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Wicked carrot cake recipe
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53 ratings
Derek Sarno says: "I wanted to enhance what is a very traditional cake and at the same time make it plant-rich. The key changes are the spices and how we use them: ground coriander is unusual in a sweet recipe but it works so well (think of the ‘romance’ between carrot and coriander). Secondly, the spices are toasted. This totally transforms their flavour and raises them to to a much more mature, sweet and rich level. The result is a more boisterous vegan carrot cake – completely plant-based and absolutely bangin’!" See method
Ingredients
- 95ml vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
- 130g light brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ orange, zested
- 225ml soy drink
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 very ripe banana, peeled and mashed until smooth
- 245g plain flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ fine salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 225g peeled and grated carrot (reserve the top 1-2cm for decoration)
- 80g pecans, roughly chopped
For the frosting
- 45g baking block for biscuits and pastry, at room temperature
- 110g Violife soft cheese alternative
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 500g icing sugar, sieved
For the pecan 'soil'
- 70g Lotus Biscoff biscuits
- 30g pecans, toasted and crushed
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Each serving contains
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Energy
2875kj
683kcal
34%
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Fat
30g
42%
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Saturates
7g
35%
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Sugars
80g
89%
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Salt
0.9g
16%
of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 106.3g
Protein 5.5g
Fibre 3.7g
Method
- Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Grease and line a deep 20cm square cake tin with nonstick baking paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk the oil, sugar, vanilla and orange zest with an electric hand whisk for 2 mins or until you can no longer see individual grains of sugar.
- In a jug, whisk the soy drink with the vinegar or lemon juice. Don't worry if it appears to split or thicken. Add the banana and whisk well for 30 secs – the mixture should come together and should be fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt; mix to combine.
- Place a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat and add the ground spices. Toast, stirring, for 1 min until aromatic but not burnt. Stir into the flour mixture.
- Add a little of the soy mixture to the oil-sugar mixture, beating as you go. Add a little flour mixture and stir well. Repeat, alternating between the soy and flour mixtures, until completely combined. Fold in the grated carrot and the pecans, being careful not to overmix.
- Pour the batter into the tin and spread out evenly. Bake for 25-30 mins until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack.
- Spread the frosting over the sponge in one smooth layer. Slice the carrot cake into 9 equal squares. Decorate with pecan 'soil' and reserved carrot tops.
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