VEGAN CARROT CAKE LOAF (NO SUGAR OR APPLE SAUCE)

Carrot cake lovers, rejoice! This delicious vegan carrot cake loaf will tick all the right boxes. It’s moist, rich, packed full of flavour and free from refined sugar, which makes it a great sweet treat option for everyone.    

It took me three attempts to perfect this easy vegan carrot cake recipe until I’m finally happy to share it on the blog. Whether you’re vegan or not, this carrot cake is great for everyone! Pour yourself a cup of tea and let’s get started!

YOU’LL LOVE THIS VEGAN CARROT CAKE BECAUSE IT IS:

• Moist
• Rich yet not too dense  
• Easy to make (great for those of you who are not very experienced bakers).
• Requires simple ingredients
• Contains no refined sugar
• Rich in fibre
• Much lower in calories than traditional cakes
• Makes a perfect accompaniment to your cup of tea or coffee!

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

KEY INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

One of many good things about this plant-based carrot cake loaf is that it calls for simple ingredients, which you can easily find in the supermarket.  

• Carrots. Use organic carrots if you can. Once you’ve washed and scrubbed them, you can grate them with the skin on (even more fibre!), no need to peel.
  
• Wholemeal spelt flour. To up the fibre of this vegan carrot cake and make it healthier, I used spelt wholemeal flour. It has mild, slightly sweet and nutty flavour but none of the bitterness of the whole wheat flour. It is high in protein and lower in calories than wheat flour, as well as easier to digest. You can substitute it one-for-one for the whole wheat flour (you might want to add a little more sugar then the recipe suggests to counteract the slight bitterness). I haven’t personally used plain flour in the recipe. Although it should work, I can’t state for sure whether it would produce the same results.

• Dairy-free milk. I used unsweetened almond milk but you can use any plant milk of your choice.
  
• Apple cider vinegar. We use it to curdle the milk to achieve buttermilk-like texture.
  
• For a vegan egg replacer, we are using ground golden linseed (flaxseed). You can use ground chia seeds as a substitute instead. Some recipes also use apple sauce, mashed banana or pureed pumpkin as a substitute (I have tried them in this recipe myself).

• Walnuts. If you have a nut allergy, you can by all means leave out the nuts. Otherwise, I’d thoroughly recommend using them as they add a lovely little crunch to the carrot cake. No walnuts? Use raisins instead.
  
• Spices: ground ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.I’d recommend not leaving the spices out because they introduce another layer of flavours.

• Sunflower oil or coconut oil. I tested both and personally, I preferred sunflower oil in this recipe because of its mild flavour. If you don’t mind a coconut taste, feel free to use organic coconut oil. Otherwise, extra light/mild olive oil or canola oil would work too.
  
• Sugar alternative. I used Pure Via’s Baker’s Secret, which is a calorie free sugar alternative made from erythritol, stevia extract and acacia gum. You can also use pure erythritol or xylitol. If you don’t mind using refined sugar, feel free to use caster sugar instead.  
  
• For vegan buttercream icing we are using dairy free butter and powdered erythritol.

CAN I MAKE THIS VEGAN CARROT CAKE HEALTHIER?  

If you want to shave off even more calories from this vegan carrot cake, just skip the icing all together. It tastes just as good without it.

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN BUTTERCREAM ICING

We just beat together softened dairy-free butter and powdered erythritol (you can use icing sugar instead) with a little plant milk and vanilla extract until smooth.

I found that by using powdered erythritol the icing comes out a little grainy and not as smooth as it is with icing sugar. It doesn’t impact the taste though.    

TIP: Make sure to sift the powdered sugar, otherwise your icing will be full of clumps.

HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE CARROT CAKE  

If unfrosted, wrap the carrot cake loaf in foil or cling film to stop it from drying and keep at room temperature. It’ll last for up to 2 days.

Once you’ve covered the cake with icing, transfer into an airtight container and refrigerate. It’ll keep for 3-4 days. Make sure you bring the cake to room temperature before eating to allow the buttercream icing to soften slightly, otherwise it’ll be rock solid.   

LOOKING FOR MORE HEALTHY VEGAN DESSERT INSPIRATION?

Try some of the readers’ favourite below:

• Vegan peanut & caramel bars
• Soft pumpkin & chocolate chip cookies
• Healthy 4 ingredient energy balls
• Vegan peanut & caramel bars
• Healthy banana, peanut butter & oat cookies

In closing, I really hope you’ll give this easy and simple vegan carrot cake loaf a try. If you recreate this recipe, I’d love to read your comments and hear your feedback. Be sure to drop a comment here on the blog, tag me in your photos on Instagram @Fit Foodie Nutter, Facebook or Pinterest .

Healthfully yours,

Tania x

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*For best results I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than cup conversions. Cup measurements are not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.*

VEGAN CARROT CAKE LOAF (NO SUGAR & NO APPLE SAUCE)

Tania Pilcher | Fit Foodie Nutter

Carrot cake lovers, rejoice! This delicious vegan carrot cake loaf will tick all the right boxes. It’s moist, rich, packed full of flavour and free from refined sugar, which makes it a great sweet treat option for everyone.  

4.56 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snacks

Cuisine British

Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the carrot cake:

• 220 ml dairy free milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 flax eggs 2tbsp ground linseed mixed with 6tbsp water
• 250 g wholemeal spelt flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 120 g Baker’s Secret caster sugar or erythritol/xylitol
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100 ml sunflower oil
• 50 g walnuts roughly chopped (plus more to decorate)
• 220 g organic carrots around 4 medium carrots, washed and grated

For the buttercream icing:

• 125 g dairy-free butter softened
• 200 g powdered erythritol or icing sugar
• Around 4-5 tbsp dairy-free milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 170C Fan/375F. Grease a loaf cake tin (21cm x 11cm) with dairy free butter or oil and line with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, whisk together milk and vinegar. Set aside to allow the mixture to curdle.
• Make the flax eggs by whisking together 2tbsp ground linseed and 6tbsp water in a small bowl. Set aside to allow the mixture to gel.
• In the meantime, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk until combined.
• Add vanilla extract and sunflower oil to the bowl with dry ingredients, followed by the milk & vinegar mixture and flax eggs. Stir to combine. Fold in the chopped walnuts and grated carrots.
• Pour the cake batter into the loaf cake tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 45-55mins. To check if the cake is done, insert a wooden skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is baked. Allow the cake to cool completely.
• To make the icing, combine softened butter, vanilla extract & powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat together with an electric whisk for 3-4 minutes until the mixture starts to incorporate. Now start adding the milk to loosen the icing, one tablespoon at a time, until the icing becomes soft and spreadable.
• Once the cake is completely cool, top with the buttercream icing. Sprinkle the icing with chopped walnuts if desired.

Video

Keyword Vegan carrot cake loaf, sugar free carrot cake, healthy carrot cake

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