Carrot Cake with Pumpkin Spiced Frosting
Add to favorites
~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
If you are in need of a quick cake that doesn’t require baking or dehydrating… this could be what you are looking for. The frosting does require some lead time for chilling so it can thicken, but the cake itself goes together lickety-split.
I do use raw sprouted buckwheat flour, but if you don’t have time to make that, you can try using nuts ground down to a flour. You could use almonds but even those should be soaked and dehydrated for digestive purposes first. I guess the bottom line here is to have a pantry stocked with staples so you can be creative and enjoy your dishes more quickly.
My dad was here visiting when I made this cake, and it was all I could do to keep him out of the frosting. He was like a darn kid. I made this cake to sell down at the local cafe, and after I had delivered it, my dad was in line, handing money to the gal behind the counter, to purchase a piece. haha
The cake is moist and perfectly balanced in the sweet department. As one of the flours, I used coconut flour… please don’t use store-bought. It is far too drying, and it will suck up all the moisture from the cake. Follow the links below on how to make the flours, and you will be pleased with the outcome.
And while we are the subject of ingredients, let’s talk carrots. Seems simple enough, a carrot is a carrot, right? When it comes to using fresh, whole foods in raw recipes you want to make sure that you use the best tasting carrots as possible, it is the star of the recipe right? So before you grate and throw them into the mixing bowl, taste test first. If they are tasteless, don’t use them… Enjoy!
Ingredients: yields 8” cake
Cake:
- 1 cup dried apricots
- 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 1/2 cups raw buckwheat flour
- 1 cup raw coconut flour (not store-bought)
- 1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp apple spice
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 2 1/2 cups grated carrots, (3 large carrots)
- 1 medium apple
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 cup raisins
Frosting:
Decoration:
Preparation:
Frosting:
- Click on the link above for the White Cake Frosting and make it first. Add 2 tsp of pumpkin spice to the frosting. Taste test to see if you want more. I didn’t want the frosting to compete with all the wonderful flavors of the cake, so I made this spice just a hints worth. It is best to make the frosting 4-8 hours in advance so it can firm up. The frosting is very liquidy right after blending it together.
Cake:
- Rehydrate the apricots and dates by placing them in a bowl and add enough warm water to cover them.
- Allow them to sit for at least 15 minutes or longer.
- Once ready to add to the recipe, drain the soak water (discard or use in your next smoothie) and hand-squeeze the excess water from them.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the buckwheat flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, apple spice, and salt. Mix until well combined.
- If you have a high-powered food processor, add the rough chop carrots and apple first, then add to the food processor fitted with the “S” blade. Otherwise, I recommend shredding the carrots and apple first before placing in the processor with the “S” blade.
- Add the dates, apricots, lemon juice, vanilla, and maple syrup. Process until well mixed.
- It is good to leave some texture in the batter but not large, hard pieces. Add to mixing bowl.
- Add raisins and pulse together. Don’t over-process.
- If you have two of the same Springform pans, divide the batter into two halves.
- Press the batter into the bottom of each pan, smoothing out the surface.
- If you just have one Springform pan, press the batter into the pan, release and remove the outer ring. With a large, straight-edged knife, cut the cake in half horizontally. If the batter feels too soft, place in the freezer to firm up first.
Assembly:
- Place the bottom layer of cake on the serving dish that you will want to present it in.
- Spread a layer of frosting on the top of the cake. Try to make it as even as possible so that the cake will sit evenly.
- Add the second cake layer on top of the frosting.
- Frost the entire cake starting with the sides first, then the top.
- If at any time the frosting starts to get too soft before you are finished, place the cake in the freezer for about 30 minutes and the frosting back in the fridge. All this depends on the ambient air temperature.
- Press the crushed walnuts onto the side of the cake. Brush away the excess nuts that don’t stick.
- If you wish to pipe a frosting border on the cake, load a piping bag with frosting.
- Be sure to work all air bubbles out of the bag before piping. Air bubbles will disturb a fluid flow of frosting.
- Use any piping tip that you wish.
- Create a border around the top edge.
- Sprinkle crushed nuts in the center of the cake.
- Keep the cake chilled in the fridge until serving. An 8” cake will serve 12 people.
