make your own coconut whipped cream.
So for the best and moist carrot cake, cover the cake with a plenty of frosting and let it sit in the fridge at least over night. If you want, you can decorate the cake with nuts. I used pecan nuts, but walnuts and chopped hazelnuts would go great too! Instead of plant milk or water, I used orange juice this time. It balances the carrots' sweetness really well.
I used a 9 inch / 22 cm round cake pan for this. It turned out rather high and the cooking time is 50 - 55 minutes. If you use a wider cake pan (10 - 11 inches / 24 - 26 cm) then you will have a thinner cake and the cooking time is about 45 minutes. Happy baking and let me know how it turned out for you!
PS! You can also cut the cake into two layers and slather some frosting in between.
Time: 1 hour
Serves: 12 - 16 slices
Carrot cake:
- 150 g oat flour
- 150 g whole-wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 150 g unrefined sugar
- 100 ml refined olive oil, canola oil or sunflower oil
- 300 ml orange juice
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 300 g coarsely grated carrots
- some sugar for sprinkling on the top
Frosting:
- 2 x 210 g condensed coconut milk cans (keep them in the fridge for a few hours)
- or homemade vegan coconut whipped cream
+ some nuts for decorating
Pre-heat the oven to 350 F / 180 C. Whisk oat flour with whole-wheat flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk sugar with oil, add orange juice and vinegar and whisk more. When the oven is hot, grease a round cake pan. Mix dry ingredients with wet ones and lightly mix in the grated carrots. Pour the batter into the cake pan and sprinkle a few tablespoons of sugar on top. Bake for at least 45 minutes (a bit more, if you have a smaller cake pan). When the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready.
Remove the cake from the pan and let it cool down. Take the condensed coconut milks out of the fridge, flip the cans upside down, pour away the extra liquid and whip the cream with a hand mixer for a couple of minutes. Frost the cake and decorate it with nuts. Let it sit in the fridge at least over night. Serve.
