These carrot cake cupcakes are like HALLELUJAH amazing. They combine everything that’s good about carrot cake with the most amazing cashew cream cheese frosting – all vegan, gluten-free, raw and refined sugar-free! Thank goodness this recipe makes 16 whole cupcakes because there’s no way to just eat one!
I was never a huge frosting fan growing up – I guess I didn’t like the taste of refined sugar and the way it made me feel. This on the other hand, is the best frosting I have ever tasted and I could eat it by the spoonful every day! You would never guess that it’s healthy, nor that there’s not a dollop of dairy in there. Lemon juice and raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar give the frosting that tangy cheesy flavour, mimicking the flavours of cream cheese frosting to the bone, and this is complemented by the rich taste and aroma of vanilla bean. The creaminess can be attributed to how the melted coconut oil and the soaked cashews work together.
This recipe will take you about 45 minutes all in all. In terms of utensils, you only need a muffin pan, muffin liners and a food processor or high-speed blender. I did use a frosting decorator but you can just as easily apply the frosting using a spoon. The muffin cups should be filled all the way to the very top and you will want to press down super firmly to ensure that the each cupcake sticks together.
I recommend starting by grating the lemon zest which you will use for topping, because you’re going to be using juice from the lemon in the carrot cake. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to grate a lemon that’s already been cut in half but it is haaaard. You’re probably like ‘well duh!’ but I thought I would share to ensure that no one suffers the same fate that I did (I just had to use an extra lemon in the end) 🙂
PrintRaw Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
Ingredients
- Cake
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups roughly chopped carrots
- 1 1/2 cup dates, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
- 1 cup dried pineapple (sugar-free if you can find it)
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 1/2 cup cashews (soaked overnight)
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 2 inches vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla bean extract)
- 1/8 tsp himalayan salt
- Topping
- 3 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- Start by grating the lemon zest using an organic lemon (make sure to wash it really well before using). Set lemon zest aside for use later on.
- Add the cake ingredients to the processor and blend until it all starts to stick together (about 3 minutes of pulsing should do the trick).
- Fill the muffin liners completely to the top, pressing down firmly to ensure that the cakes stick together.
- Drain and rinse the soaked cashews really well, then add all frosting ingredients into the processor. Make sure to melt the coconut oil in a pan before adding. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Allow cream cheese frosting to cool in freezer for 20 minutes before using. Then add frosting using a frosting decorator or spoon.
- Optional: Top with lemon zest.
- Eat cupcakes immediately or store in the fridge. If storing for longer than 3 days, I recommend keeping them in the freezer and allowing about 20 minutes to defrost before serving.
Notes
For a nut-free frosting (tried and tested for a nut-free friend), sub the 1 1/2 cup soaked cashews for 1 cup of buckwheat groats (soaked for 4-6 hours) and an extra 1/2 tsp lemon juice. This will be delicious too 🙂
I had a surprisingly hard time finding sugar-free and unsulfured dried pineapple. I eventually found organic dried pineapple rings from a brand called Wild & Organic, but I’m sure there’s a number of good options out there if you keep an eye out or purchase online. If you end up having to use a variety that has added sugar, you may want to only use half a cup, or alternatively only use one cup of soaked dates.
I’m so happy with how these carrot cake cupcakes turned out and I can’t wait to hear if you make them! I categorised this recipe under desserts, snacks and breakfast which speaks not only to how much I love them, but also to how versatile this recipe is. That’s the beauty of whole food plant-based desserts, you can really eat cake for every meal!
Because I love a good quote I will leave you today with this, which I feel is very fitting for the start of the semester and the beginning of a new year: “Slipping up [is not the same as giving up]” (as said by John Joseph on the Rich Roll Podcast). It is a human tendency to be down on ourselves or feel demotivated when we mess something up. What often happens is that this way of thinking incites a fear of failure in us and causes us to stop reaching for our goals. Instead, lets switch our perspective so that even when we “fail”, we get up and keep going for it. Your new mentality: you either win or you learn (and with experience we shall come to know and understand that both are victories, and both are inevitable!) 🙂
Sat Nam,
Emilía
Corey Bucci says
Wow, Wonderful post. I like your style. I’m a vegan myself. If you happen to live in Australia you should definitely try some of these vegan dark chocolates. Here’s a link https://www.nestar.com.au/collections/vegan-chocolate/products/dark-hazelnut-130g?variant=27853611333 THey have some tasty products that I’m enjoying. Give it a try sometime and keep posting awesome posts like this!