I love carrot cake. I love cream-cheese frosting. I also love a challenge.
I had a few friends over for a birthday meal last year and one of them was on a sugar-free diet challenge. A few years ago, I would have rolled my eyes and let out a sigh of frustration. I mean, annoying. And who the heck doesn’t do sugar?
Turns out, a lot of people these days.
I’ve known for a good while that sugar is addictive, wreaks havoc on our glucose levels and generally very bad for our health. And crap for the skin – it destroys collagen in our skin by way of a process called glycation. Whatever. It’s just super bad. I read books on how awful sugar is before the no-sugar thing became an actual thing. Thanks to no-sugar movements such as Sarah Wilson’s I Quit Sugar books and programmes, more and more people are turning away from the harmful white stuff.
But knowing all of this and having access to these books and programmes didn’t affect the amount of sugar that went in my body. Sugar was my saviour in times of stress, boredom, sadness and celebration. I just couldn’t give it up. Five years later I still haven’t given it up.
But now I’m trying. Really. My ‘why’ is my energy tank. It’s been bit empty for years and I’m tired of saying I’m tired. Enough is enough is enough.
Perhaps this conscious effort to put that bar of Lindt down is working. Ten days of eating significantly less refined sugar has got me feeling a little bit peppier than usual and my 16:8 interval fasting regime hasn’t been as torturous. I’ve been IF-ing for a few years but the Christmas period and holidays in Sydney fudged it all up and I feel like a fasting newbie.
Going back to finding out about my friend’s no-sugar dietary requirement: It got me curious and excited enough to take it on as a fun challenge. And I thought if it worked out, it could end up on the blog (which it finally did)!
I also took it next level: I’ve made the whole thing vegan, including the ‘cream-cheese’ frosting, because I can’t have carrot cake without its cream-cheese frosting. Yay! This means a few more of my friends and their children can enjoy it due to their dietary choices or out of necessity due to their extreme allergies.
I realise that there’s a whole lot of dates in this recipe, so technically it isn’t sugar-free. The more correct way to say it would be ‘refined-sugar-free frosted vegan carrot cake’ but it’s a bit long.
PLUS dates contain so many goodies that refined sugar doesn’t. They are:
- Rich in minerals and vitamins – potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, iron, Vit B 6
- High in antioxidants
- High in fiber
- Good for blood sugar control. They surprisingly have a low GI due to its fiber content.
So, YAY to dates! And YAY to carrot cake lovers who want a refined sugar-free and vegan/plant-based version. Just use a Thermomix® to make the whole thing easier.
AuthordeliciousmotherCategorySweetDifficultyBeginner
AuthordeliciousmotherCategorySweetDifficultyBeginnerYields10 Servings Prep Time30 minsCook Time1 hrTotal Time1 hr 30 mins
Carrot Cake 300 g carrots, cut into 5cm lengths 300 g dates 180 g flour 100 g oil 100 g acqua faba (chick pea liquid) OR 3 egg substitute* 1 cup walnuts 2 tsp cinnamon ½ tsp nutmeg (or sub cinnamon if necessary) 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp saltCashew & Date Frosting 200 g dates 150 g cashews 100 g water 90 g -100g non-dairy yogurt 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1Preheat oven to 160ºC fan forced or 180ºC top and bottom heat.
2Weigh out 150g of cashews in a bowl on the Thermomix®. Soak cashews in hot water and set aside for 30 mins.
Carrot Cake3Add 1 cup of walnuts to jug and chop for 5 secs / speed 4. Set aside in a bowl.
4Add 300g of carrots, cut into 5cm pieces to jug and chop for 4 secs / speed 7. Set aside in a bowl.
5Add 100g oil, 100g aqua faba (or 3 egg substitute) & 300g dates to jug and mix 10 sec / speed 7.
6Add 180g flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon & 1/2 tsp nutmeg to jug. Mix for 5 secs / speed 5.
7Add chopped carrots and walnuts to jug and blend with aid of the spatula for 10 secs / reverse / speed 4.
