Seasonal Recipes: Vegan Pumpkin & Carrot Cake (Eggfree, Glutenfree)
This Vegan Pumpkin & Carrot Cake is packed full of beautiful seasonal produce. Soft sponge combined with the gentle warmth of ginger and a luxurious cream cheese frosting all topped off with crushed pistachios and a salted caramel sauce… Pumpkins are definitely for more than just pie! AND no-one will believe that it is completely dairyfree, eggfree & glutenfree!
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We love pumpkin in this house, it has such a lovely flavour. It’s quite sweet but works well in so many different dishes. Pumpkins are definitely for more than just halloween carving and making pie! Whether you roast then mash or just gently steam the flesh, the puree is a great winter staple. I freeze in batches and use it through the year when fresh veggies are a little sparse on the allotment. The natural sweetness is perfect for your curry or chilli base especially if you are trying to avoid tomatoes… Just add a ladle or two full to Daddy Peacock’s Chilli recipe instead of tinned tomatoes. I also like to use it to thicken dairyfree, macaroni cheese sauce and add extra hidden veggies too. Or for those chocolate lovers amongst you try this Vegan Double Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies, they are just divine!
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We haven’t really ever had the room to grow pumpkins before. We tried it last year in the garden with some success but The Peachicks have dreams of growing giant ones, so when we got No17 the first thing they did was set aside a bed for a pumpkin patch! Happily with a little TLC, some leaf stroking and a good dose of fresh manure, The Peachicks grew two huge pumpkins this year…
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With all the effort that went into growing them it was only fitting that we use them for extra special recipes. The pumpkin brownies were amazing but this Vegan Pumpkin & Carrot Cake was even better! The sweet pumpkin and warming ginger are just a match made in heaven and when you add in the crunchy pistachios, salted caramel sauce and slightly sour cream cheese frosting…. YUM! Honestly, the only thing to do is cut a giant wedge, pour a pot of tea and go and hide under a blanket with a good book & great view! (or more likely, eat it as quickly as possible while fending off cake-greedy, Peachicks with forks!)
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Pistachios are just so pretty aren’t they? Although they always remind me of Christmas and all the delicious eggfree biscotti I have to make for teacher presents! (well ok and myself!) Oooh and you know what goes really well with biscotti? Coffee!! Hubby & I got a real treat this week when we spent an evening at The Winchester Coffee School, trying out their new coffee blend which has been specifically designed for dairyfree milk. (Best coconut cappucino I have ever had!!) Excitingly, not only do they run barista courses from the school but they also have a cafe open at the weekend. The best thing about the cafe? They have a whole fridge shelf full of dairyfree milks so even The Peachicks can go and have a hot chocolate!! We are planning to pop in and try out the cafe in a couple of weeks & you can read more about our evening soon but until then check out my Instagram for a sneak peak…
Pin Vegan Pumpkin & Carrot Cake (Glutenfree) for Later:
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Recipe for Vegan Pumpkin & Carrot Cake (Glutenfree)
Vegan Pumpkin & Carrot Cake (Glutenfree, Eggfree)
Ingredients
- 100 g Brown Sugar
- 100 g Vegetable Oil (Sunflower, Canola, Vegetable)
- 200 g Pumpkin Puree
- 100 g Grated Carrot About 1 large carrot
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 50 g Sultanas
- 50 g chopped pistachios (reserve half for topping)
- 2 tbsp whole chia seeds
- 225 g Self Raising Flour Glutenfree or Wheat
- 25 g Ground Almonds
- 50 ml Dairy Free, Milk Alternative
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 50 g Dairy Free Cream Cheese Violife
- 50 g Dairy Free Baking Block or Vegan Butter
- 250 g Icing Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180C or 160C fan. Grease then line the bottom and sides of a tall 6inch round cake tin.
- Into a large bowl beat together the oil, sugar, pumpkin puree and ground ginger.
