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Wicked carrot cake recipe

Wicked carrot cake recipe

53 ratings

Derek Sarno says: "I wanted to enhance what is a very traditional cake and at the same time make it plant-rich. The key changes are the spices and how we use them: ground coriander is unusual in a sweet recipe but it works so well (think of the ‘romance’ between carrot and coriander). Secondly, the spices are toasted. This totally transforms their flavour and raises them to to a much more mature, sweet and rich level. The result is a more boisterous vegan carrot cake – completely plant-based and absolutely bangin’!" See method

Ingredients

  • 95ml vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
  • 130g light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ orange, zested
  • 225ml soy drink
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • 1 very ripe banana, peeled and mashed until smooth
  • 245g plain flour
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • ½ fine salt
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 225g peeled and grated carrot (reserve the top 1-2cm for decoration)
  • 80g pecans, roughly chopped

For the frosting

  • 45g baking block for biscuits and pastry, at room temperature
  • 110g Violife soft cheese alternative
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 500g icing sugar, sieved

For the pecan 'soil'

  • 70g Lotus Biscoff biscuits
  • 30g pecans, toasted and crushed
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Each serving contains

  • Energy

    2875kj
    683kcal     34%

  • Fat

    30g 42%

  • Saturates

    7g 35%

  • Sugars

    80g 89%

  • Salt

    0.9g 16%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 106.3g Protein 5.5g Fibre 3.7g

Method

DS 155x255
  1. Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Grease and line a deep 20cm square cake tin with nonstick baking paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, sugar, vanilla and orange zest with an electric hand whisk for 2 mins or until you can no longer see individual grains of sugar.
  3. In a jug, whisk the soy drink with the vinegar or lemon juice. Don't worry if it appears to split or thicken. Add the banana and whisk well for 30 secs – the mixture should come together and should be fully combined.
  4. In a separate bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt; mix to combine.
  5. Place a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat and add the ground spices. Toast, stirring, for 1 min until aromatic but not burnt. Stir into the flour mixture.
  6. Add a little of the soy mixture to the oil-sugar mixture, beating as you go. Add a little flour mixture and stir well. Repeat, alternating between the soy and flour mixtures, until completely combined. Fold in the grated carrot and the pecans, being careful not to overmix.
  7. Pour the batter into the tin and spread out evenly. Bake for 25-30 mins until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack.
  8. Spread the frosting over the sponge in one smooth layer. Slice the carrot cake into 9 equal squares. Decorate with pecan 'soil' and reserved carrot tops.

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