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carrot pistachio cake

Vegan Carrot Pistachio Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

5 from 3 votes
This carrot pistachio cake recipe, made entirely without eggs and dairy, is the perfect mix of fluffy and moist. Paired with a vegan, lemony buttercream & cream cheese frosting, it’s the perfect cake to make for birthdays or any other celebratory occasion. The Setton Farms Raw Pistachio Kernels add even more delicious flavor, as well as a bit of crunch!
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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Cool time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8 slices

Ingredients

For the pistachio carrot cake

  • 3/4 cup soy milk
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons chickpea flour
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 2 1/2 cups grated carrots - (about 3 medium or 2 large carrots, peeled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup sunflower oil - (or other neutral vegetable oil)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves - optional
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour - (187.5g)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 1/3 cup light brown sugar - packed
  • 2.5 oz Setton Farms Raw Pistachio Kernels - roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup 50g raisins - or more if desired, optional
  • 1/4 cup grated coconut - optional

For the Frosting (see notes)

  • 250 g powdered/icing sugar
  • 1/2 cup cold vegan butter, cubed - (112.5g)
  • 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice - optional
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 1/2 cup dairy-free cream cheese - (60g/2oz)

For the topping/cake decoration

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven & prep the cake forms and ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC, then line two small (6-7 inch) round cake forms with parchment paper (tip: cutting the paper up and lining the bottom and sides of the form separately will allow for a less wrinkly result). Next, prepare the vegan buttermilk by mixing the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl, then set aside. In another small bowl, mix the water and chickpea flour to form the vegan egg substitute, set aside. Peel the carrots and grate them using a food processor with a grating attachment (see notes).
  • Make the carrot cake batter: To a large mixing bowl, add the vegan buttermilk, grated carrots, chickpea “egg”, vanilla extract, oil, spices, flour (tip: sift it in to avoid clumps), baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Mix well using a spatula or wooden spoon. If the batter is very thick, let is rest for about 5 minutes to allow de moisture of the grated carrots to blend with the other ingredients. Finally, fold in the roughly chopped pistachios, raisins, and grated coconut.
  • Bake the cake layers: Pour equal amounts of the batter into each of the cake forms and bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out clean. While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting (see next step). Once the cake layers are ready, remove them from the oven and let them cool for at least 30 minutes.
  • Make the frosting: In a medium mixing bowl, cream the icing sugar and vegan butter using an electric mixer until very smooth (it’ll turn crumbly before it turns smooth). Next, add the lemon juice and pinch of salt. As you continue to mix, slowly add the cream cheese, little by little. Continue to mix until the frosting is perfectly smooth. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to decorate the cake. (See recipe tips below to adjust the firmness of the frosting).
  • Decorate the cake: After letting the cake layers cool, add the first layer to a plate, then top with a layer of frosting, distributing it evenly using a spatula or cake scraper. Add the second cake layer, then top with more frosting. Next, cover the sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Since you’ll be adding chopped pistachios, this doesn’t need to look perfect! Finally, sprinkle your chopped pistachios all over the cake and enjoy!

Equipment

2 6-7 inch cake forms (see notes)
Parchment paper (optional)
food processor
1 food processor with a grating attachment, or a cheese grater
1 An electric mixer (for the frosting)

Notes

  • The prep time is calculated based on using a food processor to grate the carrots. If you’re grating them by hand, you’ll need to add an additional 10 minutes to the prep time.
  • You can also use 9 inch cake forms, but that will make the layers a bit thinner (the baking time will remain the same).
  • Instead of lining the forms with parchment paper, you can also grease them using a little oil or vegan butter and then dusting it off with a little flour.
  • To make the cake fluffier, omit the grated coconut. To make it denser, double the amount.
  • To make the frosting firmer, increase the amount of powdered sugar and/or add 1-2tablespoons of tapioca starch. To make it softer, add a little more cream cheese.
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