Vegan Carrot Cake with Cranberry Jam and Cream Cheese. This plant based carrot cake uses almond butter and chopped almonds for a wonderfully nutty, moist sponge. Layer with cranberry jam for a burst of colour on your white cake.
How to bake an incredibly moist carrot cake
I long for that extra special carrot cake that I had a few years back in some long forgotten cafe in Edinburgh. It was subtly spicy, sweet, and most importantly moist. We’re all after that soft and delicate sponge aren’t we? Well I’ve finally figured it out after many a trial and error. The key is of course the best ingredients and at the optimal ratio. So for a moist carrot cake, opt for sunflower oil over butter; it has a neutral flavour and adds a lovely silkiness to the vegan cake.
The ingredients
We’re all a bit bored of walnut carrot cake, right? So for this plant based offering, I’ve used chopped almonds, almond nut butter and toasted flaked almonds for a truly nutty affair. This vegan carrot cake uses almond butter for two reasons, it makes the cake extra moist and adds a wonderfully nutty flavour.
I wanted to use seasonal berries for this recipe, so I’ve opted for festive cranberries which are slightly tart. In my opinion, the tartness perfectly compliments the sweet carrot cake. The cranberries also serve another purpose; they add a brilliant crimson shade to the cake. They really are stunning against the the winter white cream cheese and make for a great centrepiece on the dinner table.
The method
Since we are not using the typical creaming method in this bake, you want to really whisk the wet ingredients to ensure you get as much air into the sponge as possible. Brown sugar is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture and helps the cake remain soft long after baking.
To give the cake some structure I’ve used a mix of plain and whole wheat flour. It adds a slight density to the cake. Vegan baking can be particulate finicky in that you have to be creative with your choice binders and leavening ingredients. I’ve used 2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda. This is another to ensure a light and airy crumb without making leaving behind a chemical aftertaste.
How to make vegan cream cheese frosting
Now on to the cream cheese filling. Please whatever you do, make sure your cake is 100% cool before icing. If you don’t your icing will slide off and end up as a puddle on the table, looking like a reject from the local bake sale. Yes, that is specific for a reason. To make the cream cheese, cream the vegan butter and soft cheese until smooth. Then add the sieved icing sugar in thirds, mixing well in between each addition. This way you have no lumps in your buttercream.
Leave a comment and let me know how you get on making this Vegan Carrot Cake with Cranberry Jam. I’d love to see your creations over on instagram!
more vegan treats
Vegan Carrot Cake with Cranberry jam
Ingredients
For the carrot cake
- 250 g plain flour
- 100 g whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 175 g brown soft sugar
- 150 ml sunflower oil
- 180 mls oat milk unsweetened
- 50 g almond butter
- 1 tbsp vanilla paste
- 300 g carrots grated
- 40 g almonds roughly chopped
- 10 g toasted flaked almonds
- Winter berries to decorate
For the cream cheese frosting
- 200 g vegan cream cheese
- 120 g vegan butter *see notes
- 500 g icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
For the cranberry jam
- 300 g cranberries
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 160 mls water
- 1/2 tsp orange zest
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 200C / 180C fan. Grease 3 x 20cm cake tins and line with parchment paper.
- To a large bowl, add sieved plain flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and the spices.
- In another bowl, pour in the brown sugar, sunflower oil, oat milk, almond butter and vanilla. Use an electric hand whisk on high and whip until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients, grated carrots and chopped almonds to the dry ingredients. Fold gently until the ingredients are just combined.
- Divide the mixture equally between the 3 tins. Smooth over with a spatula and place in the oven for 20 minutes. The cake is baked when it is brown, springy to the touch and pulling away from the sides of the tin.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 15 minutes in the tins, then turn out onto wire rack and allow the sponges to cool completely.
- Prepare the cream cheese frosting by using an electric whisk to cream the vegan butter and vegan cream cheese. Add the sifted icing sugar in thirds, mixing for a minute in between each addition. Whisk the buttercream on the highest setting, the frosting should pale in colour. Once well mixed and smooth, add the cornflour and lemon juice and mix for a further minute. Place in the fridge until ready to ice the cake.
- For the jam, add the cranberries, sugar, water, orange zest and vanilla to a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to heat over a moderate/high heat for 5 minutes. Stir the mixture occasionally. The cranberries should pop and burst and the mixture should become sticky with less liquid. Pour into a heatproof bowl and place in the fridge to cool and set. Once cool, add the jam to a food processor and blitz until smooth.
- To assemble the cake, level off the 3 sponges with a serrated knife. Place one sponge on a cake stand. Add 3 tbsp of jam and 3tbsp of buttercream. Spread over the sponge, allowing the jam and cream to mix. Layer over the second sponge and repeat the spreading of the jam and cream. Layer over the third sponge. Apply a thin layer of icing over the top and sides of the cake. Place in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cake and spread over the second layer of buttercream and smooth over with a palette knife. Decorate with toasted flaked almonds and winter berries of your choice.