CLASSIC CARROT CAKE - Vegan Recipe

CLASSIC CARROT CAKE

By Maryanne Hall for Viva!'s Vegan Recipe Club (www.veganrecipeclub.org.uk)

Serves 1 0-1 2 I Prep 25 mins I Cook 20 mins

Calories 815 (per serving)

FOR THE DRY INGREDIENTS

•  400g (31/4 cups) self-raising flour
•  2 tsp baking powder
•  300g (11/2 cups) soft brown sugar (we used light muscovado) 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 11/2 tsp Cinnamon 
• 1 tsp ground ginger
•  1/4 tsp nutmeg
•  1/4 tsp ground cloves
•  125g (1 cup) pecans, roughly chopped (optional), plus more to decorate FOR THE

• WET INGREDIENTS 
•   2 flax eggs - mix 2 tbsp ground flaxseed with 6 tbsp water and set aside
•  400m1 ( 1 2/3 cups) soya milk
•  1 tbsp cider vinegar
•  160m1(2/3 cup) flavourless oil
•  250g (21/4 cups) grated carrot, roughly 4 medium-size carrots

FOR THE ICING

•  1 1 0 g (scant 1/2 cup) vegan butter
•  225g ( 1 cup) vegan cream cheese
•  2 tsp lemon juice
•  600g (5 cups) icing sugar, sieved 2 tsp vanilla extract or paste 

1. Preheat the oven to 1 80°C/Gas Mark 4.
2. Line two springform cake tins with baking parchment. 
3. Mix all the dry ingredients together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. 
4.  In a large jug, mix up the soya milk and cider vinegar and leave for a few minutes.
5.  Add all of the other wet ingredients to the jug, including the flax eggs, and mix well.
6.  Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir through until combined (don't over-stir).
7. Immediately pour the mixture evenly into the two lined cake tins. Give each tin a tap on the work surface (this stops the raising agents working too quickly) before placing them into the oven. 
8. Bake for 20 minutes, then test with a skewer or knife and put back in the oven until the knife comes out clean. If the cake is browning too quickly, cover it with foil or baking parchment. Leave to cool before icing.
9. Mix all the icing ingredients together using an electric hand whisk. Refrigerate until needed. 
10. Spread half the icing on one cake, sit the other cake on top, and spread the remaining icing on top. Decorate the cake top with whole and chopped pecans. Add a drizzle of maple syrup if you're feeling extra indulgent.