Vegan paleo carrot cake made with almond flour and filled with yummy spices, chunky walnuts, and a creamy cashew frosting on top. Easy, healthy, delicious!
I know, I know – carrot cake? again? already?
But this one is different, I promise. Plus carrot cake and too much are words I’ve never used together. And it’s officially spring now (WAHOO) so that deserves another round of cake.
I don’t know about you, but in my head it’s been spring for a while now. The weather may still have some catching up to do, but when it does we will be waiting with open arms and welcoming plates of cake. Vegan Paleo Carrot Cake with cashew yogurt frosting, obviously.
When I posted this carrot cake made with oat flour, many of you asked for a grain-free version. Ask and you shall receive. A one-for-one sub – almond flour for oat – did not work. It took a bit of tweaking to get the texture right, but WORTH IT.
I try not to pick recipe favorites, so it would be wrong of me to say I like this version better. It would be wrong to say it’s naturally sweeter and more moist because almond flour does that to things. It would be wrong to say I devoured the whole thing in two and a half days. Wrong…but kinda true.
But really, I love both of my carrot cake children equally for different reasons – the oat flour is fluffier (and cheaper!), the almond is richer. And the original recipe has already gotten tons of great feedback, so you don’t just have to take my word for it.
Ingredient wise they are mostly similar. Here’s what we’ve got:
- applesauce OR non-dairy yogurt
- coconut sugar (but less this time!)
- lemon juice
- vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, salt
- almond flour
- tapioca starch
- baking soda
- grated carrots
- walnuts (or pecans or any nuts or no nuts)
Mix. Bake. Frost (if you want). And happy spring!
Vegan Paleo Carrot Cake
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 9 pieces 1x
- Category: cake
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: american
Description
Vegan paleo carrot cake made with almond flour and filled with yummy spices, chunky walnuts, and a creamy cashew frosting on top. Easy, healthy, delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 cup non-dairy yogurt or unsweetened applesauce (240g)
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar (50g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch (60g)*
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour (275g)**
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrots (180g)
- 1/2 cup walnuts (60g)
Cashew Yogurt Frosting
- 1 cup (120g) raw cashews (soaked overnight)
- 1/3 cup (75g) nondairy yogurt
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- To a mixing bowl, add the yogurt/applesauce, coconut sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- Add the tapioca starch, almond flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Fold in the grated carrots and walnuts.
- Transfer to a baking pan (I used a 9×9″ square pan, but round is fine too) that has been lightly sprayed with oil or lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes at 350F or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting.
- Drain the cashews. Combine all the frosting ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth and very creamy. If it gets stuck at a higher speed, reduce the speed to low and let it blend for a while (30-60 seconds).
- Spread onto the cooled cake and ideally refrigerate until the frosting is set (at least 2 hours). Or you can eat it immediately, but the frosting will be quite soft.
- Slice and enjoy! Keep leftovers in the refrigerator.
Notes
*You can substitute with arrowroot or corn starch. **For an oat flour version, try this recipe instead.
Nutrition
- Calories: 252
- Sugar: 9
- Fat: 16
- Carbohydrates: 23
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 7
Keywords: baking, cake, birthday, vegan, paleo, gluten-free
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