My dad’s birthday was on the fourth of July, and one of his favorite desserts is carrot cake. Being the picky, everything-free eater that I am, I decided to take a stab at making a paleo vegan cake. I scoured Pinterest for a GOOD paleo vegan carrot cake, and found nothing. So…I combined certain recipes with my own vegan baking knowledge (think getting creative to replace eggs) and I whipped up an amazing cake. Everyone loved it, even the faux cream cheese frosting.
This time, I gave the same recipe a whirl by making cupcakes.
They are SO good, moist (Eeew! I really do hate that word, but that is the best way to describe these cupcakes!), and taste like the real deal.
Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:
For 8 cupcakes:
+ 2.5 cups unblanched almond flour
+ 1 cup melted unrefined coconut oil
+ 1/2 tsp salt
+ 2 tsp baking soda
+ 2 tsp gluten free baking powder
+ 2 tsp cinnamon
+ 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
+ 1 cup coconut sugar (this stuff is seriously amazing. It tastes like brown sugar!)
+ 2 tsp vanilla extract
+ 3 cups grated carrots
+ 4 tbsp ground flax seeds mixed with 12 tbsp water to create an egg-like mixture
For the frosting:
+ 3/4 cup raw cashews
+ 1 tsp vanilla extract
+ 1/4 cup maple syrup
+ 1-2 tsp cinnamon
+ 1 tsp lemon juice
+ 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions:
+ Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
+ Mix all cupcake ingredients well
+ Add to a pre-greased 8-inch cake pan or a cupcake pan (I use coconut oil spray to do this)
+ Bake for 20 minutes or until a knife sticks through the cake and comes out clean
+ Let the cupcakes/cake cool for at least 30 minutes, and then release them onto a cooling rack.
Frosting instructions:
+ Soak the cashews in purified water overnight, or for at least 3 hours
+ Drain cashews from water
+ Mix all ingredients together in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. This may take about 5 minutes of on and off blending.
…That’s it! Super easy, if you’re patient and pre-plan for the frosting.
Let me know if you’re interested in seeing more paleo vegan recipes here. I love learning about new recipes, and sharing my own!
xo,
Lynn