- Next fold in the carrots, sultanas, whole chia seeds and half the pistachios.
- Once combined mix the ground almond and flour together before folding into the mixture alongside small amounts of milk until all mixed together.
- Pour into cake tin and bake for 45-50mins. If the sultanas or cake start to look a bit dark but the cake is still not done, cover loosely with greaseproof paper and bake for an addition 10-15minutes.
- Leave to cool completely before slicing in half and filling.
For the Frosting
- It is so important that the cream cheese and margarine are both at room temperature before you make this frosting. Otherwise the mixture will split and go grainy. Although it wont affect the flavour it wont look as pretty!
- Beat together the cream cheese & Margarine. Then pour in half the icing sugar and beat again until combined. Finally beat in the remaining icing sugar and smother inside and over the top of the cake!
- Sprinkle over the rest of crushed pistachios and if you want add my salted caramel sauce (from the popcorn cupcakes!)
Notes
- Sprinkle of sea salt
Linky Love:
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Another fantastic cake Midge. I’m on my way! x
Haha! Thanks Kate! I’d save you a slice but The Peachicks got to it first! xxx
Hi,
I am addicted to everything pumpkin at the moment and this will definitely be next on my list. It looks gorgeous. #freefromfriday
Thanks Eva Enjoy! x
Wow this cake look so appetising and just screams Autumn, I love the drizzle of caramel sauce all over – drool!
THank you! Anything with caramel sauce is a big win in this hosue!
Really love the idea of combining carrot and pumpkin and the addition of the pistachios on top. You’re very creative in all of your uses for pumpkin which is fantastic. Also very impressive that you grow your own!x
Thanks Cat! They just go so well together & we do love pumpkin in this house! x
You cannot go wrong with pumpkin in my view! This cake looks divine Midge, a definite must for my to-do-list
I do love pumpkin too – its just so good in everything! x
Your pumpkin looks magnificent, and so does the cake, I really like the pistachios on top. Stumbled:)
Thank you, I’m sure it was all the stroking & talking to that the girls did that made it grow so big! The pistachios are just so pretty!
Oh WOW!!! This looks like an epic cake! I adore carrot cake, it has to be my all time weakness when it comes to cakes. I love how you have even managed to add pumpkin, surely that is 2 of your 5 a day!!! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Thanks hun! Carrot cake is one of my favourites too! Well 2 of my 5 aday it must be healthy! 🙂
I’ve been so looking forward to reading your post about this cake Midge, it looks so beautiful (especially finished off with the pistachios) and sounds absolutely amazing. As you say, pumpkins shouldn’t just be reserved for savoury recipes. Thankyou for linking up with #BakingCrumbs
Angela x
PS, as requested I’ve deleted the one for the brownies 🙂
Angela x
ah thank you – It is a good cake! We have one pumpkin left to scoop out & I fully intend to make another one! x
I love pumpkin too. It’s just got the right amount of sweetness, hasn’t it? Your carrot and pumpkin cake sounds right up my street, and I absolutely love the addition of pistachios and ground almonds (love love nuts!). Thanks for joining in with #FreeFromFridays. xxx
Thank Mel! You’d love this cake then! Its really lovely with the pistachios in!
Whoa! What a cake – it looks stunning and sounds utterly delicious…and I love how much goodness you’ve managed to get in there! Your bit about a good book and a blanket made me laugh – I was just thinking ‘chance would be a fine thing!’ and then you mentioned fending off hungry children with forks…now that sounds much more realistic 😀 Eb x
Hahaha!! So true about the kids – when cake is around suddenly they are right there – its like some kind of cake radar!
My mouth is literally drooling looking at this. I would love a slice right now! I think I am going to have a go at this but using butternut squash. I find it hard to find pumpkins in the shops! And of course I’ll be using my wholegrain gluten-free flour blend!
Thanks hun, reckon it would be good with butternut squash in too! And yes it would be AMAZING with your flour in it!!