Suzy’s Carrot Cake

The kids love carrot cake, and this is our rockin’ carrot cake recipe. We veganized this from an existing recipe by using applesauce, oil, and Ener-G Egg Replacer. And we swapped the icing for vegan cream cheese and vegan buttery spread. Just make sure you find the right cream cheese to use because they’re not all great. Experiment until you find your favorite. (We’ve included our favorites as suggestions.)

You’ll see the Green Eater Meter score is 741. Calculated with the help of Dr. Alfredo Mejia of Andrews University, this score collects all the environmental savings of your swaps—all the gallons of water you save, the square feet of forest you protect, and the greenhouse gas emissions you prevent from entering the atmosphere (in the equivalent of miles driven), when you create this dessert with delicious plant-based ingredients.

(This recipe is in my new book, OMD: The Simple, Plant-Based Program to Save Your Health, Save Your Waistline, and Save the Planet.”)

Makes 16 servings

For the carrot cake
4 “eggs” (egg replacer such as Ener-G Egg Replacer)
¾ cup water
2 cups whole wheat or spelt flour 1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt
1½ cups canola oil (or applesauce, for an oil-free cake) 3 cups shredded carrots (about 1 pound)

For the cream cheese frosting

4 ounces (1 stick) vegan buttery spread (such as Earth Balance), at room temperature
1 (8-ounce) package vegan cream cheese (such as Kite Hill), chilled
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

TO MAKE THE CARROT CAKE:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with oil and dust with flour; tap out any excess
  2. In a small bowl, combine the egg replacers and water and set
  3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix Add the oil and egg replacer mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Add the carrots and stir until thoroughly combined (a handheld mixer works well for all-purpose flour, vbut can make spelt tough). The batter will be quite thick.
  4. Pour the batter into the baking dish and spread it Bake until the cake bounces back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
  5. Let the cake cool completely in the baking dish before frosting
TO MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

In a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the buttery spread and cream cheese on medium speed until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add the vanilla and beat on low speed. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating after each addition until smooth.

Per serving: 450 calories; 30 g fat (4.5 g saturated fat); 43 g carbohydrates; 4 g fiber; 4 g protein; 0 mg cholesterol; 450 mg sodium

Swapping out 4 eggs, 4 ounces of butter, and 8 ounces of dairy cream cheese, you save about:8½ miles of driving 36 square feet of land 696 gallons of water

READ MORE STORIES THAT MOVE HUMANITY FORWARD

READ MORE STORIES THAT MOVE HUMANITY FORWARD

SIGN UP FOR MARIA’S SUNDAY PAPER

phone mockup of the sunday paper

Get Above the Noise
Subscribe to The Sunday Paper

phone mockup of the sunday paper

An award-winning newsletter that Inspires Hearts and Minds — and Moves Humanity Forward. We publish premium content that makes you feel Informed, Inspired, Hopeful, Seen, Supported, and most importantly not alone on your journey to The Open Field.