Carrot-Coconut Cake

This recipe combines the earthy sweetness of carrots, with the straight-up sweet of coconut, for the perfect cake. Is your fridge missing coconut milk? Feel free to use any of your favourite milk alternatives in this recipe, each will bring their own unique and exciting taste.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 to 40 minutes
Yield: 1 9 in (23 cm) round cake

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 45 ml / 3 tbsp water
• 8 g / 1 tbsp ground flax seed

For the cake:

• 281 g / 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 12 g / 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 5 g / 1 tsp baking soda
• 5 g / 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 g / 1 tsp ground ginger
• 3 g / 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 g / 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 g / 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 120 ml / 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 80 ml / 1/3 cup coconut milk beverage, unsweetened
• 76 g / 1/3 cup Crystal margarine, melted
• 145 g / 2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed firmly
• 67 g / 1/3 cup sugar
• 7 ml / 1 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
• 5 ml / 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 220 g / 2 cups grated carrots, washed and peeled, loosely packed
• 69 g / 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 60 g / 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
• 45 g / 1/2 cup shredded coconut, toasted

For the frosting:

• 104 g / 1/2 cup coconut oil, room temperature
• 76 g / 1/3 cup Crystal margarine, room temperature
• 30 ml / 2 tbsp coconut milk beverage, unsweetened
• 5 ml / 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 ml / 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 g / 1/8 tsp salt
• 420 g / 3 1/2 cups icing sugar

Directions

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉ (175℃). Grease a 9 x 2 inch (23 x 5 centimetre) cake pan and line with a round of parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together water with the ground flax seeds. The mixture should become gelatinous. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg and ground cloves until well-combined. Set aside.



4. In a medium bowl, combine unsweetened applesauce, coconut milk, and melted Crystal margarine. Add the sugars, and extracts until thoroughly incorporated.



5. Mix in the grated carrots and the flaxseed mixture.



6. Transfer the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the ingredients together until just-combined. Fold in the raisins, chopped pecans and the shredded coconut.



7. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and place into the preheated oven. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.



8. Take out of the oven. Allow cake to cool in the pan; about 10 minutes. Remove cake and place onto a wire cooling rack until completely cooled. Meanwhile, make the frosting.

For the frosting:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the softened coconut oil with the Crystal margarine on medium-high speed until fluffy; about 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk beverage, extracts and salt. Cream until combined. Sift in 1 cup (120 grams) of icing sugar at a time, creaming on low speed until just-mixed. Once all the sugar is in, increase speed to medium-high and cream for an additional minute.





2. Frost or pipe the frosting onto the top of the cooled cake. Sprinkle with toasted pecans and/or coconut.

Chef’s Note

• Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature before proceeding with this recipe.
• The coconut milk beverage can easily be replaced with soy or any nut milk (eg. almond, cashew).
• If a thinner frosting is desired, add 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) of coconut beverage at a time until the desired consistency is reached. If a thicker frosting is desired add 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) of icing sugar at a time until the desired thickness is reached.