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You are here: Home / Recipes / Cakes / Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf

Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf

April 28, 2019 by hannahhossack 32 Comments

Vegan carrot cake loaf – this is the best vegan carrot cake! Easy to make, moist, sweet and spicy with a zingy lemon glaze; this loaf cake is perfect for snacking on.

Vegan carrot cake loaf - this is the best vegan carrot cake! Easy to make, moist, sweet and spicy with a zingy lemon glaze; this loaf cake is perfect for snacking on. #vegan #carrotcake #vegancake #veganbaking

It seemed criminal that I hadn’t yet posted a recipe for vegan carrot cake as it is both one of mine and Damian’s favourite cakes. I tested and developed this recipe some time ago but hadn’t gotten round to photographing it; Easter seemed like the perfect time to bake another loaf and finally take some photos!

Close up of slices of vegan carrot cake loaf topped with lemon glaze.

This is a really simple, but really moist and flavourful vegan carrot cake loaf. When I took it round to the in-laws for Easter Sunday it disappeared within minutes and everyone was lamenting that I hadn’t made a larger cake – you may want to double the recipe and bake two loaves!

The cake is moist, lightly spiced and has a wonderful soft but not too dense texture. I did initially want to top it with a vegan cream cheese frosting but all three of the supermarkets closest to me were out of vegan cream cheese that wasn’t garlic and herb flavour, so a simple lemon glaze had to do!

The lemon glaze is delicious however, and it works wonderfully with the lightly spiced flavour of the cake. It is also lovely plain too so feel free to top it as you wish (or not at all).

Unsliced vegan carrot cake with lemon glaze on a sheet of baking parchment on a grey background with white flowers in the background.

How To Make Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf:

(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)

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

Start by whisking together the wet ingredients – caster sugar, light brown soft sugar, sunflower oil, non-dairy milk, cider vinegar, vanilla extract and lemon (or orange) zest.

Step 1 - mixing the wet ingredients

In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients – plain flour, wholemeal flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt.

Step 2 - mixing the dry ingredients

Tip the dry ingredients into the wet and whisk gently until no lumps of flour remain, be careful not to over-beat the batter however as that can make the cake tough.

Add the grated carrots, and if you are using any mix-ins such as nuts or raisins add them now too. Fold through until well combined.

step 3 - making the batter.

Tip the batter into an approx 11.5 x 21.5 cm / 4.5 x 8.5 in loaf tin that you have greased and lined with a strip of baking parchment and spread it level. Bake for about an hour until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Step 4 - baking the cake

Let the cake cool in the tin for about 20 minutes then carefully lift it out using the strip of baking parchment and place it on a wire rack to cool completely before you add the glaze. The cake is delicate when warm so be careful moving it.

Slices of eggless carrot cake on a sheet of baking parchment on a grey background with white flowers and a linen cloth.

How Long Will This Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf Keep?:

This vegan carrot cake loaf will keep for around five days in an airtight container.

Can I Freeze It?:

Yes, any leftover slices of this cake will freeze well in an airtight container. Allow to defrost at room temperature.

Top Tips:

1.For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.

2. Use a standard sized grater for the carrots rather than a fine one for the best texture.

3. I like to use sunflower oil for baking as it has a very neutral flavour, but you can use another mild flavoured oil instead. Or you can use olive oil or melted coconut oil if you don’t mind the flavour coming through.

4. Mix a couple of handfuls of raisins or chopped walnuts into the batter along with the grated carrots.

5. Make sure that you allow the cake to cool completely before adding the glaze/frosting and slicing into it.

6. Top with a vegan cream cheese frosting instead of the lemon glaze.

7. Omit the glaze entirely for a less sweet cake that is great for breakfast or brunch.

Close up of sliced vegan carrot cake loaf with lemon glaze.

