Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
This Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake is moist, rich, not overly sweet and full of flavor. It’s topped with a smooth vegan cream cheese frosting that’s as easy to make as delicious.
Equipment
- Three 7-inch round cake pans
- Big mixing bowl
- Silicone spatula
Ingredients
For the Vegan Gluten-free Carrot Cake:
- 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (270 gr)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup brown sugar (150 gr)
- ½ cup plant based milk (125 ml) (almond, oat, soy or rice milk)
- ½ cup applesauce (125 gr) (homemade applesauce or store bought)
- ⅔ cup mild olive oil (150 ml) (or canola oil or sunflower oil)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated carrots (180 gr) (about 3 medium carrots)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (60 gr) , plus 2 tablespoons to top the cake
- ½ cup raisins (70 gr)
For the Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup vegan butter , room temperature
- 1 cup vegan cream cheese , room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract , optional
Instructions
For the Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF / 180ºC. Line three 7-inch/18 cm cake pans with parchment paper. I use round discs of parchment paper to line the bottom of my pans. Also, grease the pans with butter or vegan cooking spray.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, start mixing the wet ingredients. First, mix the milk and vinegar and let sit for 2 minutes until it curdles. Then, add the oil, applesauce and vanilla extract. Give it a stir.
- Now, sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Mix for 30 seconds. Add the sugar. Mix for 30 more seconds, just until blended.
- Add the rest of the ingredients: grated carrots, chopped walnuts and raisins. Mix for 30 additional seconds, until combined.
- Divide the batter evenly into the three lined pans.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Insert a tooth pick in the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean the cakes are done.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes before unmolding. Let cool completely before frosting. If you need to speed the cooling process, place the cake in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Once the cake have cooled down, serve as it is or frost with the Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting.
For the Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat the butter in a large bowl for approximately 1 minute or until it becomes creamy.
- Add the cream cheese and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Don't over beat.
- Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Mix on low speed until the mixture is completely combined and creamy. Add more powdered sugar if the frosting is not thick enought.
- You can use the frosting straight away, but if you leave it in the fridge for a while, it will thicken and will be firmer to decorate your cakes.
For Frosting and Assembling the Cake
- You can frost the cakes as they are or level them with serrated knife. It only takes a few minutes and makes for a beautiful presentation when serving.
- Once your cakes are cooled and leveled, line the edges of a cake plate with pieces of parchment paper that can be easily removed when the cake is finished. I used a cake turntable and placed a gold cake board on it.
- Start spreading the buttercream on each cake and stack them on the prepared plate (or cake board). Top with the third layer upside down.
- Apply a crumb coat (thin layer) of frosting to seal the crumbs. Freeze for 15 minutes to help set the crumb coat.
- Remove from the freezer and frost the sides and top of the cake with a pallet knife or a spatula. Decorate with fresh additional chopped walnuts. Enjoy!
Notes
MAKE AHEAD OF TIME. Cake layers can be wrapped and stored at room temperature overnight. Make sure they have completely cooled before wrapping them. The Cream Cheese Frosting can be made 1-2 days ahead and stored in the fridge. It thickens when it cools down. You don’t need to bring it to room temperature before using it.
FREEZING THE CARROT CAKE.
Unfrosted cake layers can be easily frozen. Double wrap them in plastic wrap once cooled and place in a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 moths.
DIFERENT SIZED PANS.
Three 6-inch round cake pans. This recipe is perfect to use in 6-inch round cake pans too. You’ll get a three layered cake as well.
Two 9-inch round cake pans. If you’d like to use 9-inch round cake pans, you’ll get a two layered cake. If so, bake the cake a little longer, for 30-35 minutes.
INGREDIENTS SUBSTITUTIONS
Flour. Gluten-free flour blend is what I usually use here. If you’re not gluten-free, substitute for all-purpose normal flour at a ratio of 1:1.
Sugar: You can use brown sugar, cane sugar or white sugar.
Vegetable milk: Almond milk, oat milk or soy milk are the best choices for baking, although you can perfectly use your favorite plant-based milk.
Walnuts: walnuts are a great addition to this carrot cake. You can add pecans instead if you prefer. If you are allergic to nuts, you can omit them without sacrificing the flavor.
Raisins: for extra moisture and flavor. In case you don’t like them, you can try adding dried cranberries or simply omit them.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
See our full nutrition disclosure.
Nutrition
Calories: 69kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.01gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 210mgPotassium: 3mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 1mg
Additional Info
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!