8Pour batter into a standard sized loaf tin & bake for 55-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean.
Cashew & Date Frosting9Drain and rinse soaked cashews. Add 150g cashews , 200g dates & 100g water to jug. Puree for 30 secs / speed 9. Scrape down jug and lid and puree 15 secs / speed 8. Scrape down jug and lid.
10Add 90g non-dairy yoghurt + 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar and blend for 1 min / speed 6. Scrape down jug and blend for another 1 min/ speed 6. Spread frosting onto cooled cake and serve.
Notes11Loaf tin: I use the foldable silicone one from COOX in size M (1.5L). No need to grease the tin!
Egg Substitutes:
- Acquafaba is the liquid from canned beans, usually chickpeas. There are reasons why some won't use it as an egg sub (such as BPA leaching from tins, or gassiness). I find it works well, especially for meringues and amazing for vegan Swiss Meringue Buttercream. If the BPA thing scares you, you can always use acquafaba from glassed chickpeas.
- Alnatura Veganer Ei-Ersatz. This is available in Germany. You simply mix all the contents of the sachet with 150ml of water to replace 3 whole eggs. I've tried baking with this and it worked very well.
- Chia seed: For each egg, add 1 Tbsp chia seeds to 2.5 Tbsp to water. Mix well and leave it for 5 mins before adding it.
Dates:
- I've tested the recipe using only dried dates* or only medjool dates. The latter is obviously more spendy, but I couldn't tell a difference between the two in taste or texture to be honest with you. As a pure dessert, I prefer medjool dates. But for baking, dried ones are more than ok!
Non-dairy yoghurt:
I used almond yoghurt.
Cashew soaking: I did a quick 30 min soak in hot water. If you are more organised than me, soaking them for a few hours at room temperature water or overnight in the fridge will produce creamier results.
Vinegar: I added some apple cider for a bit of the tartness you would normally get in a standard cream cheese frosting. You could also use white vinegar or omit it entirely if you just want sweetness.
* the dried dates I used weren't rock hard/dried. They were soft but not as soft as medjool dates. If your packet of dried dates are very hard, I would soak them hot water for about 10 minutes and strain before adding them to the recipe.
Preheat oven to 160ºC fan forced or 180ºC top and bottom heat.
Weigh out 150g of cashews in a bowl on the Thermomix®. Soak cashews in hot water and set aside for 30 mins.
Add 1 cup of walnuts to jug and chop for 5 secs / speed 4. Set aside in a bowl.
Add 300g of carrots, cut into 5cm pieces to jug and chop for 4 secs / speed 7. Set aside in a bowl.
Add 100g oil, 100g aqua faba (or 3 egg substitute) & 300g dates to jug and mix 10 sec / speed 7.
Add 180g flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon & 1/2 tsp nutmeg to jug. Mix for 5 secs / speed 5.
Add chopped carrots and walnuts to jug and blend with aid of the spatula for 10 secs / reverse / speed 4.
Pour batter into a standard sized loaf tin & bake for 55-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean.
Drain and rinse soaked cashews. Add 150g cashews , 200g dates & 100g water to jug. Puree for 30 secs / speed 9. Scrape down jug and lid and puree 15 secs / speed 8. Scrape down jug and lid.
Add 90g non-dairy yoghurt + 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar and blend for 1 min / speed 6. Scrape down jug and blend for another 1 min/ speed 6. Spread frosting onto cooled cake and serve.
Loaf tin: I use the foldable silicone one from COOX in size M (1.5L). No need to grease the tin!
Egg Substitutes:
- Acquafaba is the liquid from canned beans, usually chickpeas. There are reasons why some won't use it as an egg sub (such as BPA leaching from tins, or gassiness). I find it works well, especially for meringues and amazing for vegan Swiss Meringue Buttercream. If the BPA thing scares you, you can always use acquafaba from glassed chickpeas.