- This cake should last about 3-4 days in the fridge. It will freeze well for several months if well sealed.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, No Dehydration Required, Nut Free Option, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, Vegan
Dear Amie Sue,
The cake looks delish :-) and I will make it for my upcoming birthday party. But I have never heard of “apple spice” what is that ?
Be well – Jacob
Happy Birthday Jacob :) I hope you have a wonderful party, filled with love and laughter. :) Apple spice is combination of spices much like Pumpkin spice. If you can’t find it locally, you can make your own.
Apple Pie Spice Ingredients
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
Place ingredients in a small jar. Place the lid on it and shake well. Keep leftovers stored in the airtight jar.
I hope this helps :) amie sue
Carrot cake has always been my husband Rick’s favorite so will be trying this soon. Looks fantastic!
I hope Rick likes it Gayle, you will keep me posted won’t you? :) Enjoy and many blessings, amie sue
I love raw food, but I am not found of recipes that uses a lot of nuts, so I am glad you suggest this recipe. Carrot are so good raw and buckwheat is my favorite grain! To my opinion, the cake was good enough without the icing, but I added more spices to the batter. Thanks Amie for this visually appealing and inspiring website!
Wow you made that quick. hehe So happy that I provided a recipe that you enjoyed! :) Thank you for sharing Catherine. Have a great evening, amie sue
Ho! I forgot to say that you are right, homemade coconut flour seems to absorb less moisture than store bought; I think it’s an useful thing to know! I started making my own recently and I will have to adjust other recipes.
Yea, coconut flour (store bought) is tricky like that. Took me a while to figure that out. :) Have a blessed day, amie sue
Hi Amie,
Love your recipes – thanks for sharing :)
For this recipe, you mention a link on how to make coconut flour, however, the link takes you to a site selling coconut flour. Please advise.
Your welcome Lorraine… I fixed the link. Thank you :) Have a great evening, amie sue
O my I am going to make this mouth watering carrot cake in May. That is my hubby favorite. Thanks everybody should try this recipes. Made my day and Happy day!!!
I am so happy to hear that Mari. :) I hope you enjoy, please let me know what the hubby thinks too :) Have a blessed evening, amie sue
Hi, Amie Sue. The link to coconut flour sent me to a site to buy the prepared flour…I make my milk from the meat of a brown coconut, then strain, dry the pulp, then blend it to make a fine flour…Is this the process that you use to make your own (and for this recipe)? thanks, kate
Oh dear, well let me go fix that…ok all fixed. Sorry about that but thank you for letting me know. You will see my process with the new link. :) Have a great evening, amie sue
Amie Sue,
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I’ve been looking all over internet for a carrot cake recipe that would taste like the baked one. I’m sooo making it soon!
I hope that this cake delivers everything you wish for then Elena. Please let me know what you think of it once you make it. Have a blessed evening, amie sue
This looks like the most amazzzing carrot cake ever!!! Have you made and sold your goodies anywhere in LA, California! I would be in line like your dad, too, for this –not just a slice, but the whole thing!
Well I like the sound of that Jane. hehe Thank you. I am afraid to say that I am only selling in my local town right now. :) I hope you had a wonderful weekend. amie sue
Oh, my…such food porn. What a way to start my week! You knocked it out of the park once again, Amie Sue.
btw, please check the link for coconut flour. I think it’s broken. Thanks.
Hello Kathryn,
Did I hit a home run? hehe I checked the link and its working… can you try again? Have a blessed nights sleep, amie sue
When I’m feeling stressed I just open your e-mails and I am not so down anymore. Thanks Amie Sue for all the beautiful food that you make! Just looking at them puts a huge smile on my face :)
I am happy to hear that Charmaine… but not the fact that you are feeling stressed. I am sending you peaceful and relaxing prayers …. may your day be filled with enough joy to crowd out the stress… same tactic as eating… try to fill your plate with healthier foods, thus crowding out the unhealthy foods. Life is to short to fill our “plates” with stress and bad foods. :) Blessings, amie sue
Thank you so much for the prayers and well wishes! I am actually vegan and have been raw for the last 8 years. Life just happens so even a raw vegan like me gets stressed from time to time. But you sure are right about healthy eating. Blessings to you as well!
