Vegan Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Classic vegan carrot cake - a delicious eggless and dairy free version of carrot layer cake which is filled and topped with creamy vegan cream cheese frosting. It is so good you won't be able to tell the difference! This is the perfect cake for Easter, Mother's Day or any celebration.

This amazing vegan carrot layer cake with cream cheese frosting is the ultimate vegan carrot cake!

It consists of two layers of soft, moist, perfectly spiced carrot cake which is filled and topped with creamy vegan cream cheese frosting. It is a wonderful cake for celebrations such as Easter and Mother's Day.

Topped with a scattering of chopped pistachios and a few dried rosebuds it makes for a beautiful centrepiece!

How To Make Vegan Carrot Cake:

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

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

Add the dry ingredients – plain flour, wholemeal flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt.

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.

Divide the batter evenly between two 8 inch round greased and lined cake tins and spread it level. Bake for about 35 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave the cakes to cool in their tins for ten minutes then very carefully turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. The cakes are very delicate when they are warm so be gentle.

To make the cream cheese frosting, place softened, room temperature vegan block butter in a large bowl. Drain any excess liquid from room temperature vegan cream cheese and pat it dry with paper towels; add it to the bowl with the butter.

Whisk the butter and cream cheese together with an electric mixer until they are well combined. Add sifted icing sugar and a bit of xanthan gum and whisk well until the frosting is smooth and creamy. If the frosting is too soft, pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up a bit before icing the cake.

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting:

I find that vegan cream cheese frosting can be quite tempermental and prone to splitting or becoming runny. You generally either need to use vegetable shortening instead of butter/margarine or add a vast amount of icing sugar to combat this.

I've discovered a secret weapon however - xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is a thickening agent and stabiliser commonly used in gluten free baking. It is vegan friendly and can be found in the baking section of most supermarkets.

Adding a small amount to the cream cheese frosting helps to prevent the ingredients from separating, making for a lusciously smooth, creamy frosting.

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.

If you use melted coconut oil make sure that your milk is at room temperature so that the oil doesn't resolidify.

4. You can mix a couple of handfuls of raisins or chopped walnuts into the batter along with the grated carrots if you like.

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

6. When making the frosting it is very important that the butter is soft and at room temperature, and the cream cheese is also at room temperature, otherwise the frosting is more likely to split.

How Should I Store This Vegan Carrot Cake?:

Once the cake has been frosted, it is best stored in the refrigerator as the frosting can become a little soft at warm room temperature. Ideally it should be eaten on the day it is assembled but any leftovers will keep for 2-3 days  in the fridge.

The cakes can be baked the day before you make the frosting and assemble the cake. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

The un-iced cakes can be wrapped and frozen for up to three months. I do not recommend freezing the frosting as it is likely to have a detrimental effect on the texture.

The frosting is best made when you are ready to assemble and serve the cake.

More Classic Vegan Cakes:

Vegan Victoria sponge cake

Vegan chocolate fudge cake

Vegan lemon drizzle cake

Vegan ginger cake

Vegan fruit cake

Vegan coffee and walnut cake

Vegan banana cake

Vegan apple cake

Vegan coconut cake

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4.91 from 11 votes

Vegan Carrot Cake

Classic vegan carrot cake – a delicious eggless and dairy free version of carrot layer cake which is filled and topped with creamy vegan cream cheese frosting. It is so good you won’t be able to tell the difference! This is the perfect cake for Easter or any celebration.

Course Dessert

Cuisine baking

Keyword cake

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 12 people

Author Domestic Gothess

Ingredients

Vegan Carrot Cakes:

• 200 g (1 cup + 2 Tbsp) light brown soft sugar
• 100 g (½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
• 180 ml (¾ cup) sunflower oil (or another flavourless oil)
• 180 ml (¾ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon vanilla exract
• finely grated zest of 1 orange or lemon
• 230 g (2 cups minus 1 Tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 100 g (¾ cup + 2 Tbsp) plain wholemeal flour
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 360 g (12 ½ oz) coarsely grated carrot

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 150 g (5 ⅓ oz / ½ cup + 2 Tbsp) vegan block butter (NOT the spreadable kind. I use Naturli Vegan Block) softened
• 225 g (8 oz) vegan cream cheese (I use Asda own brand) room temperature
• 450 g (4 ½ cups) icing (powdered) sugar sifted
• ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
• chopped pistachios to decorate (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease two 20cm/8inch round, (ideally 5cm/2in deep) cake tins and line the base and sides with baking parchment.
• Whisk together the light brown soft sugar, caster sugar, oil, milk, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon or orange zest in a large bowl.
• Add the plain flour, wholemeal flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.
• 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 fold through until well combined.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins, spread it level and bake for about 35 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then very carefully turn them out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
• To make the cream cheese frosting, place the softened, room temperature butter in a large bowl. Drain any excess liquid from the room temperature cream cheese and pat it dry with paper towels; add it to the bowl with the butter.
• Whisk the butter and cream cheese together with an electric mixer until well combined. Add the sifted icing sugar and xanthan gum and whisk well until smooth and creamy. If the frosting is too soft, pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up a bit before icing the cake.
• Place one of the cooled cake layers on a cake stand or serving platter and spread over some of the frosting. Place the other layer on top and ice it as you like - the recipe makes enough frosting to cover the sides if you wish.
• Decorate with chopped pecans, walnuts or pecans as you like.

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.
• Use a standard sized grater for the carrots rather than a fine one for the best texture.
• 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. If you use melted coconut oil make sure that your milk is at room temperature so that the oil doesn’t resolidify.
• You can mix a couple of handfuls of raisins or chopped walnuts into the batter along with the grated carrots if you like.
• Make sure that you allow the cakes to cool completely before adding the frosting and slicing into it.
• When making the frosting it is very important that the butter is soft and at room temperature, and the cream cheese is also at room temperature, otherwise the frosting is more likely to split.