- Alnatura Veganer Ei-Ersatz. This is available in Germany. You simply mix all the contents of the sachet with 150ml of water to replace 3 whole eggs. I've tried baking with this and it worked very well.
- Chia seed: For each egg, add 1 Tbsp chia seeds to 2.5 Tbsp to water. Mix well and leave it for 5 mins before adding it.
Dates:
- I've tested the recipe using only dried dates* or only medjool dates. The latter is obviously more spendy, but I couldn't tell a difference between the two in taste or texture to be honest with you. As a pure dessert, I prefer medjool dates. But for baking, dried ones are more than ok!
Non-dairy yoghurt:
I used almond yoghurt.
Cashew soaking: I did a quick 30 min soak in hot water. If you are more organised than me, soaking them for a few hours at room temperature water or overnight in the fridge will produce creamier results.
Vinegar: I added some apple cider for a bit of the tartness you would normally get in a standard cream cheese frosting. You could also use white vinegar or omit it entirely if you just want sweetness.
* the dried dates I used weren't rock hard/dried. They were soft but not as soft as medjool dates. If your packet of dried dates are very hard, I would soak them hot water for about 10 minutes and strain before adding them to the recipe.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 160ºC fan forced or 180ºC top and bottom heat.
Weigh out 150g of cashews in a bowl on the Thermomix®. Soak cashews in hot water and set aside for 30 mins.
Add 1 cup of walnuts to jug and chop for 5 secs / speed 4. Set aside in a bowl.
Add 300g of carrots, cut into 5cm pieces to jug and chop for 4 secs / speed 7. Set aside in a bowl.
Add 100g oil, 100g aqua faba (or 3 egg substitute) & 300g dates to jug and mix 10 sec / speed 7.
Add 180g flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon & 1/2 tsp nutmeg to jug. Mix for 5 secs / speed 5.
Add chopped carrots and walnuts to jug and blend with aid of the spatula for 10 secs / reverse / speed 4.
Pour batter into a standard sized loaf tin & bake for 55-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean.
Drain and rinse soaked cashews. Add 150g cashews , 200g dates & 100g water to jug. Puree for 30 secs / speed 9. Scrape down jug and lid and puree 15 secs / speed 8. Scrape down jug and lid.
Add 90g non-dairy yoghurt + 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar and blend for 1 min / speed 6. Scrape down jug and blend for another 1 min/ speed 6. Spread frosting onto cooled cake and serve.
Loaf tin: I use the foldable silicone one from COOX in size M (1.5L). No need to grease the tin!
Egg Substitutes:
- Acquafaba is the liquid from canned beans, usually chickpeas. There are reasons why some won't use it as an egg sub (such as BPA leaching from tins, or gassiness). I find it works well, especially for meringues and amazing for vegan Swiss Meringue Buttercream. If the BPA thing scares you, you can always use acquafaba from glassed chickpeas.
- Alnatura Veganer Ei-Ersatz. This is available in Germany. You simply mix all the contents of the sachet with 150ml of water to replace 3 whole eggs. I've tried baking with this and it worked very well.
- Chia seed: For each egg, add 1 Tbsp chia seeds to 2.5 Tbsp to water. Mix well and leave it for 5 mins before adding it.
Dates:
- I've tested the recipe using only dried dates* or only medjool dates. The latter is obviously more spendy, but I couldn't tell a difference between the two in taste or texture to be honest with you. As a pure dessert, I prefer medjool dates. But for baking, dried ones are more than ok!
Non-dairy yoghurt:
I used almond yoghurt.
Cashew soaking: I did a quick 30 min soak in hot water. If you are more organised than me, soaking them for a few hours at room temperature water or overnight in the fridge will produce creamier results.
Vinegar: I added some apple cider for a bit of the tartness you would normally get in a standard cream cheese frosting. You could also use white vinegar or omit it entirely if you just want sweetness.
* the dried dates I used weren't rock hard/dried. They were soft but not as soft as medjool dates. If your packet of dried dates are very hard, I would soak them hot water for about 10 minutes and strain before adding them to the recipe.
