Carrot Cake

A delicious gluten free vegan cake that is incredibly moist and full of flavorful and so easy to make!

YIELD:             12 slices

PREP TIME:    15 minutes

COOK TIME:   40 – 50 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 55 – 65 minutes

Ingredients

Cake

• 3 flax eggs (3 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 9 Tbsp water)
• ½ cup melted coconut oil or vegan butter or any oil
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 scant cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ cup organic brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
• ¼ cup cane sugar (or sub any other sugar
• ¾ tsp sea salt
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¾ cup plain unsweetened almond milk or other non-dairy milk
• 1 ½ cups loosely packed grated carrot
• 1 ½ cups Metta flour
• 1 ½ cups almond flour (or sub with oat or coconut flour)
• ¾ cup sliced almonds (or sub any other crushed nuts or ½ cup raisins)

Cashew “Buttercream” Frosting (optional or sub for any frosting of your choice)

• 1 ½ cups raw cashews (soaked in hot water 1 hour or cool water 6-8 hours)
• ½ cup full-fat coconut milk or cream
• 3-4 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil (adds richness and helps firm up)
• 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1-2 tsp apple cider vinegar (optional for tangier frosting)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease with oil two 8-inch or one 9×13-inch or three 6-inch round pans and dust with Metta flour. Shake out excess.
2. Prepare flax eggs in a large mixing bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes. Then add oil and maple syrup, and whisk to combine. Next, add applesauce, sugars, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon and whisk to combine.
3. Add ¾ cup of almond milk and stir. Add grated carrot and stir. Then add almond flour and Metta flour blend and stir. The batter should be thick but pourable. If too thick, add a little more of the almond milk. If adding almonds, other nuts, or raisins, add and stir.
4. Divide evenly among cake pan(s). Baking time will vary depending on the size of pan. Bake for 25 – 48 minutes (45 – 48 for 9×13-inch pan; 38 – 42 minutes for two 9-inch round pans; and 30 – 35 for three 8-inch round pans) minutes for or until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Pressing the cake on the top shouldn’t feel too spongy.
5. 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.
6. This cake needs to cool completely before frosting. If in a rush, can cool it faster by placing the cakes in the refrigerator or freezer until very cool to the touch. If not frosting, then you can serve after cooling it for additional 10-15 minutes out of the pan.
7. Once cooled, frost. I made the cashew buttercream frosting a day before for the cake. The recipe of which is below.

Frosting

1. Soak cashews in very hot water for 1 hour or in cool water for 6-8 hours. Drain and blend all the ingredients in the blender. Blend until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed. It’s important to get the frosting as creamy and smooth as possible, so blend on high with a high-speed blenderuntil the texture is silky and smooth.
2. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more maple syrup for sweetness, vanilla for vanilla flavor or add more lemon zest or even more apple cider vinegar if you want a very tangy frosting.
3. Transfer frosting in a container with cover and put it in the fridge until ready to use the next day or if using it that day, chill in the freezer for 45 minutes.
4. When ready to use, whisk and use.
5. If frosting a double or triple layered cake, frost the tops of the cakes and chill them before stacking the cakes. This allows the frosting to set better.
6. Serve slightly warm or cold and enjoy 😊

Note: These recipes were adapted from the Minimalist Baker

Have you used Metta gluten-free flour for this recipe or any other recipe?

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Any questions or concerns or ideas on how to improve our recipe and/or process, please feel free to contact us at mettagfatta@gmail.com