Carrot Cake: Dessert Squares Recipe (Dairy Free, Vegan)
If you are looking for a healthy carrot cake recipe, look no more.
I found this recipe in the Tofu 1-2-3 cookbook by Meribeth Abrams and I decided to give it a try. It turned out very tasty, although a bit too sweet for my taste. Next time I will use a bit less sugar/syrup. I’m also going to experiment with less oil.
Carrot Cake Squares
Servings: 24 squares
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup silken tofu (I used Nigari from Trader Joe's - this stuff is amazing! I heard Nasoya is also excellent)
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup maple syrup or agave syrup
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup soy, rice or almond milk
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (skip it if using vanilla milk)
- 3 cups shredded carrots (about 6 medium or 4 large carrots; I used my food processor to do the job)
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- ½ cup raisins (she recommends golden, but I didn't have them, so I used dark)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking pan by spraying it with non-stick cooking oil (I don't have a spray, so I just used some coconut oil to moisten the pan.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, sugar and salt.
- In a blender, combine the tofu, syrup, oil, vanilla extract and non-dairy milk and blend until smooth.
- Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- Mix in the carrots, walnuts, and raisins and stir well. The mixture will be thick and sticky.
- Transfer the dough to the baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes our clean.
- Remove from the oven, cool and cut into squares and serve as is.
To make coconut frosting for the cake (optional):
8 ounces silken tofu
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon coconut extract
3/4 cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes
What to do:
Blend tofu with maple syrup and coconut extract, and until smooth. Stir in coconut. Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Decorate with coconut flakes, walnuts and raisins.
The carrot-tofu-mixture was so delicious I literally licked the bowl. It had no raw eggs, so that was safe!
Who would have thought that a dessert may contain so much of a healthy stuff and still be delicious!
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
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I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!