Carrot Zucchini Raw Vegan Cake
I have been wanting to post a raw carrot cake recipe for years. Seriously, years. For some reason, I never got around to it until today. Of course, it couldn’t be a straight up carrot cake, I had to mess with it. Zucchini is available in abundance right now so I decided to throw that in the mix. The addition of diced pineapple adds a wonderful sweetness and a pop of flavor. I have even included baking instructions for those who do not have dehydrators but do not care if it is raw and having a vegan cake is enough. It is a new world around Rawmazing!
I have been wanting to post a raw carrot cake recipe for years. Seriously, years. For some reason, I never got around to it until today. Of course, it couldn’t be a straight up carrot cake, I had to mess with it. Zucchini is available in abundance right now so I decided to throw that in the mix. The addition of diced pineapple adds a wonderful sweetness and a pop of flavor. I have even included baking instructions for those who do not have dehydrators but do not care if it is raw and having a vegan cake is enough. It is a new world around Rawmazing!
My favorite part of this recipe is the frosting! You can throw just about anything that compliments the cake into it. I used walnuts, dried cranberries, and coconut. You could easily substitute with pecans, raisins, just about any dried fruit or nuts that go with carrots. I choose to sweeten mine with orange and maple but you could go the route of cinnamon if you wish.
Shaping the cake layer in the ring.
Ready for dehydration
You can make 2, 4 1/2 – inch cakes or 1, 8 – inch cake. You can also shape individual bars if you wish and frost them. Have fun with this recipe…it is very adaptable.
Note: If you do not have a dehydrator and wish to make these in the oven, you can bake at 200 degrees for 25 minutes, turning over once during baking. They will not be raw.
Raw Carrot Zucchini Cake
Makes 2, 4 1/2 inch cakes or 1, 8 – inch cake
- 2 cups oat flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup diced pineapple
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (grated)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (grated)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Zest from one orange
- In large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, almond flour and chia seeds.
- In small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and orange juice.
- Stir wet ingredients into dry. Add water by tablespoon if batter is too dry.
- Stir in pineapple, carrots, zucchini, vanilla, cinnamon and orange zest.
- Place heaping 1/2 cup into a 4 1/ 2 – inch bakers round placed on non-stick dehydrator sheet. Pat into place. I use these: 4.5-Inch Round Stainless Steel Cutter
- Remove the metal round and make 5 more rounds (a total of 6). Alternatively you can make 3, 8 – inch rounds.
- Dehydrate at 145 for 45 minutes. Reduce heat to 115 and dehydrate 2 to 4 more hours, flipping onto screens half way through dehydration. Let cool.
Frosting
- 2 cups cashews, soaked in water for at least 6 hours, drained and rinsed.
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup dried (unsweetened) coconut
- In a high-speed blender, blend cashews, orange juice, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla until smooth.
- Stir in by hand the cranberries, walnuts and coconut.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set.
- Spread between cake layers.
Grace wrote on August 28, 2016
Hi……I’m allergic to cashews and pistachios and am saddened that most of the creamy delicious recipes require one or the other. Are there other nuts that can be substituted, especially for the cashews?
Thanks! Grace
Susan wrote on August 29, 2016
Hi, Grace, Pine nuts and macadamia nuts can work. It will just be a little different. Cheers!
Grace wrote on August 29, 2016
Thank you so much, Susan! And thank you especially for the prompt response. I’ll try this with on of those. And thank you also for your cookbook….I’m loving it. 🙂
grace