More Classic Vegan Cakes:

  • Vegan chocolate fudge cake
  • Vegan Victoria sponge cake
  • Vegan lemon drizzle cake
  • Vegan courgette (zucchini) cake
  • Vegan coconut layer cake
  • Easy vegan ginger cake
  • Vegan biscoff banana bread
  • Easy vegan chocolate cake
  • Vegan Christmas cake
  • Vegan apple bundt cake

If you tried this recipe why not tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

*All images and content on Domestic Gothess are copyright protected. If you want to share this recipe then please do so by using the share buttons provided. Do not screenshot or post the recipe or content in full.*

4.85 from 19 votes
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Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf

Vegan carrot cake loaf - this is the best vegan carrot cake! Easy to make, moist, sweet and spicy with a zingy lemon glaze; this loaf cake is perfect for snacking on.
Course Dessert
Cuisine baking, British, vegan
Keyword cake
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 10 people
Author Domestic Gothess

Ingredients

Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf:

  • 150 g (3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp) light brown soft sugar
  • 65 g (1/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
  • 120 ml (1/2 cup) sunflower oil (or another mild flavoured oil)
  • 120 ml (1/2 cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used soy)
  • 2 tsp cider or white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • finely grated zest of 1 lemon or orange
  • 140 g (1 cup + 2 Tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 65 g (1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp) plain wholemeal flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 240 g (8.5 oz) grated carrot

Lemon Glaze:

  • 175 g (1 1/2 cups) icing (powdered) sugar sifted
  • 1 Tbsp unsweetened non-dairy yoghurt (optional)
  • juice of 1/2 lemon (plus extra as needed)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease an approx 11.5 x 21.5 cm / 4.5 x 8.5 in loaf tin and line with a strip of baking parchment. Make sure that you leave some overhanging on either side so that you can lift the cake out easily.

  2. Whisk together the light brown soft sugar, caster sugar, oil, milk, vinegar, vanilla and lemon or orange zest in a large bowl.

  3. In a separate bowl, sift together the plain flour, wholemeal flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.

  4. Tip the dry ingredients into the wet and whisk gently until no lumps of flour remain. Be careful not to over-beat the batter however as that can make the cake tough.

  5. Add the grated carrots and fold through until well combined.

  6. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, spread it level and bake for about an hour until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

  7. Let the cake cool in the tin for about 20 minutes then carefully lift it out using the strip of baking parchment and place it on a wire rack to cool completely.

  8. To make the glaze, place the sifted icing sugar in a bowl and add the yoghurt (if using). Gradually stir in the lemon juice until it forms a thick but pourable glaze.

  9. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake and serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Recipe Notes

For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.

Vegan carrot cake loaf - this is the best vegan carrot cake! Easy to make, moist, sweet and spicy with a zingy lemon glaze; this loaf cake is perfect for snacking on. #vegan #veganbaking #vegancake #vegancarrotcake #loafcake #snackcake #carrotcake #eggless #dairyfree #eggfree

Filed Under: Baking, Cakes, Recipes, vegan Tagged With: snack cake, Spice

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ruth spivak

    August 2, 2019 at 1:41 am

    5 stars
    This is the best carrot loaf I have ever had, non-vegan included. I didn’t add the lemon glaze, as I found it sweet enough already. It came out perfectly with a crispy crust on the outside and moist cake inside. Keep up your great work! Regards from Canada. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Lisa

    October 12, 2019 at 5:12 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious moist cake, I used orange zest in my cake and topped it with an orange glaze, all very easy to make .

    Reply
  3. Lucy

    November 5, 2019 at 6:03 pm

    Hi, could I add banana to the carrot cake ? Because my favourite kind of cake is carrot and banana loaf! Thank you in advance for your advice! Kind Regards Lucy Allan xoxo

    Reply
    • hannahhossack

      November 5, 2019 at 6:51 pm

      Hi Lucy, I don’t think that would work as it is such a moist cake, adding banana would just make it wet. Your best bet would be to try making this banana bread: https://domesticgothess.com/blog/2018/04/02/vegan-chocolate-chip-banana-bread/ but omit the chocolate chips, reduce the amount of milk by a tablespoon or two and add a couple of medium sized grated carrots (125g total maybe) – pat them dry with kitchen roll first. You can add some extra spices if you like as well. Please note that I haven’t tested this so I can’t guarantee that it will work! Do let me know if you try it though!

      Reply
  4. Alissa Kaye

    November 20, 2019 at 11:05 pm

    Could I use almond flour instead of the flours used in the carrot cake?
    I’m trying to make it gluten free as well, the recipe sounds awesome and I’d love to try it..

