The Ultimate Super-Moist Vegan GF Carrot Cake

One of my favorite things for Easter is carrot cake. This carrot cake is super moist and spicy.  And, the frosting is a beautiful vegan cream cheese frosting that’s rich, delicious, and undetectably vegan.

Vegan and GF Carrot Cake is Great for Family Functions

Since I’ve gone vegan (aka plant-based), I wanted to come up with a vegan and gluten-free version of my favorite carrot cake. When I bring this to a family/friend gathering, I know I’m sharing something that is a healthier option for my loved ones. Plus, it meets my own dietary guidelines!

P.S. I tested this recipe on nieces, who are 20 and 18. If they love it and couldn’t tell it was vegan then I’m guessing otherr won’t either.

I’ve been using applesauce and baking powder a lot with recipes I’ve “veganized”.  So, I thought why not carrot cake? I also read a great article called “How To Veganize a Cake Recipe – The Food Science Behind Vegan Cakes”. I may not have followed all the science. I’ll be honest the better part of my high school and college science days consisted of “study groups” that involved more goofing off than studying!

I digress, I learned that good baking means being okay with some failures first. I’ve had my share of those! Eventually, you figure out what works and that’s what “failing” is, learning what does and does not work!

Here are some tips to this cake turning out well I learned from practice and research.

Tips For a Moist & Delicious Vegan GF Carrot Cake

Fresh and High-Quality Baking Powder – You need to increase the leavening 3 teaspoons of super fresh and high-quality baking powder and soda. Vegan cakes mainly rely on baking powder and soda as their leavening agent.

Quick Bread Method – Most Vegan Cakes rely on the “quick-bread” method in order to take advantage of chemical leavening, which is leavening using baking powder and baking soda. The “quick-bread” method is basically mixing the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Then, mix the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet just until combined. The faster you pop into the oven once combined the better, to take full advantage of the chemical leavening.

Applesauce- I noticed certain vegan baking called for using a “flax egg” or “egg replacer”. So, at one point I bought some Bob’s Egg Replacer. That’s worked for me with other baking but not this cake. It made the cake texture chewy and gummy. When I switched to applesauce, it made all the difference. The cake was moist and the perfect consistency.

Glass Dish – I used a glass 9×13 pan. I haven’t yet tried it in a metal or other type of pan. All I can say is it turned out perfect in the glass dish.

Other General Carrot Cake Recipe Tips

Don’t Overmix! – I think I alluded to this above, but once the dry ingredients are combined with the wet and you fold in the carrots. Be done! Get it in the pan and in the oven for your best results.

Fine or Thickly Grated Carrots? – The first time I made this I grated the carrots thicker. The second time, I grated them finely. I think I prefer the finely grated, but it’s something you’ll need to determine yourself. The thicker grating is really good too.

Cool the Cake Before Frosting – As a general rule, I either prepare cakes earlier in the day so they have plenty of time to rest and cool or prepare the day ahead. I’m pretty busy so the day ahead works better for me. Either way, make sure the cake is fully cooled before you frost or you’ll have a hot mess!

Mix-Ins or Purest? – At our house, nuts are not allowed in cake or brownies. If you like to mix in chopped walnuts or pecans, be my guest! A 1/2 cup should do nicely.

Cake Toppings – We’re purest’s on toppings to and just prefer our frosting to be thick. If you love your nuts or toasted coconut, those are both great options on top the frosting or if you’re avoiding sugar, skip the frosting altogether. This cake is fantastic alone and could easily be a breakfast cake without the frosting.

If you loved this cake, here are some other vegan treats for the next occasion or no occasion at all!

The Best Easy & Delicious Gluten-Free Banana Bread

Gluten-Free  & (Vegan) Red Velvet Cupcakes

Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars

Superfood Vegan Energy Balls

Immune Boosting Raspberry Dark Chocolate Vegan Fudge

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The Ultimate Super-Moist Vegan & GF Carrot Cake

You won't even know this carrot cake is vegan! It's so super-moist, you'll be able to serve it for any event, after all carrot cake is good any time of the year! The applesauce makes it super moist, the cinnamon and nutmeg make it spicy, and the love used in baking give it the last extra zing!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 tsp baking powder * Make sure the baking powder is high quality and fresh or it will not rise well.
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 cup nut milk or oat milk (I used almond)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup organic can sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
• 2 cups grated carrots

Frosting

• 1 container Tofutti (vegan soft spread cream cheese)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp nut milk or oat milk
• 4 to 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a 9x13 inch pan. I used spray coconut oil.

2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl (1st 6 ingredients) and whisk.

3. In a separate large size bowl, combine the applesauce, vanilla, sugar, melted coconut oil and nut or oat milk. Whisk until well-combined.

4. Mix the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients until well combined.

5. Fold in the carrots, just until combined. Spread into 9 x 13 pan.

6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

7. Let the cake cool completely and thoroughly before frosting. An option is to cool the cake overnight. The frosting can be made the same day as the cake and refrigerated. Just make sure you take the frosting out of the fridge 45 minutes before frosting so it's nice and soft.

Frosting

1. Add Tofutti, vanilla and milk into bowl.

2. Add dry ingredients one cup at a time and blend until well combined and frosting is desired consistency. This can be 4 to 4 1/2 cups. You may need to add more almond milk to keep the blade moving. Not kidding, I burned out the blender one time making frosting!

3. Frost the cake and let sit for 30 minutes before serving to allow it to firm up a bit.

4. Store uneaten cake in the refrigerator (if there is any)!

Recipe Notes

1. Carrots can be grated extra fine or thicker, depending on the consistency you prefer in your cake.
2. Make sure to use fresh and high-quality baking powder for this cake. Since this cake is vegan and there are no eggs, you are relying on baking powder for the cake to rise.

 

Enjoy!