Oh my…another master piece! I can see why your Dad was in line to buy a slice! I am SO grateful for the privilege of reading your recipes… I so enjoy the step by step instruction’s and photo’s and links to ingredients(I am unfamiliar with several ingredients, so the links are very helpful for me)I can not say enough about how amazing you are and how gifted you are! I love how you trimmed this cake by choosing to pipe such a unique frosting boarder…sure made this beautiful cake extra special.All I can say is what a gorgeous cake…can just imagine how delicious and moist it is too. Thank you.
Oh gosh Kathy…. thank you my dear. :) I have so much fun in the kitchen with my creations and what a blessing it is to share them with like-minded people. We are all a wonderful support team for one another. I appreciate your kind words. Blessings, amie sue
Amie-Sue,
I only have store bought buckwheat flour, will that work?
also what is the difference between Madjool Dates and California Dates, I googled it.. but I did not get a definite answer except one is meatier, I asked the health food store owner today and he didn’t know.
Thank you for your time.
Hello Vally,
I just answered your email before getting around to answering the comments on my site. I don’t recommend the store bought buckwheat since it is heavily processed. I don’t know how it will effect the overall flavor since I haven’t ever used it before.
I haven’t heard of a California date. After researching myself for a few… I see them advertised as California dates because that is where they grow different varieties. Such as the California Medjool Date.
Have a great evening, amie sue
Amie, I hope you see this right away! I am right in the middle of this cake and I don’t know what to do with the apricots and dates!!! Did I overlook something? Okay, this is common sense kicking in…I am adding them to the carrot and apple mixture in the processor. Wish me luck!!
Oh gosh Khadija! I am sorry that I missed adding that into the instructions and sorry that I didn’t get to this comment earlier! Bob and I planted 17 trees today so I wasn’t near my computer most of the day. I am sorry about that… BUT you guess it correctly so it should all be good. Let me know how it turned out! Blessings, amie sue
Amie-Sue!
Khadija, again…I just got done. It came out perfect! My husband and sons loved it!! It tastes like it just came out of the oven (I mean that in a good way!). That was my first time making buckwheat flour…perfect! Thank you, again, for such a great recipe!
That is wonderful Khadija! So glad that it was well received and enjoyed. :) Thank you for letting me know how it went, I always love hearing from you. Have a great evening, amie sue
i made this today (did a less-cool simple cashew icing because i was a bit intimidated by the awesome one here) and it came out so nice! carrot cake has always been my fav ‘baked’ cake and i love the raw version even more. it’s so fresh tasting. your recipes are gold <3
Thank you for commenting Michele… I too find this cake much more desirable than a cooked version due to the freshness. I am so happy that you tried the recipe. Have a blessed week! amie sue
Do you stir the dry and wet mixture together or add the dry ingredients to the cuisinart wet and blend with the s blade?
I just stirred the two mixtures together but my dough looks a bit different. I will email you a picture of my raw cake.
Thank you
I added it to the mixing bowl due to the volume. Have a great evening, amie sue
Oh, sorry ! i thought i was at the carrot cake page. I was wondering what other flour i can use or grind instead of sprouting buckwheat ?
Aloha, ;)
You could use oat flour or perhaps almond flour.
Dear Amie Sue
I really enjoy your inspiring website. I would like to attempt your raw carrot cake recipe and need some advice. The best raw organic coconut flour I can find in the UK is Tiana brand. It can be eaten raw(it’s delicious) but certainly does absorb liquid like a sponge! I have used it in many recipes but have to ensure much greater egg/liguid volume than with other flours. Do you think I should just blitz some coconut flakes as suggested in your section on coconut flour? Also I notice you use of lecithin powder as a natural emulsifier. Would using just a little of the bought coconut flour ( added to the mainly homemade coconut flour) work as an emulsifier to replace lecithin as I’ve noticed it has a similar effect when I add a little to mixtures which need firming up. Thank you in advance for any advice. I’m finding raw food recipes so interesting as there is quite a lot of alchemy involved!
Good afternoon Jane,
Yes, as indicated in the ingredient list, use coconut flakes that have been ground to a flour. You can follow the link that I supplied. The store bought will be way to drying. I don’t think the coconut flour would work as an emulsifier in the frosting, so it would be an experiment, if you up for that. :) The lecithin brings it all together and helps to give it that rich creamy texture. You can make it without if need be.
