This moist, warmly spiced vegan carrot cake is a firm family favourite. It has all the flavour and texture of a traditional carrot cake and contains no weird or tricky to find ingredients.
It is just a perfect carrot cake, made vegan.
My regular carrot cake recipe first appeared here on Thinly Spread back in 2015, today I’m sharing my updated and veganised recipe!
Veganising A Family Favourite
I think this is probably my family’s favourite cake. Each of them has individual preferences but the cake which satisfies them all is a classic carrot cake.
Carrot cakes have appeared as birthday cakes, afternoon tea cakes and picnic cakes throughout my mothering years. So it was really important that this one was veganised.
My first attempts were too moist, verging on soggy. My youngest didn’t see this as a problem and renamed them Carrot Puddings, but cakes they were not.
I realised that I was complicating things too much and went back to the drawing board.
With my original, tried and tested, recipe in hand I modified it only very slightly, swapping dairy milk for plant-based and upping the raising agents a tiny bit to replace the eggs.
It worked the first time! It also worked the second time and all the times I’ve made it since, hooray!
This is a reliable, easy vegan carrot cake recipe and I’m chuffed to bits. As are my family!
Vegan Carrot Cake
You’ll love this cake because it is:
- Moist but not soggy
- Full of gently spiced flavour
- Light and fluffy
- Super easy to bake!
How Long Does Carrot Cake Keep For?
This carrot cake stores really well in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 4 days, longer if it isn’t frosted.
It stores for longer if kept sealed in the fridge, with or without frosting, and is still good enough to eat for up to a week.
This vegan carrot is suitable for freezing. Bake as directed, cool completely, wrap each layer in baking parchment and store in plastic containers for up to a month. Do not frost or ice the cakes prior to freezing.
Frosting and Icing a Carrot Cake
I decorated my cake with delicious vegan vanilla buttercream, mainly because my lot are not fans of cream cheese!
A good vegan cream cheese frosting would work really well for less fussy people!
You could also ice it with a simple glacé icing using 3 tablespoonfuls of icing sugar mixed with a tablespoonful or so of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Mix it together until you get a drizzling consistency and then drizzle it willy nilly over the top of your cooled cake.
Alternatively, leave it naked and unadorned. To be honest this is the way we usually have it but it doesn’t make for such lovely photos!
Added Extras
I’ve used walnuts in my carrot cake but leave them out if you are not a nut fan.
If you love nuts feel free to add a few more than I did or to switch the walnuts for pecans or hazelnuts instead.
You could also add raisins into the mixture for a fruity chew.
Want More Vegan Cakes?
If you’re in cakey mood you might also like these!
- Easy Vegan Sponge Cake
- Sticky Ginger Cake
- Chocolate Fudge Cake
- Double Chocolate Chestnut Cake
- Vegan Christmas Cake
Vegan Carrot Cake
Equipment
- 2 x 20cm/8 inch cake tins (baking pans)
- Baking parchment
- Hand whisk
- 1 large mixing bowl
- Sieve
- Food Mixer with attachment/box grater
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 200 ml sunflower/rapeseed/vegetable oil
- 250 g light brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 200 ml vegan milk soy/almond/oat
- 400 g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 medium carrots you need about 250g/9oz of grated carrot
- 75 g chopped walnuts
To Finish
- 1 quantity vegan vanilla buttercream* (optional) more if you want a thickly iced cake
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F
- Grease and line two 20cm/8 inch cake tins with baking parchment
- Whisk oil, sugar, vanilla and milk together in a mixing bowl.
- Sift flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt together into the mixing bowl.
- Stir to combine.
- Add grated carrots and chopped walnuts and stir to evenly distribute.
- Divide equally between the two tins.
- Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until brown. Test with the point of a skewer, if it comes out clean the cakes are baked.
- Cool in the tins for 5 minutes then turn cakes out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely befroe decorating.
Optional Buttercream* frosting
- Add a third of the buttercream* to the top of one of the cakes.
- Top with the other cake and add the rest of the buttercream* to the top layer.
Notes
Nutrition
Follow me on Pinterest, Facebook,Twitter and Instagram where I share recipe ideas, links to vegan events and articles and where I natter on about my favourite subject – vegan food
That cake looks ace. We never normally bother with a topping. We are big carrot cake fans
Love the idea of combining lemon with the carrot cake – will be trying that on my next batch of muffins.
Is there suppose to be lemon in the carrot cake?
Not in this one, no.
This was so delicious – brilliant recipe. Honestly couldn’t believe it was vegan.
Gorgeous cake – made it for my diary intolerant friend who loves carrot cake. It was dead easy to make and I did a vegan cream cheese and icing sugar topping. Delicious!
Hi Chris, tried your vegan carrot cake. Absolutely fabulous. It was enjoyed by vegans and none vegans.
Very easy to make and tasted delicious.
Had great feedback from family and friends.
Was moist with lots of flavour.
Thanks for making my life easier.
Will definitely be trying your other vegan recipes
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! Thanks Carol.