If you’re on the hunt for the BEST vegan carrot cake loaf…then look no further. This one is incredibly flavourful, moist, spicy and loaded with freshly grated carrot.
Forget about any other carrot cake loaf recipe because this is all you’ll ever need!
I love carrot cake! The flavours, texture and overall warmth a carrot cake gives you, it’s the ultimate comfort food.
How to make the BEST vegan carrot cake loaf?
When you have too many carrots in your fridge and you need to use them up, there is no better option than a vegan carrot cake loaf. I mean, you could go the healthy route and have some carrots and hummus, but a carrot cake loaf is way better – haha!
This loaf has everything you want in a loaf, it’s moist ( i know we all hate that word, but there isn’t any better way that describes it). It’s also spicy, fresh, light, filled with freshly grated carrot and its incredibly easy to make.
What makes this recipe so easy?
The best thing about this recipe is that it literally takes minutes to make and pop into the oven.
The loaf itself can be made in one bowl, and contains only a few ingredients. You’ve probably already go the ingredients in your kitchen as we speak.
The frosting is also super easy to make, and requires little to no skill when decorating.
I love swirling my frosting over the top of the loaf, for a rustic feel. It makes me want to dive in and grab a piece immediately.
Looking for more spring recipes? Look no further:
Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf frequently asked questions:
- Why did my vegan carrot cake loaf sink in the middle?
There are a few factors if you experience your loaf sinking. 1. Your loaf tin is too small. If you use a small tin, the middle of the loaf struggles to bake resulting in sinking. Fill it 3/4 full, and you’ll be fine. 2. Over-mixing. Thankfully, I doubt this will happen as the batter is super easy to make, but if you find yourself mixing longer than needed, the batter can become dense.
- Can I use coconut oil instead of sunflower oil for this recipe?
No. For this recipe, its best to stick with a vegetable oil or sunflower oil. Coconut oil hasn’t the right texture for this loaf. Not only that, but the flavour of the coconut is overwhelming and doesn’t pair that nicely with the spices.
- Do I have to add the spices?
I mean, you don’t HAVE too, but then it’s not really a carrot cake loaf. Carrot cake has the flavour of fresh carrots along with ground spices, so if you’re wanting a classic and most of all, extremely tasty vegan carrot cake loaf, you definitely need the ground spices!
- Can I use less sugar in the recipe?
As sugar plays a main part in the stability of the loaf, I wouldn’t advise messing with the recipe at all.
The secret to the best vegan carrot cake loaf:
There are a few tips and tricks you’ll want to know, so you’ll be making the perfect vegan carrot cake loaf each time!
- Make sure to peel your carrots before grating.
- Sift the flour with the spices: This makes sure everything is incorporated evenly, and you wont get clumps of ground spice in your loaf.
- Make sure to keep an eye on the loaf. You don’t want to leave it and for it to burn!
- Check to see if the loaf has fully baked by inserting a skewer down the middle of the loaf. If it’s clean, it’s ready to come out and be placed on a wire rack to cool fully. If the skewer has some batter on it, the loaf needs more time to bake in the oven.
Make sure to ‘PIN’ and save the photos below to your favourite Pinterest board.
Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf
- Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
If you’re on the hunt for the BEST carrot cake…then look no further. This one is incredibly flavorful, moist, spicy and loaded with freshly grated carrot chips. This is the only carrot cake loaf recipe you’ll ever need!
Ingredients
Ingredients for the loaf
- 250g of plain / all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 150g of light brown sugar
- 80ml of sunflower oil
- 220ml of dairy-free milk
- 100g of grated carrots
Ingredients for the frosting
- 80g of dairy-free block butter*
- 1 tablespoon of dairy-free cream cheese
- 100g of icing sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- Walnuts (optional decoration)
Instructions
Method (loaf)
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees c fan and line a loaf tin with grease proof paper or a loaf liner. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, ground spices and sugar. Mix to combine.
- Add in the oil and milk. Mix to combine, then fold in the grated carrots.
- Pour the batter into the lined tin and level off with the back of a spoon.
- Place the loaf into the middle of the pre-heated oven and bake for 45 minutes. After 40 minutes, check on the loaf to make sure it’s not burning.
- To check to see if the loaf is fully baked, insert a skewer down the middle of the loaf. If it comes out clean, the loaf is ready to take out the oven. If the skewer has some batter on it, the loaf isn’t cooked and needs a little bit more time.
- Remove the baked loaf from the oven, place the tin on a wire rack and allow the loaf to cool in the tin. This will take a few hours.
Method (cream cheese frosting)
- In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter and cream cheese, whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
- Sift in the icing sugar and add in the vanilla. Whip on high speed for approximately 5 minutes to incorporate it.
- Spoon of the frosting on top the top of the loaf and spread out.
- Decorate with some chopped walnuts (optional).
- Slice with a serrated knife and tuck in!
Notes
Store: Keep this loaf in a sealed container. Store in the fridge and allow to come to room temperature before serving. Store un-iced loaf in a sealed container at room temperature for 1 day.
Best eaten: Best eaten warm, on the day / second day of making.
What dairy-free butter should I use? My favourite vegan block butters are Flora Plant Based Block butter and Naturli Vegan Block.
What size tin to use? I use a 9×5” rectangular loaf tin.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Cakes and layer cakes
- Method: Baking
This recipe was so easy and very tasty!
The cream cheese icing was so incredible!! The loaf felt like it needed a bit more flavor, I might add more of the spices and carrot next time, but I am also using the US measurements so there’s a chance they’re a bit off from the metric measurements.
what spice would you recommend using more of in this recipe
How does the cake stay together and form without an egg or flax egg?
Author
Hello, the oil and milk help to bind the cake! You dont need eggs or any egg replacement for this recipe! Give it a go, happy baking! x
BEST EVER VEGAN CARROT CAKE LOAF. thank you so much holly, my family loved it!!!!!!!
Author
Oh wow, this is so kind! I am over the moon you enjoyed, thank youu xx
Can I make this carrot loaf gluten free?