Vegan Carrot Cake

This vegan carrot cake is the best you'll ever eat! It's perfectly fluffy and moist and even loved even by non-vegans. This recipe is a no-fuss favorite as it's made with simple ingredients and comes together in one bowl. And the cake is finished with a vegan cream cheese frosting for the dreamiest dessert!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Vegan

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 10

Servings people

Calories 229

Author Anthea

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

3 cups (375g) all-purpose plain flour spooned and leveled (notes 1 & 2)
1 cup (190g) packed brown sugar or use more granulated sugar
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar or use more brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients

3 cups (300g) coarsely grated carrots (around 3-4 medium carrots)
1 ¼ cups (315g) dairy-free milk room temperature
½ cup (125g) neutral flavored oil or a light olive oil
1 cup (120g) chopped walnuts or pecans, optional (note 3 for other add-ins)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar regular vinegar or lemon juice, optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting (see note 4 for frosting without cream cheese)

½ cup (115g) vegan block butter room temperature
8 oz (240g) vegan cream cheese room temperature
4 cups (400g) powdered sugar / icing sugar more if needed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons (20g) cornstarch / corn flour or 1/4 cup melted vegetable shortening or coconut oil, for a firmer frosting (optional)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F). Grease or line 2 x 8 inch (20 cm) round cake pans with parchment paper.

Make the vegan carrot cake (note 5 for make-ahead instructions):

Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until the mixture is well combined and there are no lumps. Add all the wet ingredients (including the carrots and nuts) and mix until just combined.
Evenly divide the carrot cake batter into your prepared cake pans.
Bake the cakes for around 35-40 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool completely in their pans on a cooling rack.

Make the cream cheese frosting:

Add the vegan butter to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until just combined. Finally, add the vegan cream cheese and the vanilla and beat until there are no lumps. If your frosting is too runny, add up to 1 extra cup of powdered sugar, corn starch or drizzle in the shortening while mixing. Avoid overmixing as this will cause the frosting to soften.
Chill the frosting until needed.

Frosting the cake:

When the cakes have completely cooled, place one layer on a serving plate.
Spread or pipe around ¾ cup of frosting on the cake and place the remaining cake on top.
Spread the remaining frosting on the cake. If you have excess frosting, use a piping bag with a star nozzle to pipe the remaining frosting on top of the cake. Decorate the cake as desired.
Store the frosted vegan carrot cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Allow the cake to come to room temperature for 1 hour before serving. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for 1 month.

Video

Notes

Measuring the flour: Make sure you measure the flour accurately, otherwise your cake may be dense and dry. If using measuring cups, use the spoon and level method where you fluff up the flour in its bag, use a spoon to add flour to a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. Using the measuring cup to scoop flour out of your container will result in a dry cake. For the best results, use the gram measurements.
Gluten-free version: My team and I have tested this carrot cake with King Arthur's gluten-free measure for measure flour and it works well! Your batter may be thicker, but the cakes will bake beautifully. I recommend baking the cakes for 40-45 minutes.
If you'd like to add raisins or coconut, I recommend reducing the nuts to 1/2 cup (60g) and adding 1 cup (150g) raisins or 1 cup (85g) coconut.
If you don't have cream cheese, I recommend making lemon buttercream frosting from my vegan lemon cake recipe.
This vegan carrot cake can be prepared the day before. You can make the whole cake, decorate it and store it in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. Alternatively, you can make the cake layers and store them at room temperature in a container or plastic wrap overnight. The frosting can be made the day before but needs to be chilled in the refrigerator. Let the frosting to come to room temperature before using.

Nutrition