I make this hearty Carrot Cake recipe more than any other dessert since it’s a hit with everyone! I usually make it as an 8×8-inch, one-layer square cake, but see Notes for instructions on baking muffins, a loaf or as baked donuts.
- 1½ cups nondairy milk
- 4 ounces pitted dates (7 to 8 Medjools or 14 to 16 Deglet Noor), chopped
- ½ very ripe banana, sliced
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or seeds from 1 vanilla bean)
- 1¾ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1½ cups grated carrots (2 to 3 medium)
- ½ cup raisins
- 2 ounces walnuts, chopped (about ½ cup; optional)
- Vanilla or Lemon Frosting (optional; see recipe below)
- Place the nondairy milk, dates, banana, ¼ cup raisins, and vanilla into a small bowl, and set aside for at least 15 minutes (so the dates can soften).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Grind the oats into flour with a blender. Transfer to a medium bowl, and whisk in the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Place the milk, dates, banana, raisins, and vanilla in the blender, and blend until smooth.
- Stir the date mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Fold in the grated carrots, ½ cup raisins, and walnuts (if using).
- Spoon the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is medium brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and placing on a cooling rack. Cool completely before serving plain or with Vanilla or Lemon Frosting.
To bake a standard loaf, decrease the milk by ½ cup, line a 9×5×3-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, and bake at 325°F for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the top is medium brown. Let cool completely before serving.
To bake as donuts, see the instructions below (under the photo of the frosted donut).
Above: To make baked donuts, spoon batter into a non-stick donut pan, filling to the top and smoothing batter flat. Bake for 20-25 minutes. If you press on the cake lightly and it bounces back a bit (instead of staying indented), it’s likely ready. These continue to set up as they cool.
Cool for 5-7 minutes before removing the donuts from the pan (if left in too long it will be hard to get the donuts out). Using a fork or knife, gently go around the donuts (outside and inner circle) to loosen them from the pan. Even though we’re using a non-stick pan, we are not using any oil so we need to help them out a bit. After loosening the edges, invert onto a cutting board (shake a bit if still not coming out the first time) and let cool at least 5-10 minutes more before serving plain or with Vanilla or Lemon Frosting. Makes 10 to 12 donuts.
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please share a comment below or on my Facebook page. If you’d like to print this recipe, use the green “Print” button near the top-right of the recipe. Learn more about the Straight Up Food Cookbook here. Thank you!
Hi Cathy 🙂
Cant wait to try the carrot cake – what does 1-3/4 cups mean? 1 or 3/4 cups or 1+3/4 cups?
Thanks 🙂
– Maria
One cup plus 3/4 cup. 😉
How long will the vanilla frosting keep in the fridge?
It’s nut-based, so I wouldn’t keep it too long; maybe up to 5 days?? 🙂
Made this for my mums birthday. Really good carrot cake. And also really easy. Thank you very much
Hi Cathy,
What would you substitute for the oats (for those with an oat and gluten allergy)? Thanks, looks wonderful.
Any kind of flour would likely work fine; many use quinoa flakes (I’ve not tried this). 🙂
With no oil how do they not stick to the paper cupcake liners?
I’ve found regular paper liners to be inconsistent; some stick and some don’t. So just to be safe you can use parchment paper liners. 🙂
I happened to find parchment paper liners and they didn’t stick at all. These are absolutely freakin’ delicious! Wow!
I cut 3 or 4 ” square parchment paper and put in cupcake pan with a glass or jar.
Made this tonight in an 8 inch square pan. Absolutely delicious, moist and spicy. I must say I used the shred holes on my grater not the small ones for grating and it turned out fine.
Made this in an 8X8 pan lined with parchment paper. Baked it for 55 minutes, as it seemed too wet to take it out of the oven at 45 minutes. Cooled it in the pan on a rack — when cut, it was very gooey and pretty much inedible. Could that possible be the result of not taking it out of the pan? Or did I grind the oats too long in the blender? Very sad, as we had looked forward to a nice treat.