    Reply
    • hannahhossack

      November 21, 2019 at 9:34 am

      Hi Alissa, I think it would probably be too wet if you used all almond flour; I would try subbing the wholemeal flour with almond flour (so 65g) and the plain flour with a plain gluten-free flour blend (140g). Add 1/4 tsp xanthan gum if the flour blend doesn’t already include it. Please note that I haven’t tested this cake gluten free so can’t guarantee the results. Do let me know how it works out if you give it a try!

      Reply
      • Michelle

        November 30, 2019 at 7:41 pm

        5 stars
        Thank you – and oh my word, that is one delicious carrot cake. I added chopped walnuts to my batter and they held really well in the mixture…also used orange juice in the icing, Totally yummy.

        Reply
  5. Sarah

    November 22, 2019 at 12:45 pm

    5 stars
    Hi

    I just wanted to say thanks for your recipe! I needed to make a GF cake and had no eggs. I made this with GF self raising flour, and omitted the wholemeal flour, bicarb etc and it looks fab! Haven’t tasted it yet but going by the smell and how it look, it’s a winner!

    Thanks again!

    Reply
  6. Niki

    November 26, 2019 at 1:10 am

    Make sure you check that your icing sugar does not contain dried egg whites alot of popular brands do which I have just learnt 🙂

    Reply
    • hannahhossack

      November 26, 2019 at 12:02 pm

      Hi Niki, In the UK generally only royal icing sugar contains egg white. Tate and Lyle and Whitworth’s icing sugars are totally vegan, Billington’s golden icing sugar and Silver Spoon icing sugar don’t contain egg but have possible cross contamination. (Also as far as I’m aware none of the UK sugar brands process using bone char). Obviously I can’t speak for what is available in other countries so yes, it is always best to check the packet just to be sure!

      Reply
      • Sarah

        January 9, 2020 at 12:01 pm

        5 stars
        Hi there!…. I’ve just tried the delicious carrot cake & it is absolutely gorgeous! ….I added SR flour & didn’t use the wholemeal flour… I also added raisins in with the carrots…I left it the stand for 15 minutes, & I am planning to ice it, although I couldn’t wait to taste & I wasn’t disappointed…..without the icing it is really nice….I’m lacto-vegetarian so this cake is ideal for me….thank you so much for the recipe…. & I can’t wait to try some of your other cake delights…..

        Reply
  7. Daz

    March 8, 2020 at 3:03 pm

    4 stars
    I followed the recipe exactly, uses grams on a digital scale.
    But when in the oven, the mixture flowed over the sides of the loaf tin, then the middle sunk.
    This is the first time I’ve tried a vegan version. Usually my loaf cakes turn out ok.
    I am using a new mini oven (not the very small ones), and I’m not sure if it’s heating to temperature correctly. So it could be this.
    I have ordered an in oven thermometer. But in the meantime, do you have any hints or suggestions that may have gone wrong?
    Flavour is good though.

    Reply
    • hannahhossack

      March 9, 2020 at 2:22 pm

      Hi Daz, sorry to hear that, it sounds like maybe your loaf tin was a bit smaller than mine as the mixture doesn’t quite rise all the way to the top of my tin (11.5 x 21.5 cm / 4.5 x 8.5 internal dimensions). The oven being at the wrong temperature is also a possibility. I’m glad that you enjoyed it regardless however!

      Reply
  8. Kathryn Robinson

    April 11, 2020 at 11:55 am

    5 stars
    Just tried this – brilliant result! Thanks

    Reply
  9. Julia

    April 12, 2020 at 6:44 pm

    4 stars
    This was delicious! But the measures for the liquids was off. I followed exactly and it had the texture of a bread dough. So i added a lot more vegan milk to get the proper pre-baking texture. The flavor was lovely though! Will make it again, maybe add sime raisins and walnuts next time.

    Reply
    • hannahhossack

      April 12, 2020 at 7:08 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it! That’s odd though, I’ve made variations of this recipe loads of times and never had it turn out like bread dough before!

      Reply
  10. Krissë

    April 28, 2020 at 7:31 am

    5 stars
    Perfect quick and easy carrot loaf cake. Didn’t have wholemeal flour, as didn’t have any, and we’re in a lock down. Chucked in a handful of mixed dried fruit. Delicious, moist, spiced, and glorious. Definitely in my top five cake repertoire!

