Raw Vegan Carrot Cake
If you would like to make a healthier version of carrot cake that tastes just as amazing and luxurious as the original, then this delicious raw vegan carrot cake recipe might be something for you!
Personally, from all raw vegan cakes, this tasty carrot cake is one of my absolute favourites. I’ve made it for friends and family as well as for events catering, and everyone seems to love it.
The juicy, naturally sweetened carrot base and a super creamy cashew frosting make such a delightful combination that is impossible to resist.
Ingredients for the raw vegan carrot cake
1. Carrot base
- Carrots
- Dates
- Flax seeds
- Almonds
- Lemon zest (optional)
Besides the sweetness that we’ll get from carrots, this cake is naturally sweetened with dates. I used the Bam date variety (I chose semi-dry ones, not the super soft and fresh ones), but any other dates will do. Their stickiness will help bind the cake.
Flaxseeds will absorb the liquid from the fresh carrots, and act as a binding agent in this raw cake recipe. You will notice that the base will be a bit soft at first, but after it sits for a while, it will get thicker.
2. Cashew “white chocolate” cream
- Cashews
- Cacao butter
- Cold-pressed coconut oil
- Agave syrup
- Vanilla extract (optional, but great for flavour)
- Water
This combination of ingredients will make a smooth and creamy frosting that tastes like white chocolate. In case you are not too keen on coconut flavour, you can substitute the coconut oil in the recipe with some more cacao butter. I decided to use both because it makes the cream lighter.
Making the carrot cake base
To make the carrot base, you will need to grind the flaxseeds, put all of the ingredients into a food processor and process into a chunky but well-bound mixture. Fresh carrots are naturally juicy, which is a great thing for this recipe: the ground flaxseeds will soak up that liquid and bind the cake.
In case your food processor is not that strong, you can grate the carrots and chop the dates before you add them to the food processor. That will make the blending much easier and the final result will be softer (in a good way!).
After pressing the raw “batter” into a cake mould, let it sit for fifteen to twenty minutes to thicken a bit. Meanwhile, you can make the creamy cashew frosting.
Making the cashew white choc cream
The silky and delicious cashew cream with cacao butter is super easy to make – just blend cashews, water, agave syrup and melted cacao butter and coconut oil into a smooth mixture.
Cacao butter and coconut oil should be melted over a double boiler (bain-marie), not over direct heat.
This recipe uses dry cashews, so the amount of water is adjusted accordingly. The best way to get a super smooth cream from cashews that haven’t been soaked is to use a high-speed blender.
But, if you don’t have one, don’t worry! You can still make a smooth cream if you use a regular blender or a food processor. In that case, just soak the cashews in water for about six hours, and they will become perfectly soft for blending.
Don’t forget to measure the exact volume of water used for soaking cashews. For example, if you used 500 ml of water for soaking, and the strained volume after soaking was 350 ml, it means that your cashews “drank” 150 ml of water, so subtract that from the recipe.
Extra tips
Don’t worry if both base and cream look a bit soft at first. After the raw carrot cake has chilled in the fridge for about six hours, it will be perfectly compact and ready to slice.
To make sure it is ready, you can gently scratch the cream with a knife (at the edge, near the mould). You will be able to tell if it is thick enough.
I normally leave the cake in the fridge overnight, and it comes out perfect in the morning. Another option is to leave it in the freezer for six to eight hours, then let it defrost in the fridge for four to six more hours, and then slice it. In my experience, it turns out even tidier after being frozen and defrosted.
Storing the cake
You can keep this raw vegan carrot cake in the fridge for at least five days. It shouldn’t be kept at room temperature for too long, because the cream would get too soft as the coconut oil inside of it melts.
The cake can also be stored in the freezer for about three months. If I know I won’t be eating the whole thing, I slice it and put one part in the freezer right after it’s been made, to keep it as fresh as possible.
Raw Vegan Carrot Cake
A juicy, naturally sweetened raw vegan carrot cake with a creamy cashew frosting - the perfect dessert everyone will love!
Ingredients
- 300 g carrot
- 150 g dates
- 20 g flax seeds
- 200 g almonds
- Some lemon zest (optional)
- 270 g cashews
- 70 g cacao butter
- 50 g coconut oil
- 80-100 g agave nectar
- 250 ml water
- A few drops of vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Grind the flaxseeds.
- Put the ground flaxseeds, chopped carrots, dates, almonds and lemon zest into a food processor.
- Process the ingredients into a somewhat homogeneous and well-bound mixture. It should not be completely smooth, but rather chunky.
- Press the mixture into a cake mould and let it sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes - so that the flaxseeds absorb the liquid.
- In the meantime, make the white chocolate cream: melt the cacao butter and coconut oil over a double boiler and put them into a blender with cashews, agave syrup, vanilla extract and water.
- Blend it until you get a completely smooth texture.
- Pour the cream into the mould on top of the base layer.
- Put the cake into the fridge for at least four hours, or until the cream thickens completely.
Notes
In case you don’t have a very strong food processor, you can first grate the carrots and chop the dates, to make the blending easier.
Also, if you are not using a high-speed blender, you can soak the cashews for 6-8 hours to make sure they are soft enough for blending. That way, your frosting will be extra creamy.
If you choose to soak the cashews, measure how much water you use for soaking and how much you drain (the water that cashews soaked also counts, so make sure to subtract it from the recipe).
