I love carrot cake. And I love cardamom. I wish I could find the words to describe the elusive flavor of cardamom. To compare it to cinnamon does it a disservice. It has a familiar spice and warmth that we recognize in cinnamon, but it also has some floral and citrus, making it sweetly warm and spicy. It’s just magic, that secret ingredient that makes everything taste special. I’m taking cardamom on a carrot cake journey and it couldn’t be better suited.
Carrot cake is known for its usual suspects like shredded carrots, chopped walnuts, and a cream cheese frosting. For this particular cake, I’m exploring plant-based alternatives for animal-based products. You’ll find oat milk, avocado oil, vegan cream cheese, and two different butters (coconut and vegan butter). These ingredients keep the cake in the vegan category, and I’d argue you’d hardly even notice the difference!
Spice is an important part of a carrot cake. The spices help balance the carrot’s natural sweetness, making cardamom an amazing fit here. Cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon only add up to less than three teaspoons of the total ingredients but have a significant impact on the cake as a whole. I can’t even imagine a cake without these – and when I’m feeling bold, I might even add a bit of ground ginger!
No carrot cake is complete without a creamy frosting, and this vegan cream cheese frosting is just as good as its dairy-based counterpart! It’s creamy and has just the right amount of sweetness from the powdered sugar and vanilla. All of this comes together into one beautiful carrot cake and “cream cheese” frosting, it’s rich, flavorful, and comforting.
If you think plant-based sounds bland and boring…think again! I just adore this take on a carrot cake, it’s full of flavor and captures all of the moist deliciousness that we expect in a carrot cake. I also love that I can still enjoy my favorite desserts in this unique way without compromising my desire for indulgence. And the cardamom! I’m simply and unapologetically swooning over this cake!
Cardamom Carrot Cake is a sweet conclusion to my plant-based picnic featuring Creamy Dill Red Potato Salad, Buffalo Cauliflower Wings with Zesty Blue Cheese Dressing, BBQ King Oyster Mushroom Steaks, and a Spring Lentil Salad.
Cardamom Carrot Cake
For the cake:
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cup walnut pieces, lightly crushed and lightly toasted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 1/4 cup oat milk
- 1 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 1/2 cup apple sauce, unsweetened
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups carrots, grated
For frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 8 oz. vegan cream cheese, softened (Mykonos, Daya, Tofutti, etc)
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
- 1/2 cup coconut butter, melted
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease 9x13 pan. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 cup toasted walnuts, coconut, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, salt, and ground cardamom. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine oat milk, brown sugar, avocado oil, apple sauce, cider vinegar, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture bowl, then add grated carrots. Mix batter with a wooden spoon until just combined.
- Spoon batter into prepared 9x13 and bake for 22 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake before frosting.
- Make the frosting in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
- Add softened cream cheese, coconut butter, and unsalted butter to the mixer and beat together until fluffy and combined.
- Add maple syrup, lemon juice, salt, and vanilla to the mixture.
- Slowly pour powdered sugar into the mixer as it’s mixing to create that fluffy frosting. Place frosting in a piping bag and set aside.
- Cut carrot cake into squares and pipe frosting on each one in a zigzag pattern. Garnish with remaining toasted walnuts crumbs. Enjoy!