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

Carrot Cake: Dessert Squares Recipe (Dairy Free, Vegan)

Carrot Cake: Dessert Squares Recipe (Dairy Free, Vegan)

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

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. 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.
  3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, sugar and salt.
  4. In a blender, combine the tofu, syrup, oil, vanilla extract and non-dairy milk and blend until smooth.
  5. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
  6. Mix in the carrots, walnuts, and raisins and stir well. The mixture will be thick and sticky.
  7. 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.
  8. Remove from the oven, cool and cut into squares and serve as is.
https://greenreset.com/carrot-cake-dessert/

carrot-cake-squares

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.

carrot cake recipe

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?

If you have a favorite recipe, why not submit it here in the comment section of this smoothie recipes blog for others to enjoy too!

I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!