Fun fact: the summer of 2024 was the summer of this carrot cake. I made six total carrot cakes spread amongst my birthday, my friend's birthdays, and even a wedding! While carrot cake can feel a bit more labor and time intensive than other cakes due to the act of shredding carrots, it is so worth it every time.

Carrot cake can feel polarizing. There are some people that scoff at me when I mention my favorite cake flavor is carrot cake. But when you find your other like-minded carrot cake lovers, it's like finding your soul mate.

There is something about the depth of flavor and textures in a carrot cake that I will never get over. Plus, the tangy cream cheese frosting on top is the perfect zest needed to create the ultimate indulgent experience.

Like many of my other Sky's Rooted Nutrition recipes, this cake is gluten-free and nearly vegan. I say nearly because I do like to use real butter in the frosting, but it can be easily swapped for a dairy free butter option if you prefer to make it entirely vegan and dairy free.

Recipe

Yield: One 4-layer (yes 4 layers!!!) carrot cake, or about 24 slices

Ingredients

CAKE

• 6 Tbsp flaxseed meal (to make flax eggs)

• 15 Tbsp water (to make flax eggs)

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 2 scant cup unsweetened applesauce

• 1 cup coconut sugar (or sub brown sugar)

• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 3 tsp baking soda

• 3 tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 1 1/2 - 2 cups unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice

• 3 cups loosely packed grated carrot

• 3 cups almond flour

• 1 1/2 cups oat flour

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill in the red bag)

• 1 cup chopped raw walnuts

FROSTING

• 1 container Kite Hill vegan plain cream cheese, or use equivalent amount of cream cheese for a dairy-filled version

• 1 stick of butter (can sub for vegan butter as desired)

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (may add more for a sweeter frosting)

• Dash of vanilla extract

How To

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line four cake pans with parchment paper (cut out circles to fit the bottom of the pan). Oil the parchment paper and the side walls of the cake pan. Set aside.

2. Pull your butter and cream cheese out of the refrigerator to let soften.
   Prepare flax eggs in a large mixing bowl by mixing flaxseed meal and water and let rest for 5 minutes. To the flax eggs, add the olive oil, coconut oil and maple syrup and whisk to combine. If your maple syrup is cold, you may want to heat it slightly so it doesn’t harden the coconut oil. Next, add applesauce, coconut sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and whisk to combine.
   Add lesser amount of almond milk (1 1/2 cup) and stir. Add grated carrot and stir. Then add almond flour, oat flour, and gluten-free flour blend and stir. The batter should be thick but pourable. If too thick, add remaining almond milk, 1/4 cup at a time but do not exceed 1/2 cup total. If adding chopped walnuts, add at this time and stir.
   Divide evenly among four cake pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. When you press on the top, it shouldn’t feel too spongy, so don’t be afraid of over-baking! Also, note that the size of pan and oven power you use will vary baking time.

3. Remove from oven and let rest in the pans for 15 minutes. Then carefully run a knife along the edges and gently invert onto cooling racks to let cool completely.

4. NOTE: This cake needs to cool completely. It benefits from plenty of airflow, and the flavors develop as the cooling process goes on. If short on time, you can speed the cooling by placing the cakes in the refrigerator or freezer until very cool to the touch.

5. While cake is cooling, prepare your frosting. In a Kitchen Aid mixer or using a hand-held electric mixer, whip the cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Add dash of vanilla. Slowly add in the powdered sugar. Adjust for sweetness. 

6. Once cooled, you can begin frosting! Decorate as you wish.