Sweet layers of spiced and walnut studded vegan carrot cake are slathered with rich dairy-free cream cheese frosting to make this decadent treat. The best part: this sweet dessert is made in one bowl and doesn't even require an electric mixer!
- ¾ cup canola oil (or another oil that's suitable for baking)
- ¾ cup crushed pineapple*
- ½ cup unflavored non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (or sub whole wheat pastry)
- ¾ cup organic granulated sugar
- ¾ cup organic granulated brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups finely shredded carrots (about 5 medium carrots or ½ pound)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, plus more for topping (optional)
- 8 ounces vegan cream cheese, chilled
- ½ cup vegan butter (1 stick), softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups organic powdered sugar, plus up to 1 additional cup
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Begin by making the cake. Preheat the oven to 350°. Oil and line the bottoms of 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with parchment paper.
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In a small bowl, stir together the oil, milk, pineapple, flaxseed and vanilla. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 10 minutes.
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Meanwhile, stir the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
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Add the wet mixture to the dry, and stir just until blended, being careful not to overmix. Fold in the carrots and walnuts.
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Distribute the batter among the two prepared pans, smoothing out the tops with a spatula.
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Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
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Transfer the cake pans to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.
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While the cake layers cool, make the vegan cream cheese frosting. Place the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and salt into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer at high-speed until smooth.
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Begin beating in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Beat in 4 to 5 cups total, until the frosting reaches your desired consistency. If the frosting is still a bit runny after adding 5 cups, place it in the fridge until it firms up a bit (this shouldn't take longer than it takes for your cakes to cool).
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When the cake layers are cool, carefully remove them from the pans and peel off the parchment paper.
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Invert one of the layers on a plate, and slather the top with half of the cream cheese frosting. Top with the other layer, also inverted, and slather the top with the remaining frosting.
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Optionally, frost the sides of the cake and garnish the top with chopped walnuts.
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Slice and serve.
*To substitute diced pineapple (canned or fresh), place it in the blender or a food processor and pulse a few times, until very finely chopped.
This recipe was updated in March of 2021. The original version included a cashew-based cream cheese. If you'd like to make this version, simply blend 2 cups (soaked) raw cashews, ⅓ cup maple syrup, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon salt in a food processor until smooth and creamy.