Carrot Cake Recipe With Cashew Frosting

Ah, carrot cake with cashew frosting – where vegetables pretend they’re dessert and nuts masquerade as cream cheese! Let’s be honest, this is basically salad in cake form, which means you can absolutely have two slices. I don’t make the rules; I just explain them creatively. Ready to make a carrot cake that’ll make your taste buds do a little happy dance? Let’s get to it!

Why This Recipe is Awesome

First off, this isn’t just any carrot cake – this is the carrot cake that will ruin all other carrot cakes for you. Sorry not sorry. What makes it special? Well, aside from being perfectly moist (ugh, I know everyone hates that word, but there’s truly no substitute), it’s topped with a dairy-free cashew frosting that’s so good you’ll want to faceplant into it.

Plus, it’s a perfect excuse to use that food processor you bought during your pandemic cooking phase and then promptly forgot about. See? We’re being economical here!

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (the regular stuff, nothing fancy)
• 2 cups grated carrots (approximately 4-5 medium carrots that have been hiding in your veggie drawer)
• 4 eggs (the chicken kind, not the Easter chocolate kind)
• 1 cup vegetable oil (or coconut oil if you’re feeling ~health-conscious~)
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (yes, it’s a lot, don’t judge me)
• 2 tsp baking powder (the stuff that makes things rise, not the orange box in your fridge)
• 1 tsp baking soda (different from baking powder – I learned this the hard way)
• 2 tsp cinnamon (more if you’re a spice fiend like me)
• ½ tsp nutmeg (freshly grated if you’re showing off)
• ½ tsp salt (the flavor enhancer, not the life lesson)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional for the texture enthusiasts)
• ½ cup raisins (controversial, I know – feel free to omit if you’re on team no-raisins)

For the cashew frosting:

• 2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight (or for at least 4 hours if you’re impatient)
• ⅓ cup maple syrup (the real stuff, not that pancake syrup impostor)
• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted (smells like vacation)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed makes you fancy)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (again, real stuff, not the artificial nonsense)
• Pinch of salt (to make the sweetness pop)
• 3-4 tbsp water (as needed, to achieve that silky smooth texture)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Cake Time:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans. Or use one if that’s all you have – I’m not here to judge your kitchenware situation.
2. Grate your carrots. Try not to grate your knuckles – they don’t add the right flavor to the cake. If you have a food processor, now’s its time to shine!
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar until they look kind of pale and fluffy. Add oil and beat until well combined. It’ll look like a weird yellow soup – that’s normal.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Mix until just combined. Don’t overmix unless your goal is carrot-flavored rubber.
6. Fold in the grated carrots, nuts, and raisins (if using). The batter should be thick but still spoonable.
7. Divide the batter between your prepared pans and smooth the tops. Or pan. Again, no judgment.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If it comes out with batter, your cake is having a pool party inside the oven.
9. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Patience is a virtue here, folks.

Cashew Frosting Magic:

1. Drain and rinse your soaked cashews. They should be soft enough to easily break between your fingers.
2. Toss the cashews, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt into a high-speed blender or food processor.
3. Blend until super smooth, adding water one tablespoon at a time as needed. Keep blending until it’s silky smooth – nobody wants chunky frosting. Nobody.
4. Transfer to a container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to firm up. It’ll thicken as it cools, trust the process.
5. Once your cake is COMPLETELY cool (I’m serious – warm cake + frosting = sliding disaster), frost that beautiful creation. You can go rustic or fancy with your frosting technique – both look intentional if you act confident enough.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Let’s talk about how not to sabotage your carrot cake dreams:

• Overmixing the batter – Unless you’re making a science experiment on density, stop mixing when the ingredients are just combined.
• Using pre-grated carrots – Those dried-out bagged carrots are convenient but taste like orange-colored cardboard. Grate your own, your taste buds are begging you.
• Not soaking your cashews properly – Impatience leads to gritty frosting. Gritty frosting leads to sadness. Sadness leads to eating the whole cake anyway, but with regret.
• Frosting a warm cake – This is basically asking for a frosting avalanche. Let that cake cool completely, I don’t care how hungry you are!
• Forgetting to line your cake pans – Ever tried to remove cake from an unlined pan? It’s like performing surgery without anesthesia – painful and unnecessarily dramatic.

Alternatives & Substitutions

Because we all know you’re going to check your pantry mid-recipe and realize you’re missing something:

Flour options: Swap half the all-purpose flour with whole wheat if you’re feeling virtuous. Or go gluten-free with a 1:1 GF flour blend if wheat makes you sad.

Sugar alternatives: Coconut sugar works well for a less refined option. You could also do ¾ cup honey or maple syrup, but you’ll need to reduce other liquids slightly. IMO, regular sugar just works best here.

Oil swaps: Applesauce can replace half the oil if you’re on some kind of health journey. The texture will be slightly different, but still good.

Nut-free: Skip the walnuts/pecans entirely. For the frosting, you could try sunflower seeds instead of cashews, but FYI, the flavor profile will change dramatically.

Veggie additions: Shredded zucchini or parsnips can sub for up to half the carrots. Nobody will know you’re sneaking in extra vegetables. Stealth nutrition!

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Can I make this cake vegan?
Absolutely! Swap the eggs for flax eggs (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water = 1 egg). Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes before using. Your cake might be slightly denser, but still delicious.

How long does this cake stay fresh?
In the fridge, about 5 days. But let’s be real – when has a carrot cake ever lasted that long? It’ll be gone in 48 hours tops.

Can I freeze this cake?
You bet! Freeze unfrosted cake layers wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to 2 months. The frosting also freezes well in a separate container. Thaw both in the refrigerator overnight before assembling.

My frosting is too runny. What did I do wrong?
Did you add too much water? Did you forget to refrigerate it? Is your kitchen hotter than the surface of the sun? All these can cause runny frosting. Add more soaked cashews and/or refrigerate longer to thicken it up.

Why bother with cashew frosting when cream cheese exists?
First, some people can’t do dairy. Second, have you tasted this cashew frosting? It’s like a cloud of vanilla-scented happiness. Third, it’s fun to trick people into eating something healthy while they think they’re being naughty.

Can I make this as cupcakes instead?
Of course! Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for 18-22 minutes. Makes about 24 cupcakes. Perfect for when you don’t want to commit to giving someone a whole slice of cake.

Final Thoughts

There you have it – a carrot cake that’s so good, you’ll be tempted to tell people you slaved over it for hours (when really, the hardest part was waiting for it to cool). The cashew frosting might sound a bit hippie-dippy, but trust me, it’s revolutionary stuff.

Remember, baking is part science, part art, and part therapy. If things don’t turn out perfectly the first time, eat the evidence and try again. No one needs to know.

Now go forth and create carrot cake magic! And when people ask for the recipe, you can either be generous and share it, or be mysterious and say it’s an old family secret. Your call. I won’t tell.