Hi Carolyn, I’m sorry to hear this. 🙁 It sounds like your leavening powders may be old (baking powder, soda). I would try it with new ones, grinding the oats a bit less, and taking it out to cool sooner. Most of my baked goods will be moist right after baking (which is why I don’t use the toothpick test), and do best when completely cooled before serving/cutting (since I don’t use oil or butter or other fats). A metal baking pan will also bake this up a little firmer/less moist than a ceramic or silicone pan, which don’t conduct heat quite as well. Good luck!
My six year old and I made this today. We love it! Your recipes are a great way for us to teach our children that treats can come in a healthy form. We’re having the leftovers for breakfast tomorrow :).
Yay! 😉
HI Cathy! I just made your carrot cake recipe as muffins! Super delicious ! I do have a question regarding the vanilla frosting as pictured in your cookbook. When I made it… it was tan colored. How did you get yours so white? I followed instructions exactly as written. Thank you!
The photo lighting probably made it look a little lighter. Very thoroughly blending helps, using raw cashews helps, and I’ve also heard of people blanching their dates to remove the skins (although I’ve not tried this).
Hi Cathy!! I made this today and it was absolutely delicious. The icing came out perfect and incredibly yummy. Based on a suggestion that I overheard in one of your cooking classes, I added a little shredded coconut … maybe 2 tablespoons and I used 1/3rd of a whole vanilla bean.
I love your cookbook!!! Thank you for making it so much easier to follow this lifestyle!
Best,
Julia
That’s great! Thanks for the comment, Julia! 😉
These were absolutely delicious and the best looking cupcake I’ve ever made!
My daughter made me this delicious cake with the vanilla cashew frosting for my birthday. She served it with sugar free So Delicious vanilla bean ice cream and assorted fruits. Everyone really liked it. 🙂
Can I use oat flour instead of grinding my own? And if so is the measurement the same?
You probably can; I have not tried it, but it shouldn’t be too far off. 🙂
Pearl Pearlman here wishing i could bake for Jewish HOliday of Passover beginning Friday 30 th of
March for one week and cooking regularly for Passover is all meats chichen oil etc. Who has a recipe log for Passover desserts and plant based foods step by step too.
Hi, I have no idea, but maybe search online for “vegan Passover food” and see what comes up. 🙂
Wow my husband said this was the best recipe for carrot cake I had ever cooked in 44 years🤗 my daughter forgot the cupcakes for our grand daughters birthday so I shared my carrot cake muffins with lemon icing with them. I had iced them and they froze well icedvas well. Thanks this makes no sugar, salt and oil so much easier to dd. Been one month no sugar salt or oil and weaning off the meat slowly. Thanks again JoAnn
This is so good! I made it into muffins and didn’t use frosting. I can’t believe how sweet it tastes. I will definitely be making these again and again.
Hi, I’m about to make this delicious treat and want to do lemon frosting. Do I still put the vanilla in the frosting or is it substituted with the lemon?
You could do either really, but I think I usually do the lemon instead of the vanilla. 🙂
It doesn’t seem like the cake would have as much fat as stated with only plant milk, oats and small amount of walnuts. Does the fat and calorie content include frosting?
It includes nuts but not frosting. I double checked the nutrient breakdown and it is correct. The calories are mostly from the following (greatest to least): oats, walnuts, raisins, dates, and soy milk. (The recipe does not break out fat by ingredient, as it does with calories.)
Love all your recipes, Cathy! Subbing 1/4 cup applesauce for the 1/2 banana should be fine, or? Thank you!
Thanks Susi! 🙂 I’d opt for the banana first, since it’s less wet. This is a pretty moist cake.
Do you think I can use the carrot pulp after juicing carrots or will it be too dry?
I wouldn’t; it would be too dry likely, and it also will have all the flavor juiced out of it. If you still want to try, you could make muffins and do 1/4 or 1/2 the batch using the carrot pulp.
Thanks Cathy. That’s what I was thinking also but wondered when you said it was a moist batter.