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tahini carrot cake recipe

Tahini Carrot Cake Recipe

Vegan carrot cake topped with an orange tahini frosting and crushed pistachios. I've included two versions here- one with shop bought orange tahini, and one if you are making your own.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American, middle eastern, Vegan
Keyword carrot cake, vegan cake, vegan dessert
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 250 g plain flour
  • 250 g wholemeal plain flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 5 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp bicarbonate soda
  • 60 g desiccated coconut
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 220 g sugar
  • 300 ml sunflower oil or rapeseed
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3.5 tbsp orange tahini (see homemade orange tahini mix ingredients below)
  • 4 tbsp orange marmalade
  • 200 ml soya milk
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds (optional)
  • 350 g carrots, grated (around 2 carrots)
  • 1.5 tsp vanilla essence

Tahini frosting

  • 150 g icing sugar
  • 25 g butter
  • 25 g orange tahini (see homemade orange tahini mix ingredients below)
  • 20 ml soya milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)

For homemade orange tahini (used in both the cake mix and frosting)

  • 90 g tahini
  • 1 tsp agave syrup (or honey if you're not vegan)
  • 1 orange, zested
  • 2 tbsp orange juice
  • 1 tbsp orange marmalade
  • 1-2 tbsp soya milk

To serve (decorations)

  • 1 handful pistachios, crushed
  • 1 handful raisins or sultanas

Instructions

For the orange tahini

  1. Mix the tahini, orange zest, orange marmalade and zest until smooth. Slowly add the soya milk and whisk until smooth. Set aside to be used in the cake and frosting

For the cake

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a cake tin with baking paper

  2. Sift the plain/wholemeal flour in a bowl and combine with the bicarbonate soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, coconut and ginger.

  3. In a small bowl mix the chia seeds with 6 tbsp water and set aside

  4. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, sugar, apple cider vinegar, vanilla essence, orange tahini (see recipe above) and orange marmalade. Slowly add the soya milk and whisk until smooth.

  5. Add the wet mix to the dry flour mix. Stir until combine. Add a splash more soya milk if necessary (should have a cake-like mixture texture)

  6. Fold in the grated carrot and chia seeds but do not over mix. Pour the mixture in the pre-lined cake tin and bake for 40 mins. Cover after 30 mins if it starts to brown too much.

For the frosting

  1. Combine the orange tahini, vegan margarine and icing sugar and mix until combined

  2. Add the apple cider vinegar and vanilla essence and stir. Slowly add the soya milk and stir until a smooth and thick icing mix forms (it should fall off the spoon but not be too runny).

  3. Wait for the cake to completely cool then evenly cover the cake with the frosting

  4. Top with crushed pistachios and raisins.