Vegan Rainbow Carrot Cake Food

VEGAN CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with coconut oil.
• For the cake layers: Place the walnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes. When the walnuts are completely cool, finely chop half and roughly chop the remaining half; keep separate.
• Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl until combined and set aside. Whisk the 1/2 cup coconut oil, cane sugar, milk, applesauce and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in the carrots until thoroughly combined. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the finely chopped walnuts until just incorporated.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans, then smooth the top into an even layer. Bake until golden brown, the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pans and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto wire racks to completely cool, about 1 hour.
• For the cream cheese frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and salt until combined. Reduce the speed to low, then gradually add the confectioners' sugar followed by the cornstarch until combined and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Refrigerate until you're ready to assemble the cake.
• When the cakes are completely cool, trim the domes of each round with a large serrated knife so the tops are flat. Place 1 round, cut-side down, on a platter or cake stand. Spread 3/4 cup of the frosting evenly over top. Place the remaining round, cut-side down, on top. Frost the top and sides of the cake with 1 cup of the frosting and smooth completely to make an even crumb coat. (It's okay if some of the cake shows through. This is just the base layer of frosting.) Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the frosting set.
• Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, swirling decoratively, if desired. Sprinkle the top edge of the cake with the roughly chopped walnuts. Refrigerate until the frosting is set, about 30 minutes.

VEGAN RAINBOW CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl.
• Whisk together the vegan cane sugar, coconut oil, applesauce, vanilla and orange zest in another large bowl until smooth. Fold in the carrots until just combined. Slowly fold in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with almond milk and ending with the flour. Fold in the 1 cup walnuts.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then use the foil overhang to remove the cake to a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours.
• For the frosting: Just before serving, beat the butter in a large bowl on medium-high speed with a handheld electric mixer until light and smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low and add the vegan confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until well combined after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. If the frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of the almond milk at a time and mix until it reaches your desired consistency.
• Place 1/4 cup of frosting into 4 small bowls. Add 3 to 4 drops of green vegan food coloring to one bowl and mix to combine. Transfer to a small piping bag fitted with a round piping tip. Repeat with the remaining 3 bowls of frosting and the magenta, orange and yellow vegan food coloring.
• Spread the remaining white frosting on top of the cake leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Use the colored frosting to pipe small magenta, orange and yellow carrots with green stems all over the cake. Sprinkle with the remaining finely chopped walnuts.

VEGAN CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Start by making the icing first. Mash the coconut cream with 2 tbsp hot water and the lemon juice until smooth. Add the cashew butter then whisk in the icing sugar followed by the oat milk. Continue to whisk until fully combined, set aside in the fridge until needed.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Grease 2 x 20cm cake tins with a little of the melted coconut oil and line the bases with baking parchment. Whisk together the oil and sugar, then add the vanilla and milk. Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices and orange zest in a separate bowl. Add these to the wet mixture and stir well. Finally stir in the carrot and the nuts. Divide the mixture between the prepared tins and bake for 25-30 mins until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out cleanly. Cool in the tin for 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Sandwich the cakes together with half the icing then cover the top with the remaining icing (add a splash of oat milk if the icing feels too firm). Scatter over the nuts and dust the cake with a little cinnamon and decorate with edible flowers.