This Vegan Carrot Bread is moist and fluffy, subtly spiced and covered in a rich cream cheese frosting. It comes together in one bowl and the recipe is easily customisable. It's gluten-free and refined sugar free too! Perfect for dessert or an indulgent breakfast or brunch.
2heaped teaspoonsbaking powder(ensure gluten-free if necessary)
¼teaspoonbicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
For the frosting:
100g(⅔cup)raw cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
6tablespoonsmaple syrup(or sub any other sweetener)
3tablespoonslemon juice
To decorate (optional):
Walnuts, roughly chopped
Instructions
For the bread:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).
Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, ginger, mixed spice, salt, grated carrot, raisins and ground walnuts.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it's looking too dry.
Transfer mixture into a loaf tin lined with greased baking paper (I used a one-pound loaf tin).
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until risen and golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Once out the oven, transfer the loaf from the baking tin onto a wired rack to leave it to cool completely before applying the frosting.
For the frosting:
Drain the soaked cashews and add to a food processor or blender with the maple syrup and lemon juice.
Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary.
To frost and decorate:
Use a knife (or palette knife) to spread frosting over the top of the loaf.
Decorate with chopped walnuts, if desired.
Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Video
Notes
*The lemon juice is crucial as its acidity needs to react with the alkali bicarbonate of soda to make the bread fluffy. If you don't want to use lemon juice, replace it with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar.**You can alternatively use ground almonds/almond meal or almond flour.
This is definitely a sweet recipe - it's similar to a Carrot Cake. To make it less sweet, you can halve the amount of maple syrup and omit the frosting, or omit the maple syrup all together if you want to make a more savoury bread.