Vegan Carrot Cake with Yogurt Frosting
Easter is just around the corner, and in addition to the classic yeast bun or a hearty loaf, there is one other thing that should never be missing at this time of year: a delicious carrot cake!
In fact, there is already another recipe for this spring classic on our blog, but it differs in a few ways. Our vegan, fluffy carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is based on a sponge cake. The consistency of a carrot cake can vary greatly and is probably also a matter of taste – I'm more of a fan of a moist consistency that is still slightly fudgy on the inside. We, therefore, use a little more carrot and, above all, plant-based skyr for the batter. We also leave out nuts, at least in the batter, so more people can enjoy it. When decorating, you can, of course, replace them with other toppings if required.
A cream cheese frosting or rich icing can often make the carrot cake too sweet. That's why the frosting is a little different today: The plant-based skyr with a bit of lime zest gives the flavorful pastry a wonderfully fresh note, and you can sweeten it according to your taste with a bit of powdered sugar. By the way, decorating this cake is at least as much fun as baking it because you can now decorate the white surface however you like. We opted for chopped pistachios, almonds, and marzipan carrots, which you can buy online or make yourself. You can find instructions via your favorite search engine. However, you should add these to the cake just before serving so the food coloring doesn't mix with the frosting.
By the way, it's worth leaving the cake to stand in the fridge for a while after preparation – this will make it even juicier and more intense in taste.
Vegan Carrot Cake with Yogurt Frosting
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 200 g (7 oz) carrots
- 225 g (1.75 cups) flour
- 100 g (0.5 cup) brown sugar
- 0.5 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 15 g (0.5 oz) baking powder
- 200 g (0.75 cup) plant-based skyr
- 75 ml (0.33 cup) oil
- 0.5 lime (zest)
- 1 pinch of salt
For the frosting:
- 200 g (0.75 cup) plant-based skyr
- 5 tbsp powdered sugar
- 0.5 lime (zest)
For decorating:
- 50 g (1.75 oz) chopped hazelnuts
- 50 g (1.75 oz) chopped pistachios
- 8 marzipan carrots
Instructions
- Peel and shred the carrots. You should end up with about 150 grams of grated carrots.
Tip: If you want a less fudgy cake, the grated carrots can be squeezed out in a clean kitchen towel before adding them to the batter.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 355 °F (convection heat) . Mix flour, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Then add carrots, oil, skyr and the zest of half a lime and mix well.
Grease a springform pan (ø 26 cm), pat with flour and fill with the batter. Bake at 180 °C / 355 °F (convection heat) for approximately 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, season the skyr with powdered sugar and lime zest and let it chill in the fridge.
Tip: To make the frosting firm, drain the skyr overnight or a few hours before baking using a fine sieve.
- Decorate the cake with chopped pistachios, almonds and marzipan carrots.
