Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

It’s that time of year again, time to ring in the new year! Happy 2017 bakers! As many of you have made some new year resolutions, possibly consisting of “getting fit” and “eating healthy,” we have been mindful of your decisions and wanted to bring to you an easy recipe that will help you achieve your goals. We decided to go a different route today with our recipe and designed a recipe to help you achieve your fitness goals. This guilt-free vegan carrot cake will have you asking yourself “Why haven’t I done this before?” And for more tips on healthy baking check out our Ultimate Vegan Baking Guide for more on healthy baking!

In today’s recipe, we are teaching you how to make carrot cake with cream cheese frosting… But there’s a twist. They’re vegan! “Vegan” means we are cooking without any animal products, like eggs, milk, cheese, and meat. There are so many health benefits to the vegan diet and this recipe (and our next one) will give you some healthy tips to incorporate into your daily life. It’s super easy to make any recipe vegan if you wanted to. Taking one step at a time to accomplish your new year resolutions is the best way to achieve them, so kick off your year by trying out this healthy dessert option.

For the cake

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup almond milk/soymilk (I prefer Original or Vanilla flavor for baking)
• 2/3 cup coconut oil
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

For the cream cheese frosting

• 1 cup vegan margarine, softened (I used Earth Balance Butter)
• 12 ounces non-hydrogenated vegan cream cheese, softened (I used Tofutti Cream Cheese)
• 4 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line your cupcake pan with baking cups. (If you’re making a cake, grease your cake pan).
2. In a large bowl mix together the brown sugar, white sugar, carrots and vanilla. Add the coconut oil and milk and stir until combined.
3.  In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, allspice and cinnamon.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer until fully incorporated.
5. Begin scooping about 3 tablespoons into each cupcake cup. I use an ice cream scooper to help me determine the amount of batter to use per cupcake.
6. Put your cupcakes in the oven for about 18-20 minutes, until tops of cupcakes are golden brown.

Now for the Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

While you’re waiting for your cupcakes to bake you can begin the frosting.

1. In a large bowl, beat your vegan butter/shortening with a hand mixer until creamed.
2. Add in the cream cheese and continue beating until incorporated.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixture: confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar. Beat until fully incorporated and until it has a creamy frosting consistency.

Let your cupcakes cool for at least 15-20 minutes after taking them out of the oven, so the icing doesn’t melt off. Ice your cupcakes and you’re done!

I hope you enjoyed this health-conscious, vegan dessert and that you try it out this new year!

Happy Baking!