Super Moist Vegan Carrot Sheet Cake with Orange Zest
The BEST vegan carrot sheet cake! Super moist, super flavorful, with brown sugar and orange zest for an amazing flavor. Nut free recipe!
My family loves carrot cake in all of its forms. We have this carrot sheet cake, carrot cake cupcakes, carrot spice cookies, and even carrot cake oatmeal for breakfast. There is just something about the combination of carrots and spices that we can’t resist!
Our carrot cake recipe is a little different from others you might have tried. First, the spices used are simple with cinnamon and ginger to give it a little zing. Using fresh orange zest really brightens up the cake and prevents it from being too heavy. Finally, using brown sugar for sweetening the cake gives a rich, moist, and super soft cake in each bite.
If you make this ahead of time, the cake flavors intensifies over night, truly transforming this cake into a showstopper.
Ingredients
Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll need to make this vegan carrot sheet cake. For the full list of ingredients, complete with measurements, please see the recipe card below.
- Flour: Plain, all purpose flour is all you need.
- Carrots: The star of the cake! I find I always get the best results when I purchase whole carrots and grate them by hand. This helps the carrots be better distributed in the cake, so you get more carrots in every bite!
- Baking Powder + Soda + Cornstarch: All are used to help lift this cake up.
- Spices: Cinnamon and ginger are used to provide a depth and warmth to the cake.
- Oil + Applesauce: These help to keep the cake moist. Use a neutral flavored oil (I tend to use canola oil) and an unsweetened applesauce.
- Sugar: Both brown sugar and white sugar are used for the flavor and moisture.
- Flaxseeds: This is the egg replacer.
- Vanilla + Orange Zest: These floral flavors really compliment the cake and help to brighten it up. Use fresh orange zest for the best flavors.
- Dairy free Milk: I recommend either unsweetened soy milk or coconut milk.
- Raisins + Pumpkin Seeds: Raisins are a classic addition to carrot cakes so they are a must in our house! You can use dark or golden raisins. Pumpkin seeds take the place of nuts in this recipe to give it a crunchy texture in the body of the cake.
Variations
- Use walnuts or pecans. If you aren’t allergic to nuts, you can replace the pumpkin seeds with an equal amount of chopped walnuts or pecans.
Instructions
Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe and ingredient list.
First up, grate the carrots! Grate the carrots finely so they are evenly distributed.
Now it is time for the wet ingredients. Into a large bowl with a hand mixer, or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk together the oil, applesauce, brown and white sugars, flax seeds, dairy free milk, orange zest, and carrots.
If you are adding the raisins and pumpkin seeds, go ahead and add those now as well.
No need to make a flax egg for this recipe, it mixes right into the wet ingredients.
Next, add the dry ingredients into a medium size bowl. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Give that a whisk and then add the spices.
Then, combine the wet and dry ingredients. Mix until fully combined.
Transfer this to a lightly greased and lined 9×13-inches (23×33-cm) baking pan. Using parchment paper ensures that the cake won’t stick to the pan.
Bake the cake for 38 to 42 minutes. This cake can take an extra few minutes to bake over other sheet cakes because it is so full of carrots!
The cake is done when the sides have pulled away slightly and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake pulls out clean.
Finally, let the cake cool for about 15 minutes on the countertop in the hot baking pan before removing it to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
I like to stick to classic combinations of flavors and that means making a smooth, tangy, and delicious vegan cream cheese frosting.
It comes together with just vegan butter, vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. You may need a splash of your favorite plant based milk to get it to the right consistency, depending on what type of vegan cream cheese you use.
My favorite brand to use is Trader Joe’s cream cheese. It is nut free (containing coconut) and pretty affordable.
If you aren’t a fan of cream cheese frosting, you can use my vegan vanilla frosting on top or check out my carrot cake cupcake recipe which includes a tangy frosting that doesn’t contain any cream cheese.
Carrot Cake Tips
- Use freshly grated carrots. I like to make the carrots finely grated and not pre-shredded matchstick carrots. Those shredded carrots can be too long and stringy in the cake. Making them finely grated helps the carrots to evenly disperse throughout the cake.
- Line the pan with parchment paper. This guarantees that the cake won’t stick!
FAQs about Carrot Cake
How to Store
Fridge: Keep the frosted cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Countertop: Unfrosted cake can be left on the countertop in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Store the baked, cooled, and frosted or unfrosted cake in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. Allow the cake to thaw on the countertop for a few hours before serving after being frozen.
More Carrot Cake Recipes
I hope that you love this carrot cake recipe as much as my family and I do!
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Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Mixing spoons
- Sifter
- measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Grater
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons flaxseeds
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups carrots grated, about 5 carrots
- 1 ½ cup soymilk unsweetened
- ½ cup applesauce unsweetened
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds or walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ½ cup vegan cream cheese
- 4 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Lightly spray and line with parchment paper a 9×13-inch (23×33-cm) pan. Set aside. Place the oven rack to the center of the oven.
- Grate the carrots. Using a small grate size, finely grate the washed and peeled carrots.
- Sift the dry ingredients. Into a medium sized bowl, sift the dry ingredients of flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add the oil, soy milk, applesauce, brown and white sugar, flaxseeds, vanilla, grated carrots, and raisins and pumpkin seeds.
- Combine. Slowly add the sifted dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until the batter is thick and fully combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center pulls out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
- Make the frosting. In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk on high speed until light and fluffy. Spread over top of the cake and serve. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- How to Store
- Fridge: Keep the frosted cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Countertop: Unfrosted cake can be left on the countertop in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Store the baked, cooled, and frosted or unfrosted cake in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. Allow the cake to thaw on the countertop for a few hours before serving after being frozen.
Nutrition
More Easter Recipes
Celebrate the Easter season with these vegan Easter recipes! From traditional Eastern European inspired dishes, to carrot cakes, and lots of brunch options, there are easy to make recipes in here that every-bunny will love.
