when i was little, i NEVER had cake for my birthday. no no, i was not a deprived child. i just didn't like cake. i always asked for strawberry pie with whipped cream instead. cake in my mind meant something dry, lacking flavor with some very strange, artificial tasting frosting and usually some really crunchy sugar confetti that looked like it had been sitting on the shelf longer than i had been alive. so it is no wonder at all that i requested pie. 

somewhere along the way, i stored carrot cake into a mental file of things i didn't like. now as a cook, i realize that my list of foods i didn't like was actually a list of foods i had that weren't cooked well. as a kid, i had convinced myself lamb was gross because the only lamb i had ever eaten was cooked till it was fifty shads of grey and served with mint jelly. i won't tell you who ruined it for me (cough. grandma.). anyway, you get the picture. carrot cake had made its way to my naughty list. 

but man oh man, was i a fool. now that my cake business has picked up, i have started receiving heaps of requests for carrot cake. in the beginning, being that i thought i didn't care for carrot cake, i would steer clients in the direction of lemon or classic chocolate. but when a weeding client's favorite was carrot, i knew i had to get over my likes and dislikes and make a damn good carrot cake. so i went to my best baking resource. that same lamb cooking grandmother. all my earliest memories of baking are with her and most of my classic recipes are hers, so i knew she would have a winner. and man was i right!

carrot cake serves: 8-10
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
baking time: 30-40 minutes
cooling + assembly time: 1 hour
total time: 2 hours
ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour. 2 cups sugar. 1.25 cups vegetable oil. 4 eggs. 2 tsp baking powder. 1 tsp baking soda. 2 tsp cinnamon. 1 tsp allspice. 1 tsp kosher salt. 3 cups grated heirloom carrots (standard orange also work great if that is what you have). stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand blender. baking pans (either 2 8 inch rounds, 3 6 inch rounds or a 9 x 13). parchment for the bottom of your pans. nonstick cooking spray. cream cheese frosting for serving.

start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees f. in the bowl of your stand mixer or in a large bowl, combine the sugar and oil. mix until well combined. about 1-2 minutes. mix together your dry ingredients in a bowl. 

with the mixer on slow add in half of your dry ingredient followed by two of your eggs. 

when well combined, add in the rest of the dry ingredients and the remaining eggs. 

when well combined, start to add in your carrots. 

add in about half until combined and then pour in the rest. 

spray your baking pans and line them with parchment paper. 

pour your batter equally into the pans you are using. 

bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out of the center of each layer clean. 

remove the baking pans from the oven onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool to room temperature. remove the baking pans from the oven onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool to room temperature. 

use cream cheese frosting to frost your cake and serve or store in a cool place until time to serve. you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. 

xo, a
carrot cake
serves: 8-10
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
baking time: 30-40 minutes
cooling + assembly time: 1 hour total time: 2 hours
ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour. 2 cups sugar. 1.25 cups vegetable oil. 4 eggs. 2 tsp baking powder. 1 tsp baking soda. 2 tsp cinnamon. 1 tsp allspice. 1 tsp kosher salt. 3 cups grated heirloom carrots (standard orange also work great if that is what you have). stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand blender. baking pans (either 2 8 inch rounds, 3 6 inch rounds or a 9 x 13). parchment for the bottom of your pans. nonstick cooking spray. cream cheese frosting for serving.  2 tsp cinnamon. 1 tsp allspice. 1 tsp kosher salt. 3 cups grated heirloom carrots (standard orange also work great if that is what you have). stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand blender. baking pans (either 2 8 inch rounds, 3 6 inch rounds or a 9 x 13). parchment for the bottom of your pans. nonstick cooking spray. cream cheese frosting for serving.
start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees f. in the bowl of your stand mixer or in a large bowl, combine the sugar and oil. mix until well combined. about 1-2 minutes.mix together your dry ingredients in a bowl. with the mixer on slow add in half of your dry ingredient followed by two of your eggs. when well combined, add in the rest of the dry ingredients and the remaining eggs. when well combined, start to add in your carrots. add in about half until combined and then pour in the rest. spray your baking pans and line them with parchment paper. pour your batter equally into the pans you are using. bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out of the center of each layer clean. remove the baking pans from the oven onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool to room temperature. use cream cheese frosting to frost your cake and serve or store in a cool place until time to serve. you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. 

