I used to never understand the value of carrot cake. Why bother? It’s not chocolate, and it just didn’t seem like a proper dessert. But then, about 20 years ago, I went to a vegan wedding, and one of the cake tiers was carrot cake with a whipped cream cheese buttercream. So I gave it a try. My world instantly turned upside down—how could I have missed out on this dessert experience all of these years? The cake was both sweet and spicy, studded with chunks of walnuts and carrots, and then had the most dreamy buttercream frosting. I now understood.
Since I love raw desserts, I decided to create a raw version of my newly beloved carrot cake. After lots of experimenting, I give you my tried-and-true recipe—complete with a thick, cashew coconut frosting. The Medjool dates make it perfectly sweet, and provide an incredibly caramely taste to the cake, and I love the subtle hint of ginger. A slice will always remind me of weddings, but I’ll eat this cake for any occasion.
Serves 8
What you need:
For the cake:
- 15 Medjool dates
- 2 cups raw walnuts, plus more for garnish
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cups finely shredded carrots (squeezing out excess liquid)
For the frosting:
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ⅓ cup canned unsweetened coconut cream (chilled)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean powder
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
What you do:
- For the cake, into a high-speed blender, add dates, walnuts, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Blend until crumbly and sticky. Add carrots and pulse until combined. Gently press mixture into a springform pan. Set aside.
- For the frosting, wipe blender clean. Add thick part of coconut cream and all remaining ingredients, and blend for 2 minutes until smooth. Spread on top of cake. Freeze cake for at least 4 hours, or until set.
- When ready to serve, remove cake from freezer and let thaw until frosting is slightly soft. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and serve.
Healthy hints:
- >> To shred the carrots, I suggest using a cheese grater or a hand-held julienne peeler.
>> Squeezing out the excess liquid from the carrots prevents the cake from becoming too dense.
>> Prefer a chunkier cake? Stir in whole walnuts, pecans, raisins, mulberries, or more dates. Make it your own!