The perfect Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf Recipe, easy & fool-proof! Makes a rich, moist and delicious cake loaf with a lemony yogurt glaze.
I didn’t grow up on carrot cake and the thought of putting carrots into a cake was a weird concept to me. That is until I tried it and understood what the hype is all about.
We made carrot cake and carrot cake muffins and cupcakes before, but this, my friends, is my absolute favorite recipe! It is super simple to make – just mix the ingredients and you’re good to go, and the baked Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf is flavorful – rich, spicy, zingy, moist, and crunchy, you will want to eat it every day!
So without further ado, let’s dive into the ingredients. I bet you already have them in your pantry and ready to go in the oven in 20 minutes.
Loaf ingredients
To make this super delicious vegan carrot cake loaf you will only need some basic pantry ingredients:
- sugar; we like to use a combination of brown sugar and regular sugar for the best flavor, but either will work in this recipe
- vegetable oil will add long-lasting moisture to the loaf
- soy milk – we recommend using soy milk in this recipe, as it works best when baking and has the most similar nutrients to regular milk, but in a pinch, you can substitute it with almond milk or rice milk. We do not recommend using oat milk when baking, as it may turn slimy!
- apple cider vinegar
- vanilla extract for flavor, vanilla paste can also be used
- orange zest, it adds freshness and tanginess to the loaf, plus extra delicious flavor. You can also use lemon zest, just make sure your citruses are organic, otherwise, the peel will be coated in wax and pesticides.
- flour; again we like to use a combination of all-purpose flour and wholewheat flour in this recipe, but just plain all-purpose flour will work just fine
- baking powder, leavener
- baking soda, leavener
- cinnamon for flavor and spice
- ginger powder
- nutmeg
- salt
- grated fresh carrots for obvious reasons – they will soften during baking, and turn sweet, adding flavor and texture to the carrot cake loaf. Make sure to grate it finely, so it practically melts in the loaf – you don’t want big old tough carrots chunks in there.
- pecan nuts, for crunch and nutty flavor
We like to separate the ingredients into “wet” and “dry”, mixing them separately and them combining at the end before baking. See instructions below or the recipe box for details!
Glaze ingredients
To make this smooth and silky rich lemony glaze you will need just 3 ingredients:
- icing sugar
- soy yogurt
- lemon juice
We recommend also decorating the cake with some chopped pecans on top of the glaze, for extra crunch and also visual effects.
How to make this Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf
This carrot cake recipe is really super simple to make, believe me, as I hate complicated recipes with a passion.
Start by preheating your oven so it’s ready to go – 180°C / 360°F (fan oven to 160°C / 320°F) and prepare your baking pan. We like to use a rectangular one to shape the loaf. Lightly grease your pan, and also insert a strip of parchment paper – this will help lift the loaf out of the pan once it’s baked. Make sure the parchment paper runs along the longer side of the pan and also hangs over the pan so it’s easy to grab and lift.
Then continue by mixing your ingredients – as we mentioned before we divide wet and dry ingredients and mix them separately.
So in one large bowl combine brown sugar, white sugar, vegetable oil, soy milk, apple cider vinegar, vanilla, and orange zest.
In a separate bowl mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Once mixed, sift them over the wet ingredients and fold them in until just combined. You want no visible lumps of flour in the batter, but you don’t want to overmix it or the cake will be dense and tough.
Once your batter is combined, gently fold in the grated carrots and chopped pecans, and pour the batter in your baking pan.
Level it out so it’s evenly distributed and then just place it in your oven and bake.
It took my oven about 45 minutes to bake, but my oven runs hot, so just aim for around 40-50 minutes. I also like to check when the batter is baked through with a toothpick – I insert it straight into the loaf and remove it – if there is no wet batter residue visible on the toothpick, the cake is done.
Remove the baking pan from the oven and let the cake rest as is in the pan for 15 minutes or so, then transfer it to a kitchen rack and cool down. To transfer it just lift the cake by the parchment paper – it should come out effortlessly.
And that’s the cake done!
How to make the glaze
If you want the carrot cake loaf to look spectacular and also add extra flavor, we recommend glazing it with this super simple and delicious glaze.
To make the glaze just mix the icing sugar with soy yogurt and lemon juice until the glaze is thick but pourable. Then, drizzle the glaze over the cooled-down carrot cake, and sprinkle with more chopped pecans.
Make sure your cake is completely cooled down, or the frosting will not set and may melt away!
Serving
Let the cake sit with the glaze for 10 minutes, so the glaze sets, then slice it up and serve. It works splendidly as an afternoon treat with your coffee, or as a delicious and filling breakfast choice.
Storage
You can store the carrot cake in an air-tight container for up to 4 days. It will get moister and richer with time.
If you want to freeze the cake, you can do so, but we recommend freezing it without the glaze. You can keep the cake in the freezer for up to 3 months. I would store it sliced up, and each slice wrapped up individually, so you can just remove a slice a couple of hours before you want to enjoy it and let it thaw on the counter.
Pro tips:
- Peel your carrots to remove bitterness, then grate them finely, so they will practically melt while baking. We don’t want big tough carrot chunks in our tasty loaf!
- Once your cake is baked, cool it off completely before glazing, or the glaze may melt.
- The glaze will seep into the cake adding extra flavor and moisture and really is the cherry on top of this recipe!
- This cake is best served when cooled down and rested – it will increase in flavor and moisture.
Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf
The perfect Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf Recipe, easy & fool-proof! Makes a rich, moist and delicious cake loaf with a lemony yogurt glaze.
Ingredients
Wet ingredients:
- 1/2 c (110 grams) brown sugar
- 1/4 c (60 grams) white sugar
- 1/2 c (120 ml) vegetable oil
- 1/2 c (120 ml) soy milk
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- zest of 1 orange
Dry ingredients:
- 1c + 2tbsp (170 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ c + 1 tbsp (65 grams) wholewheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ginger powder
- pinch of nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 230 grams carrots, peeled & grated (about 3 medium-sized)
- 1/2 c (60 grams) pecan nuts, chopped
Glaze:
- 200 grams icing sugar
- 1 tbsp soy yogurt
- juice of ½ lemon
- chopped pecan nuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 360°F (fan oven to 160°C / 320°F). Lightly grease a smaller rectangle baking pan and line with a strip of parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, white sugar, vegetable oil, soy milk, apple cider vinegar, vanilla, and orange zest.
- In a separate bowl mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
- Sift the dry ingredients onto the wet ingredients and gently mix with a spatula until just combined, and there are no lumps of flour visible but don't overmix the batter.
- Fold into the batter the grated carrots and chopped pecans, then pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and level it out.
- Bake for about 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the baked cake from the oven and let rest in the baking pan for about 15-20 minutes, then transfer the cake onto a kitchen rack and let cool down completely.
- Prepare the glaze: mix the icing sugar with soy yogurt and lemon juice until the glaze is thick but pourable.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled-down carrot cake, and sprinkle with more chopped pecans.
- Serve, or store in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 264Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 184mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 3gSugar: 22gProtein: 4g
Nutrition data is automatically calculated using Nutritionix and may not be accurate.