How to Make a Vegan, Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
With a vegan diet, it may seem like a lot of sweet treats are beyond reach. Because carrot cake is traditionally made with butter, eggs and milk it might be hard to imagine a vegan version of the classic treat. Harder still would be to then imagine the cake without any wheat-based gluten products. However, making a cake that is both sensitive to a vegan and wheat-free is actually quite simple so long as you are familiar with the simple conversions. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- 3 cups carrots, washed and scored
- ½ cup bean flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup rice flour
- ½ cup sweet rice flour
- ½ cup tapioca flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 3/4 cup organic cane sugar
- 1/4 cup vegan brown sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 tbsp. mashed ripe banana
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup gluten-free applesauce
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp. orange rind
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 tub vegan cream cheese
- ¼ cup nondairy margarine
- 1 ½ cup vegan powdered sugar
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- Orange and green food coloring
Instructions
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1
Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with non-stick spray. Lightly dust it with flour. You could also line the dish with parchment paper.
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2
Shred carrots with a food grater or a food processor. Set them aside.
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3
Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl with a whisk. This includes bean flour, cornstarch, rice flour, sweet rice and tapioca flour. This combination can be used as an all-purpose flour substitute for most traditional dishes. Also add in baking powder, baking soda, sugars, salt and cinnamon.
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4
Stir in banana, oil, applesauce, vanilla extract and orange rind. Whisk until they are well combined. Then pour in carrots. Combine with a wooden spoon.
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5
Pour into prepared baking dish and bake in oven for 45 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center to check for doneness. Cool on a wire rack. Turn it out onto a serving dish when cooled.
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6
Combine vegan cream cheese, nondairy butter, vegan powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat well until whipped. Spread the mixture onto the cake, reserving a ¼ cup of frosting.
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7
Divide the reserved frosting in half. Add orange and green food coloring to the two bowls. Decorate the cake with carrot shapes using the colored frostings.
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References
Resources
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