Baker Behind Award-Winning Vegan Carrot Cake Shares Her Recipe After 16 Years With VegNews Readers (2024)

FAQs

What is vegan carrot cake made of? ›

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the applesauce, almond milk, vanilla, sugar and oil. Mix the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Fold in the carrots and stir until just combined.

Many historians believe Carrot Cake originated in the Middle Ages when sugar and other sweeteners were scarce. (Carrots were used as a substitute.) The earliest known recipe for carrot cake can be found in a French cookbook published in 1827.

Leavening. Aquafaba traps air, which then expands when heated during baking. This leavening action—much like eggs—helps baked goods rise and become fluffy. It can even be whipped up like egg whites, making it an excellent choice for recipes that require a light, airy texture, such as meringues, mousses and macarons.

In 1827, carrot cake appeared for the first time in a French cookbook published in Britain, as reported by National Today, but there was a recipe for carrot pudding pie on record from "The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy" as early as 1747, per The Food of England Project.

Carrot cake is oil-based, rather than butter-based. This keeps it moist and helps it last for days. Unfortunately, it also means you lose the leavening power that creaming butter and sugar would bring. (Creaming, or beating together the two ingredients on high speed, aerates the butter.)

The misinformation contained in these three sentences boggles the mind. Carrot cake is self-evidently not a pie. Carrots absolutely enhance the flavor of carrot cake—it's not like all their flavor compounds evaporate while the cake is baking.

Did you know? Carrots are second only to sweet potatoes as an excellent source of beta carotene (vitamin A). Vitamin A is needed for healthy skin, bones and teeth as well as to fight sickness. Carrots are a fair source of B vitamins, like niacin and B6, which help our bodies use energy from foods.

Carrot cake (also known as passion cake) is cake that contains carrots mixed into the batter.

Homemade carrot cake can last for 2 to 3 days at room temperature, 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator, and up to 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Store-bought carrot cake typically has a longer shelf life due to preservatives and airtight packaging. To maximize the freshness of carrot cake, proper storage is essential.

You could start by removing meat or dairy one day a week and go from there. Or you could try changing one meal at a time, having vegan breakfasts during your first week, adding a vegan lunch during week two and so on.

What does apple cider vinegar do in vegan baking? ›

This can enhance dairy-like flavors. The acids in the vinegar also help activate baking powder and baking soda which enhance the leavening or rising of your baked eats, making a better crumb.

Carrot cake refers to a glutinous rice flour "cake" that's made from a white radish (or yam if it's yam cake) cut into cubes, wok or pan fried till crispy, then cooked into an egg omelette. The bits of radish cake taste mild and have a soft, pleasant texture.

The same is true for carrot cake; bacteria can (and will) grow in cooked eggs that are left in the temperature danger zone of 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC. In addition to the cake itself, the cream cheese frosting and buttermilk glaze for your carrot cake need to be refrigerated.

That's because the perfect carrot cake recipe has to be warmly spiced, moist, and tender. It needs enough carrots to give it a subtle earthy flavor, but not enough to make it taste vegetal. The cream cheese frosting has to be tangy enough to balance out the sweetness, but not sour.

Vegan cake is cake made without eggs, dairy butter or dairy milk. Each of these standard ingredients is easily replaced by plant-based substitutes, such as banana or flaxseed for eggs, non-trans fat margarine or oils for butters and plant milks for milk.

To put it simply, a vegan cake is a cake that doesn't contain any animal-derived ingredients, most notably eggs, milk, and other dairy products. In 'regular' cakes, eggs and dairy products are among the key ingredients used to create the sponge and icing, and often decorations, too.

Vegan cakes utilise healthier fats like coconut oil, reducing saturated fat intake and promoting better heart health. Better Blood Sugar Control: Vegan cake recipes often incorporate natural sweeteners like agave nectar or coconut sugar.

A Short List of Vegan Cake Mix Options. Since most boxed cakes require that you add eggs, milk and butter after, most major brands such as Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker are already vegan!