Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes

You’ve got to try these gorgeous little Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes!

Ohh, there are not enough good things to say about these Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes. They’re Heavenly. Wait until you taste them, you simply won’t believe there’s no salt, oil, or refined sugar in these little beauties!

Plant-based baking has been a challenge for me. In the old days, before I became plant-based, I used to bake all the time. I even made wedding cakes! Take away the dairy, sugar, and fat, and it’s been quite a learning curve. There have been many baking disasters, as in throw straight in the bin and walk away!

I just gave up trying to bake for a time, but then I came across Cathy Fisher’s Straight Up Food cookbook and decided to give her carrot cake cupcakes a try. Guess what! they worked! not only did they work but they’re delicious! I ate 3 before I had frosted them. So although I can’t take any credit for these, I did want to share, in case you’re having the same issues with baking as I had.

What’s in these Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes?

For the cake:

• dates – in lieu of the refined sugar
• banana – more sweetness
• raisins
• vanilla extract– always use a good one, it makes a difference!
• grated carrots
• I used spelt flour although the original recipe suggested making oat flour by grinding your own oats
• baking soda/baking powder
• non-dairy milk
• cinnamon

For the frosting:

• cashews
• non-dairy milk
• dates
• vanilla extract

These are great frosted as a party treat or left unadorned to resemble a muffin for breakfast.

The frosting reminds me of salted caramel, just without any salt!

In truth, the only issue I had with these cupcakes, was they did stick a little to the paper holders. If anyone knows a trick for that please do let me know:)

What equipment do I need to make these Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes?

A Vitamix high-speed blender 

12 cup cupcake tray

I hope you love these cupcakes! If you do make them please take a picture and share it on Instagram and I’ll repost it on my stories. I’d love to hear from you, please leave a comment and rate the recipe! Thanks so much and happy cooking:)

Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Enjoy as a party treat or a delicious muffin for breakfast!

• Author: Adapted from Cathy Fisher, Straight Up Food
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
• Category: dessert,
• Method: baking
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1 1/2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk

8 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped

1/2 ripe banana

1/4 cup raisins

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups spelt flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups grated carrots

1/2 cup raisins

For the frosting:

3/4 cup non-dairy milk

1 cup raw unsalted cashews

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon date syrup OR 8 Medjool dates

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 12 cup muffin tray with paper or silicone liners.
2. Place the non-dairy milk, dates, banana, 1/4 cup of raisins, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Leave for about 15 minutes for the dates to soften.
3. In a large bowl stir together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder.
4. Pour the milk mixture into a high-speed blender and blitz until smooth, pour into the flour mixture.
5. Add the grated carrots and raisins. Fold in until combined.
6. Scoop the batter into the lined cupcake tray and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the tops are evenly dark golden.
7. Remove from the oven and cool in the trays for 10 minutes before transferring the cupcakes to a cooling rack.
8. Allow to cool thoroughly before frosting.
9. To make the frosting, place the dates (if using instead of the syrup) and the nuts in a bowl and cover with water. Leave for about 30-45 minutes to soften.
10. Drain the nuts and dates. Place all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blitz until smooth. If the mixture is too thick add a little more non-dairy milk.
11. Scrap out the frosting from the blender into a small bowl and chill in the fridge until the cupcakes have cooled sufficiently to frost.

Keywords: Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes