Name: Vegan Carrot Cake
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 210 min
Ingredients: 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (bleached flour preferred, spooned and levelled); 1 ⅓ cup cake flour (spooned and levelled (See notes)); 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar (packed); 1 tablespoon baking powder; 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda; 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ⅓ teaspoon grated nutmeg; ⅓ teaspoon salt; ¾ cup soy milk; 1 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar; ⅓ cup oil; 1 tablespoon vanilla; 3 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce; ½ lb carrots (peeled and sliced, about 2 cups); 8 oz vegan cream cheese (Go Veggie, Violife or tofutti are good options); 4 oz vegan butter or margarine (not unsalted) (room temperature (stick not spreadable in a tub)); 4 cups confectioners' sugar (sifted); 1 tablespoon cornstarch (sifted); 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 2 teaspoon vanilla; Dried edible flowers (optional); Edible gold leaf (optional)

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Try this deliciously moist vegan carrot cake loaded with spices and a vegan cream cheese frosting.

Close up of carrot cake on a white stand next to a slice on a plate

This homemade vegan carrot cake is so simple to make, you’ll wonder why you didn’t try baking it sooner.

This dessert was one of my top sellers when I had my home-baking business. So best believe this recipe has been tested well over a 100 times.

I’m excited to finally let out my secrets for making this carrot cake taste so yummy.

It’s my favourite dessert of all time, and after you make it, it might become one of your favourites too.

Cake covered with edible dried flowers on a white cake stand

Ingredient Notes

Dry Ingredients for the cake:

Cake flour and plain all-purpose flour – the combination gives the cake a nice balance of lightness and structure. Using only all-purpose flour is fine but try not to overmix the cake. You can also replace 2 tablespoons of the all-purpose flour with cornstarch.

Light brown sugar – I love the flavor of brown sugar in any spiced cake but granulated sugar is fine to use as well.
Baking soda
Baking powder
Cinnamon
Nutmeg – freshly grated is best.
Salt

Wet Ingredients for the cake:

Carrots – Use freshly peeled, raw carrots. Weigh or measure after peeling.
Soy milk
Apple cider vinegar – activates the baking soda to help the cake rise.

Oil – any neutral-flavored oil is fine, except coconut oil, which could make the cake harden when chilled.
Vanilla
Applesauce – the secret to making this spiced cake super moist without adding extra oil or changing the flavor.

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting:

Vegan cream cheese – as of writing this, I’ve only ever tried the Go Veggie brand. It’s the only one available in grocery stores near me.

But it works quite well in this recipe and many others I’ve tried that needed dairy-free cream cheese.
Vegan butter or margarine – use the stick version and not the spreadable one in a tub as it has a higher water content. Soften to room temperature for easier mixing.
Confectioner’s sugar – be sure to sift to remove any lumps
Cornstarch
Lemon juice – to help balance the sweetness
Vanilla

To Assemble:

Dried edible flowers – (optional)
Edible gold leaf – (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Cake:

1. Prepare three 6-inch cake pans with parchment or by using one of the alternatives to parchment paper. I recommend using cake strips for a more moist, even bake. Soak them in water until ready for use. Then preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.

2. In the large bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar then sift in the remaining dry ingredients.

3. In a high speed blender, add the sliced carrots and liquid ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Blended liquid ingredients for carrot cake in a blender

4. Add the bowl of dry ingredients to the stand mixer and while mixing on low, gradually pour in the wet ingredients. Mixing by hand is also fine.

5. Mix for about 30 seconds or until most of the flour is just moistened. The batter should be smooth with a few tiny lumps.

6. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a large spoon or silicone spatula to mix in any dry flour. Don’t overmix.

7. Evenly distribute the batter between the cake pans. If using cake strips, squeeze out excess water, wrap around each pan and secure.

Carrot cake batter in cake pans on a tray

8. Place the pans in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes with cake strips or about 20 to 25 minutes without. A skewer or toothpick inserted should come out clean.

Baked carrot cakes in pans on a cooling rack

9. Fully cool in the pans before removing the cakes.

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. Add the vegan butter, confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch to a bowl. Mix by hand for about a minute to help reduce the cloud of sugar that forms when the frosting is mixed with a stand mixer.

2. Add the bowl to the stand mixer and continue mixing while gradually adding the cream cheese, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix until smooth and creamy.

3. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for about 20 minutes or until it thickens.

To Assemble:

1. Filling a piping bag, or zip-top bag with the corner snipped, with frosting.

2. Dab a bit of frosting on your cake board, stand or plate. Place the first cake layer on the board.

3. Pipe a swirl of frosting on top, without gaps. Spread evenly then add the second cake layer.

4. Add another swirl of frosting, then the final layer, bottom side up.

5. Spread the top and sides with a thin layer of frosting to crumb coat. Place in the fridge for one hour or until the frosting is chilled.

6. Spread the sides and top with the remaining frosting. Smooth the frosting or make fun swirls.

7. Place pieces of edible flowers and specks of gold leaf all over the cake.

8. Place the cake in the fridge to chill until ready to serve

Hand holding up a slice of carrot cake on a cake server

Key tips to follow

My number one tip for making the best carrot cake is blending the liquid ingredients with the carrots. This does three things:

1. Blending helps the carrots to release more of the orange color for a brighter cake without artificial food coloring.

2. It breaks the carrots down into smaller bits making for a lighter cake. Larger pieces of carrots can weigh down an eggless cake.

3. Blending adds air to the liquid which also results in a lighter cake.

4. Best of all, it saves time.
Most vegan cream cheeses tend to have more moisture than regular cream cheese frosting. As a result, vegan cream cheese frostings are usually softer and melt easier than buttercream frostings.

When working in a hot or humid environment here are a few points to consider:

1. Make half the batch of vegan cream cheese frosting to use as a filling, then make half the vanilla buttercream frosting recipe to cover the cake.

2. When stacking the cakes, use the thicker vanilla buttercream frosting as a border and the softer cream cheese frosting as a filling in the centre.

Feel free to use less sugar or vegan butter when making the filling as the buttercream adds extra sweetness.

3. Use the remaining buttercream frosting to crumb coat, fully cover and decorate the outside of the cake.
Measure the carrots after peeling, as the weight can be significantly different when peeled. You might need to buy one or two extra carrots to make sure you get the right amount.

Other recipe variations and substitutions

If you like nuts, try adding 50g or 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans for more texture.
Substitute the apple cider vinegar with plain white vinegar if you don’t have any.
Other plant-based milk could be used as a substitute for soy milk. Full-fat canned coconut milk may add an additional flavor to the cake.