Vegan Carrot Cake
I doubled this recipe for my son’s birthday and it was the hit on the gathering. It’s so good, you’d never guess it’s vegan or gluten-free either. With almost 5 grams of protein and fibre per slice, it’s a nice alternative to fondant or icing sugar cakes. Your gut and hormones will thank you! Grating 3 cups of finely shredded carrots is a workout so prepare to get sculpted arms ; ) The original recipe is by Straight Up Food and I only slightly modified it.
Ingredients
1½ cups nondairy milk, I used soy milk
4 ounces pitted dates (7 to 8 Medjools or 14 to 16 Deglet Noor), chopped
½ very ripe banana, sliced
¼ cup raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or seeds from 1 vanilla bean)
1¾ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
Splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon, an acid
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves or ginger
1½ cups grated carrots (2 to 3 medium)
½ cup raisins to be folded in
2 ounces walnuts, chopped (about ½ cup; optional yet encouraged)
Instructions
Place the nondairy milk, dates, banana, ¼ cup raisins, and vanilla into a small bowl, and set aside for at least 15 minutes (so the dates can soften).
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 9 inch circular baking pan with parchment paper. I found using 9 inches yielded the perfected consistency, you can try 8 inch square or circular, but I haven’t.
Grind the oats into flour with a blender. Don’t over grind. Transfer to a medium bowl, and whisk in the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and ginger powder (or cloves).
Place the milk, dates, banana, raisins, and vanilla in the blender, and blend until smooth.
Stir the date mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon as an acid. Fold in the grated carrots, ½ cup raisins, and walnuts (if using).
Spoon the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is medium brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and placing on a cooling rack. Cool completely before serving plain or with vanilla icing
