Spongy and Dairy Free Carrot Cake!

I absolutely adore carrot cake. It is one of those marvellous recipes that brings together so many incredible flavour notes and textures to make for the perfect dessert. You've got that wonderful blend of spices, crunchiness from the nuts and rich moisture from the fresh carrots, accompanied by a super creamy icing. I am always particularly excited to make it for Easter, or any time really!
I know that the traditional way to make carrot cake is with cream cheese frosting, but sometimes I find this to be a bit too sweet and heavy, so I've just recently found a way to make it completely dairy free, whilst adding a lovely hint of orange, working brilliantly with the carrot cake flavours! If there are any lactose intolerants or vegans out there, then this one is a keeper!

For the cakes I did use eggs, but if you wish to make it vegan, replace with 1/3 cup of applesauce for every egg. 

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Ingredients 

For the carrot cake

• 300 ml of vegetable oil
• 5 eggs
• 200 grams (1 cup) of white sugar
• 200 grams (1 cup) of brown sugar
• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• A splash of vanilla extract 
• ​A pinch of salt
  
• 2 tbsp of cinnamon 
• 1 tbsp nutmeg
• 1 tbsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground ginger 
• 5 grated medium carrots

Optional :

• 1 cup of chopped nuts
• 1/2 cup chopped dates or raisins 

Method

In a large bowl, starting by beating your oil and sugars for about 3 minutes. 
Then, add your eggs one by one and keep beating for another 3 minutes for your mixture to be nice and fluffy. 

In a separate bowl, mix in all your spices with the flour and salt. 

Start by mixing in your flour by parts, and alternating with the carrots, until it is all in and nicely mixed. 

In the end, add your chopped nuts and dates. Normally carrot cake recipes call for raisins, but I prefer the texture and flavour of dates, particularly for this recipe. 

For this occasion, I decided to not only make my cake, but also a few cupcakes. Feel free to divide your batter to create your three cake layers, and a few cupcakes as I did, or simply pour all your mixture into the cake pans (your cake will be a little bit taller). 
Bake the cakes for 35 minutes at 180 C or 350 F (Do stick a knife in and make sure it comes out clean, if not, leave in for a few more minutes). 
Bake your cupcakes for about 18 minutes. 

Now it is time for our cashew and orange frosting!

You will need...

• 500 grams of cashew nuts
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 cup of sugar
• Grated peels from two oranges
• 1 tbsp cinnamon 

Method

Start by soaking your cashew for at least two hours (leave over night if you can). This will make them extra creamy. 

Add them into a food processor 

I like to leave the cashews mixing in the processor for about 5 minutes. To make sure they are creamy and well incorporated. 
Proceed by adding in the rest of your ingredients, being the orange juice, orange peels, sugar and cinnamon. 

Your mixture should look smooth and creamy. You can add more cashews if you'd like it ticker, or more orange juice if you'd like it smoother. 

Let's get to decorating !

Once your cakes come out of the oven, let cool for 20 minutes and remove from the pan. 
Start layering your cake with the cashew icing, like in the picture bellow. 

With a pipping bag, create a nice little fence around your cake. 
I like to decorate with some grated orange peels, caramelised carrots, and nuts on the edges! Feel free to do what you like. 

Voila! Our cake is done!

Now, let's get to decorating those cupcakes!

Create a swirl using a piping bag and decorating tip. My all time favourite is the Wilton 2D, click here to shop!

Top with whatever you fancy!

Hope you enjoy this incredibly delicious and easy recipe to make and enjoy with your family these days! Remember, If you do try one of my recipes, then don't hesitate to share your creations with me on social via (@tatianabellator) or Pinterest!
​I'd love to see what you come up with!

Xx,

​Tatiana