    Reply
  11. Katie

    May 3, 2020 at 1:02 pm

    5 stars
    LOVE this. Turned out just as described and the whole family loved it

    Reply
  12. Vegan

    June 1, 2020 at 10:49 am

    5 stars
    I have tried (and failed) with many vegan carrot cake recipes, but this recipe turned out perfectly! Very moist, but not too dense. Very chuffed with the outcome 🙂 thank you!

    Reply
  13. Zoe

    June 7, 2020 at 9:03 pm

    4 stars
    Tasted delicious , can’t tell it’s vegan . I also added nuts for some texture which was lovely , would 100% make this again . It didn’t raise as much as I liked it though but maybe I should’ve used self raising flour

    Reply
    • Chloe

      December 19, 2020 at 11:14 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely amazing!! Made this for my family and we all loved it! I used entirely plain flour (swapping out the wholemeal) and added 1/4 cup oil and 2/4 cup soya milk and then added some walnuts and raisins. Would 100% recommend!!xx

      Reply
  14. Tilly

    June 21, 2020 at 4:52 pm

    5 stars
    Brillant recipe, thank you so much! I love this with added chopped walnuts and raisins. Great texture, moist but not dense at all, and no bizzaire ingredients I have to go out to the shops for. Love giving this and your vegan choc traybake to my non-vegan friends and they both always go down such a treat. Thanks a lot!

    Reply
  15. Sandy

    July 9, 2020 at 10:10 pm

    Delicious! Would make over and over again!

    Reply
  16. Rachael Cooper

    August 8, 2020 at 4:58 pm

    5 stars
    This is delicious. So tasty it won’t last the weekend. The vegan cake recipe I’ve been looking for. Will be a regular bake for me. The Lemon glaze compliments the cake nicely

    Reply
  17. Natalie

    August 21, 2020 at 9:21 pm

    5 stars
    This carrot cake is divine! Sooo good, followed the recipe exact and it was perfect.
    Hannah, I’ve made quite a few of your recipes now, if I need to look up a recipe I always look to domestic gothess first, each one we’ve tried so far is spot on.
    Thank you!

    Reply
  18. Raahat

    September 8, 2020 at 8:19 am

    5 stars
    Delicious recipe that I always come back. I’ve made it with and without the frosting and it’s lovely either way. Everyone who has tried the cake or the recipe have told me how much they love it. I also add a handful of raisins and walnuts. Thank you for such a fabulous vegan alternative!! Hoping to give your coffee walnut cake a go next. 🙂 x

    Reply
  19. Katherine

    September 30, 2020 at 11:07 am

    I absolutely loved this cake- easy, delicious, no weird ingredients and it stayed moist and yummy for days! Can’t wait to try more of your vegan baking recipes, thanks so much 🙂

    Reply
  20. Sophie

    December 9, 2020 at 9:20 am

    5 stars
    This recipe was super delicious!! I used coconut oil, oat milk and dark brown sugar instead of light (as it’s what I had in the cupboard/fridge and I wanted to use it up) and it was SO tasty!! So moist as well! You really can’t tell that it’s vegan!

    My loaf cake didn’t rise as much as I had hoped it would. Do you have any tips for this? Should I swap the plain flour for SR next time or should I add more baking powder/bicarb?

    Thanks again! Can’t wait to make it again and to try more of your recipes x

    Reply

Trackbacks

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  2. Vegan Courgette Cake With Lemon Glaze - Domestic Gothess says:
    August 22, 2019 at 7:46 am

    […] It is a lovely moist cake due to the grated courgette; because it is quite a bland vegetable the flavour doesn’t really come through at all, it just provides a nice texture. Plenty of lemon zest and juice and some cinnamon and ginger give the cake a delicious zingy, lightly spiced flavour, kind of similar to a carrot cake. […]

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  3. Vegan Pumpkin Bread - Domestic Gothess says:
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    […] a shame it’s not more popular here, as pumpkin cake is like the Autumn version of carrot cake; full of warming spices with a soft, moist, incredibly more-ish […]

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