VEGAN CARROT CAKE

This carrot cake is a showstopper! And it’s absolutely delicious. This recipe is not originally mine, although I have modified a few things—after all, you always need to get creative depending on the ingredients you have on hand or to substitute them for healthier and more suitable alternatives. The original recipe I used comes from Meredith McCarty’s book Sweet and Natural, and the vegan cream is adapted from Escuela de Pastelería Vegana by Toni Rodriguez.

First, prepare the vegan whipping cream, which will be used as the filling and frosting for the cake.

INGREDIENTS (For 625g of cream)

• 330g soy milk
• 53g cane sugar (or erythritol or xylitol)
• 1g unrefined sea salt
• 38g inulin
• 110g cocoa butter
• 93g sunflower oil
• 3g soy lecithin
• 0.25g locust bean gum

FILLING PREPARATION

1. In a saucepan, heat the soy milk, inulin, sugar, and salt until it boils.
2. Pour the boiled liquid into a jug along with the cocoa butter, sunflower oil, soy lecithin, and locust bean gum.
3. Blend with a hand mixer to emulsify.
4. Let it cool to 35°C and emulsify again.
5. Refrigerate overnight at a minimum.
6. Finally, whip the preparation using a stand mixer or food processor.

Now you can prepare the carrot cake.

DRY INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup whole spelt flour
• 1 cup white spelt flour
• 1 tbsp aluminium-free baking powder
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp unrefined sea salt
• 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

WET INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup light oil (I used sunflower oil)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (I used agave syrup)
• 1/4 cup barley malt syrup (I used rice syrup)
• 1/4 cup carrot juice (I used the juice from the grated carrot)
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup carrot (1 large carrot, coarsely grated)
• 1/3 cup raisins

CAKE PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
2. Use a 20cm diameter cake tin. I like to line both the base and sides with baking paper, brushing it with a little oil to ensure it sticks to the tin.
3. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients well. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well with a whisk until the flour is fully incorporated.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Tap the tin against the kitchen counter (on a towel) to release any air bubbles.
6. Bake until the cake has risen and is golden brown, about 30 minutes (baking time may vary depending on your oven). Remove from the oven and let it cool on the counter, covering it with a cloth to prevent it from drying out too much.
7. Once it has cooled slightly, place it in the fridge until it’s time to add the filling and frosting.
8. To assemble, cut the cake in half horizontally and use a piping bag to fill and frost it with the whipped vegan cream.

Enjoy!