Have your cake and eat your fruits and vegetables too

Ask anyone that knows me, and they’ll tell you there’s more foods I don’t eat than those that I do. I’ve never eaten salad, touched an orange, or tried seafood. I wouldn’t survive being a vegan, as much as I wish I could for personal ethical and environmental reasons.

On top of being a notoriously picky eater (I prefer to refer to it as my sensitive palate), I’m a type one diabetic. From a young age, I’ve been trained to zero-in on nutrition facts labels and asking servers bizarre questions at restaurants.

I believe my touchy taste buds come from a pampered-yet-enabled-childhood, by way of my parents doling out a custom dinner menu that allowed me to know and count the carbohydrates in my meals; it gave me independence at age five to have control over an aspect in my life when the rest of it was so unpredictable.

Today, at age 30, I’m a chicken nugget, peanut butter (no jelly) sandwich, Diet Coke kind of girl. And while there’s a common misconception about type one diabetics that we can’t have sugar, I can, in fact, have anything and everything I want to eat and drink—my sweet tooth is a true testament to that.

While type one diabetes and veganism do not necessarily go hand-in-hand, due to aforementioned sensitive palate I can certainly relate to living a vegan lifestyle: oft-doled out judgment, reading nutrition labels like the back of your hand, and asking all the questions when dining out in public. And, as a picky eater, I’m all too familiar with substituting in my diet, which is the key to cooking and baking for a vegan diet.

When it came time to bake a cake for my friend’s birthday, it was a no-brainer that it’d be my famous carrot cake. It’s the carrot cake that converts non-carrot cakers to eating carrot cake. The only vegan diet substitution is eggs, and I love a good challenge.

As most bakers know, eggs are a key ingredient in baked goods: they add structure and leavening to your desserts. But wouldn’t you know? Plenty of other things do that too, including my not-so-secret ingredients. Because whether your dietary choices are ethics, dietary, environmental, health or a combination—it’s important to not replace your animal products with something unhealthy instead.

Follow along for my beloved carrot cake recipe, complete with some vegan frosting options.

You will need:

• Your desired baking vessels (I love to use 8 or 9-inch rounds and make a layered cake, but this works great as a Bundt, sheet cake or cupcakes!)

• (2) large mixing bowls, plus (1) for frosting

• Ideally, a food processor, but a grater and mixer will work too!

• Hand or stand mixer (for frosting)

• Measuring cups (1 cup + ½ cup)

• Measuring spoons (TBSP, tsp)

• Liquid measuring cup

Ingredients:

• 3.5 cups cake flour (carrot cake can get so dense; I like to use cake flour for a little more fluff—regular flour is just fine too)

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon each: nutmeg, allspice, ginger (you can never over-spice this cake!)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1.5 cups white sugar

• 1.5 cups brown sugar

• 2 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 ¼ cup grated apples and mashed bananas*

• 3 cups finely shredded carrots**

*I use apples and bananas in my non-vegan carrot cake, but this is a perfect substitution for eggs. ¼ cup of apples/bananas/oil = 1 egg. You will need the equivalent of 4 eggs, plus 1 ¼ more liquid for moisture in what could be an otherwise dry cake.

**One thing most carrot cake bakers will agree on is to never use pre-shredded carrots. Bust out your grater, or better yet your food processor and shred those babies oh so fine. I also like to use the food processor for the (peeled and cored) apples and bananas.

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 350. Oil and flour your cake pans (spray works fine!) and line them with parchment paper. Skip this if you’re making a sheet cake or cupcakes.

• Whisk together your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.

• Using a hand mixer or a really strong arm and a wooden spoon, combine the sugars, grated apples, mashed bananas, and vanilla until no lumps remain.

• Using your wooden spoon, pour your dry ingredients (about ¼ at a time) into the wet, folding together until just combined. Keep in mind that the less you mix, the fluffier your cake will be.

• Fold in your carrots.

• Pour the batter evenly into cake pans. If using 8 or 9-inch rounds, bake two at a time for about thirty minutes. You can make four small layers or two thick layers (plus enough for some test cupcakes) that can be cut later on. Test the center with a toothpick. Allow cakes to cool completely, and if making a layer cake, remove from pan for frosting and assembly.

Faux-Cream Cheese Frosting

The tart flavor of cream cheese is synonymous with a classic carrot or spiced cake. Vegan cream cheese isn’t always easy to find, and personally, I don’t think tastes good enough, so try out these faux methods instead.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup vegan butter, softened

• 1 cup vegan cream cheese OR 1 cup Crisco, or other vegetable shortening, plus 1 tablespoon white vinegar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice*

• 1 tablespoon vanilla

• 1 box confectioners’ sugar (or about 4 cups)

• 1 pinch salt

*Another great substitute for this is coconut cream, in which case you should use ½ cup. I’m a carrot cake puritan (and also am allergic to coconut) so will be going forward with the so unhealthy, yet so delicious, Crisco.

Instructions:

• In a large bowl, cream together your butter and cream cheese variation until smooth, about 2 minutes

• Add vanilla, plus confectioners’ sugar, about ½ cup at a time until desired consistency

I like to have light, fluffy frosting for in-between layers and stiffer, thicker, frosting for my outside/top. Separate the bowl evenly, and add more confectioners’ sugar for a thicker version, then refrigerate for 20 minutes before frosting. Similarly, I like a runnier, icing consistency for a Bundt cake.

This cake tastes great made a day ahead. When assembling into a layer cake, use a serrated or bread knife, or a cake leveler to have perfect, even layers.

Cover each layer with your creamier, fluffier frosting, then spread the thicker, sturdier frosting on the top and sides. Decorate the sides with toasted pecans or walnuts and trying using your leftover peeled carrots for candied carrot spirals on top!

This carrot cake will last about 5 days in the refrigerator.