let me just start by saying i believe that what you put in your body, or the bodies of your children is a personal choice. it is up there on my list of things not to engage people too deeply on. right along with personal religion and child rearing choices. it is your body, your life, your future. i don't care if you eat fast food all day or have never let an animal product pass your lips. i just hope you are happy with whatever choices you are making. 

with that being said, i don't prescribe to the idea that we should be eating animal proteins every day. nor am i in the camp that believes you should not consume animal products for health or moral reasons. i believe in everything in moderation. animals, sweets, exercise, indulgence, depravation. EVERYTHING in moderation. 

the reality is that i have friends and family that fall into all types of eating genres. gluten free, vegans, full on meat eaters, those that only eat fish. the full spectrum. so i'm often pushing myself to cook in new ways so that when i do have someone that is dining with me with a restriction, i know how to meat it in the best and most delicious way possible. 

enter these vegan carrot cake loaves. i combined a few recipes i researched to come up with what i believe is the most flavorful and moist combination. what i love about vegan baking is that the ingredients i subbed for standard baking ingredients like eggs and milk had their own unique flavor that they bring to the party. almond milk & applesauce are delicious in their own right. and the hint of coconut doesn't hurt either. 

vegan carrot cake loaves
serves: 12 loaves
*cooks note: you could easily make this into a 9 x 13 sheet cake version or two 8 or 9 inch rounds prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
bake time: 20-25 minutes
total time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 2.25 cups all purpose flour. 3 teaspoons baking powder. 1 tsp baking soda. 3 tsp cinnamon. .25 tsp nutmeg. .25 tsp allspice. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 cup applesauce. 1 cup almond milk. 2 tsp vanilla. .5 cup sugar. .5 cup brown sugar. .5 cup melted coconut oil. 2 cups grated carrots (if you do not like yours too chunky you could also give the carrots a couple turns in your food processor for a smoother texture). vegetable oil cooking spray. mini loaf pan. optional for serving: butter, cream cheese frosting or one of them many great vegan frostings the interwebs have to offer). 

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. in a large bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients. in another bowl, whisk together your oil, almond milk, apple sauce, vanilla and both sugars. 

slowly add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients, stirring as you combine. 

mix in your carrots. 

spray your loaf pans (or whatever pans you are going with) with your cooking spray. pour your batter in evenly. 

bake until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. about 20-25 minutes. allow the loaves to cool slightly. 

remove them from the baking pan and set them on a wire rack to cool. 

if you are eating them warm with butter, you can enjoy now. you can also top them with cream cheese frosting and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. bring them back to room temperature or even warm them a bit in the oven or toaster oven before enjoying. they are fabulous with coffee or great on their own. 

xo, a

vegan carrot cake loaves
serves: 12 loaves
*cooks note: you could easily make this into a 9 x 13 sheet cake version or two 8 or 9 inch rounds prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
bake time: 20-25 minutes
otal time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 2.25 cups all purpose flour. 3 teaspoons baking powder. 1 tsp baking soda. 3 tsp cinnamon. .25 tsp nutmeg. .25 tsp allspice. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 cup applesauce. 1 cup almond milk. 2 tsp vanilla. .5 cup sugar. .5 cup brown sugar. .5 cup melted coconut oil. 2 cups grated carrots (if you do not like yours too chunky you could also give the carrots a couple turns in your food processor for a smoother texture). vegetable oil cooking spray. mini loaf pan. optional for serving: butter, cream cheese frosting or one of them many great vegan frostings the interwebs have to offer).
start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. in a large bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients. in another bowl, whisk together your oil, almond milk, apple sauce, vanilla and both sugars. slowly add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients, stirring as you combine. mix in your carrots. spray your loaf pans (or whatever pans you are going with) with your cooking spray. pour your batter in evenly. bake until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. about 20-25 minutes. allow the loaves to cool slightly. remove them from the baking pan and set them on a wire rack to cool. if you are eating them warm with butter, you can enjoy now. you can also top them with cream cheese frosting and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. bring them back to room temperature or even warm them a bit in the oven or toaster oven before enjoying. they are fabulous with coffee or great on their own.