These easy vegan carrot walnut cake loaves are exactly what you need in the springtime. Carrot cake is by far my favorite and this recipe is a thing of beauty. I can't wait for you to try it!
You'll also be glad to know that this recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make too which is another reason why you should try this treat.
The cakes are so soft, fluffy and totally delicious. The walnuts add a nice extra element to the texture and I really think you'll love it. I also hope you like zesty lemon glaze as much as I do!
For more carrot-cakey goodness, be sure to check out my vegan carrot sheet cake, vegan carrot cake with lemon curd and vegan carrot cake easter bars recipes.
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Why You Will Love This Cake
- Amazing Flavor Combination - If you love a fresh-tasting cake, then this is the one you've been looking for. Only freshly grated carrots are used in this recipe, ensuring that it comes out of the oven tasting it's best every single time. The carrot flavors go perfectly with the lemon glaze. It's a match made in heaven.
- Wonderful Texture - The consistency of these cakes is next level. It may even be the softest carrot cake that I've ever made. It's right up there with my vegan chocolate orange cake, vegan black forest cake and vegan gingerbread loaf cake recipes for it's pillowy qualities. Light and fluffy is an understatement. I know you're going to love it!
- Easy to Make - Making these cakes couldn't be any simpler. All you need to do is fold the dry and wet cake ingredients together, pour the batter into two cake tins, bake and make the glaze. It really is that easy!
- Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This vegan carrot walnut cake recipe is fully vegan and dairy free.
Ingredient Notes
- Apple cider vinegar - This is a super important ingredient. Firstly, stir it into the soy milk to create a vegan buttermilk. This amazing mixture with then react with the dry ingredients and leavening agents to create the ultimate airy and soft cake texture.
- Light brown sugar - This is the best kind of sugar to use for a carrot cake like this. Brown sugars contains molasses and this makes a cake beautifully moist and moreish.
- Carrots - Always use freshly grated carrots, instead of pre-packaged carrots to ensure a delicious, fresh flavor like I did in my vegan carrot cake muffins.
- Walnuts - These tasty nuts will be used for both the cake batter and the topping. They're the most complimentary nuts for carrot cakes in my opinion. They were also great in my eggless coffee cake loaf.
- Canola oil - This kind of oil is the exact same as rapeseed oil. Depending on where you are in the world will influence what you call it.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice - Please don't use any artificial lemon juice alternatives. Using fresh lemon juice will always give you the tangy flavor that you want.
See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Another way that you can take this carrot cake recipe to a new level is by adding dried sultanas to the cake batter. I often add them to the batter when I feel like spicing the cake up a little. You don't need to add many but they make a positive difference to the outcome. Poppy seeds are another fantastic option that you'll find in my vegan lemon poppy seed cake. If you like chopped peanuts my vegan chocolate snickers cake is the one for you.
- If you need to, you can simply make this cake gluten free. To do this substitute your all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free baking flour blend and this will contribute to you having a delectable cake with no gluten in sight.
How To Make Vegan Carrot Walnut Cake
For the full method, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1: Grease two loaf cake tins with vegan butter.
2: Make the vegan buttermilk.
3: Combine the dry ingredients inside a large mixing bowl.
4: Add in the wet ingredients.
5: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
6: Pour the batter into the cake tins and bake inside the oven.
7: While the cake is baking, make the lemon glaze. Top the cake with glaze and walnuts once it cools.
Expert Tips
Use freshly grated carrots - Freshly grated carrots are full of moisture which makes them far better than pre-grated store bought carrots which are already quite dry.
Don't add too much lemon juice to the glaze - The glaze should be nice and thick for this cake so only add the recommended amount of lemon juice.
Don't over-mix the batter - If you want a super light texture, fold the cake batter. This will take slightly longer than mixing but it's worth it.
Recipe FAQs
Store this carrot cake at room temperature for 2 days inside an airtight container.
This cake tastes best when it is stored at room temperature but you can also store in the fridge for 3 days. Make sure that it is inside an airtight container.
The main reasons are that the oven temperature may have been too high or that you may have added too much flour to the batter.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
If you tried this Vegan Carrot Walnut Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Best Vegan Carrot Walnut Loaf Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 200 ml soy milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 190 g all-purpose flour sifted
- 150 g light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 160 g carrots freshly grated
- 50 g walnuts chopped
- 50 ml canola oil rapeseed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze:
- 160 g powdered sugar sifted
- 2.5 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Topping:
- Chopped walnuts to taste
Instructions
Preparation:
- Preheat your oven to 177 Celsius (350F).
- Grease two 20cm x 10cm loaf cake tins with vegan butter. Set aside.
Make the cake:
- Firstly, mix the apple cider vinegar and the soy milk to make the vegan buttermilk. Let the buttermilk curdle for 8 minutes. In the meantime, measure out all the other cake ingredients.
- To a mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt, carrots and walnuts. Combine well.
- Pour the soy milk into the dry mixture. It should have curdled. Also pour in the canola oil and the vanilla extract. Gently, fold the dry carrot cake ingredients into the wet ingredients. Avoid over-mixing.
- Equally, pour the cake batter into the two prepared loaf tins. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Allow the baked cakes to cool down in the tins for 15 minutes, before transferring them over to a cooling rack to cool a little more.
Make the glaze:
- Add the powdered sugar to a medium bowl and gradually mix in the lemon juice. The glaze should be quite thick. Spoon the glaze onto the cooled cakes, then sprinkle on the chopped walnuts.
Video
Notes
- Freshly grated carrots are full of moisture which makes them far better than pre-grated store bought carrots which are already quite dry.
- The glaze should be nice and thick for this cake so only add the recommended amount of lemon juice.
- If you want a super light texture, fold the cake batter. This will take slightly longer than mixing but it's worth it.
Hilary Gowen says
Great! I used wholewheat flour and baked this in a breadmaker. Tasty and light and almost healthy 🙂
DJ says
So happy that you enjoyed it Hilary! If you could leave a 5 star rating on the recipe card, it would be greatly appreciated 🙂
Andreea says
I've just baked this cake and it's absolutely delicious! Of course, I've also added the dry sultanas and it's so, so good! I had to prolong the oven time, took mine almost the double of time to bake. Thank you so much, I know for sure this will become one of my signature sweets.
DJ says
Thank you, Andreea! 🙂 I'd really appreciate if you'd also leave a 5-star rating too so that other bakers can see how much you loved it.
Kathleen says
Can you use almond or cashewd milk instead of soy
DJ says
Almond milk often makes a great substitute compared to other types.
Dan says
In love with this recipe. So easy and so delicious. Thank you.
Jim says
Made this last night. Very soft and delicious. Will make again.