Classic Carrot Cake

Baking has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. I began baking at the tender age of five I was told. I was always curious as a child hanging out in the kitchen, and asked my mom how I managed to bake at such a young age. She said I loved cake, and constantly asked to bake them in our 'real' oven.

To prevent any baking incidents, I was gifted my first ever Easy-Bake Oven which was designed to resemble a conventional oven. I delighted in glee as mom helped me mix the attached boxed batter with water before delicately spooning it for me in a small round cake pan. My eyes glowed as I watched two 100-watt light bulbs bake my little cake.

Over the years, I have continued to bake eggless cakes, and found this amazingly light vegan carrot cake recipe in my childhood community's cookbook. I grew up in a vegetarian eggless household, so store-bought cakes were never brought into our home. After trying this recipe, turns out it was a keeper the first time I baked it.

Since then I've tweaked it over the years to make healthier versions with whole wheat flour, and recently gluten-free. Nothing beats the taste of the original version. So I'm sharing a more authentic version I found in my notes.

I baked this classic recipe and first showcased it at family home parties as a teenager. I became known for this vegan carrot cake, with its classic cream cheese icing. And definitely it contained no nuts. For some reason I couldn't stand nuts, or raisins in any form in any cake, or baked good.

I don’t recall exactly how old I was for this particular story, perhaps 18 or so and I had baked my famous carrot cake, and took it over to our family friends to celebrate someone’s birthday. My friend’s future husband felt the cake was naked. Somehow he managed to find, and open a can of mandarin oranges and gingerly placed these mandarin orange segments into a happy face over the cream cheese iced cake. I was aghast that someone blemished my cake, as I was a classic carrot cake puritan at heart.

In school, I would bake this cake during a study break, and eat it straight out of the pan once it cooled as I read, or wrote papers. From childhood to adulthood, this is my classic comfort.

This cake is so delicious in any form - with or without icing, baked in a loaf pan, as a single sheet cake, or as mini muffins to get your day going.

Classic Carrot Cake

1 ½ cup All-Purpose Flour

1 cup Granulated Sugar

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Cinnamon

¼ tsp Salt

1 cup Coarsely Shredded Carrots

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

¼ cup Water

1 tsp Vanilla

½ cup Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Heat oven 350F. Put flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into an ungreased 8 or 9 inch square baking pan; stir with a fork to mix well. Add carrots and stir until thoroughly blended. Add remaining ingredients; stir to blend. Using a rubber spatula scrape any ingredients clinging to sides, corners and bottom. Sprinkle with walnuts (optional), and bake 25 – 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack. Cut into 9 squares.

Cream Cheese Icing

¼ cup (2 ounces) Vegan Cream Cheese

1/8 cup (2 tbsp) Vegan Butter or Coconut Cream

½ tsp Vanilla

1 cup Icing Sugar

Keep cream cheese and butter at room temperature. Place in bowl, and blend with an electric beater. Blend icing sugar and vanilla into mixture. Spread on cake using spatula or a knife.

I hope you enjoy baking this classic vegan carrot cake!