Let me know how it goes. Many blessings, amie sue
Hmmmm…3 days at a cottage on a small lake on the coast of Maine, bald eagles, fish hawks, loons, full moon shining on the lake , then the morning sun, good friends, green juice, almond milk, coconut milk, chia pudding, two granolas, cinnamon rolls, banana bread, flax crackers, walnut thyme crackers,cheese nips, sunflower seed cheese, ricotta stuffed tomatoes, taco bar, stuffed avocados, salsa, egg salad stuffed celery, peanut butter cookies, smores, raweos, carrot cake, crio bru and lots of fresh fruit and veggies…all raw…am I dreaming? Nope…just home from girls weekend. Ate raw, prayed raw and loved raw…I have been sharing with these ladies for the last few years and this is what the largest percentage of the menu was. I use your website as a teaching tool for my patients…could not believe the weekend menu…thank you, thank you, thank you. Now with these ladies, the answer to a lot of questions has changed from “it’s on nouveauraw.com to ‘what would AmieSue do?'”!!! This cottage is also only one town over from Matthew Kenneys new restaurant and raw culinary school….so if you ever find yourself here in Maine, I would be happy to make sure you had anything you need and there is an open invitation to girls weekend! It would be the least I could do since you are my right hand woman helping my patients and my beautiful friends. Bless you and thank you.
Sharon,
What a delight to read this… it sounds like I missed out on a wonderful time. :) And the food list! Boy oh boy! Delicious. “What would Amie Sue do?” ….. that just made me chuckle and warmed my heart. Thank you for blessing me with this wonderful message. I would love to hear more about this cottage and what it all entails. Can you email me at [email protected]? Have a wonderful week and enjoy the after-glow of such an amazing time in Maine! amie sue
I am so ashamed of myself I must just be part piggy
I made this yesterday (you said serves 12)
I ate all but a little smidge of it last night,and the only reason I left that on the plate was I felt guilty about not leaving something for my husband to have LOL
seriously good stuff and a nice change of pace
thankyou
constance
lol Constance… well, it could have been worse… like a box of Ding Dong’s or something. :) Good job on leaving a “tasting” for your husband. haha You crack me up. Thanks for sharing. Blessings, amie sue
Went back to sweets with this recipe. Superb as always; thank you. I substituted almond flour for buckwheat; added a tiny bit of psyllium husk for that spongy feel. I dehydrated the batter in cupcake liners. I also added cardamom powder to batter, to give it an Indian carrot sweet taste. Excellent. Gratitude to my teacher: you.
Just lovely Ben, you always come up with some amazing combinations. I bet it was wonderful. You are a talented chef. :) Blessings! amie sue
Dear Amie – Sue,
I am writing you from Dubai. I am vegeterian since over 5 years. As I am living in a moslem country I put myself under a specail challeneg every year during Ramadan, last year I just juiced for the 4 weeks and this year I decided to get on a raw food diet. Unfortunately it is very challenging here as I come across a lot of ingredienst I do not have access to here in the UAE.
I am in love with your website the amzing pictures and grateful for the free share of endless recipes. Your passion shows and I wish there would be more people lile you sharing the goodness nature is giving us.
Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy 4th of July weekend.
I will keep trying to find alternates to the ingredients I can not get here.
All the best from Dubai
Nicoline
Good afternoon Nicoline,
It is so wonderful to hear from you. :) I know it can be challenging to find ingredients… not only for you for everyone. But that’s when we step up to the plate, testing substitutions… wonderful creations are born through this. :)
We are indeed having a wonderful 4th of July weekend. Staying home and just relaxing. I hope you too are having a blessed weekend. Keep in touch. amie sue
In the middle of making the cake and am questioning the moistness and firmness of the batter.. does it firm up when pressed? Does it need to be chilled before frosting.?
Hello Steve,
I don’t know what the level of moistness is in your cake but mine was moist but not wet. Press the batter into the pan and toss it in the freezer for a bit or in the fridge. The batter should shape very well. Good luck and keep me posted. :) amie sue
This cake was a hit at our family Thanksgiving meal with everyone (raw vegans and non!). I admit that I substituted the frosting for another recipe – your Homestyle Vanilla Bean Icing, adding a little pumpkin pie spice – but only because I didn’t have coconut milk and forgot to pick some up at the store. Improvising turned out great, though. The cake was moist and delicious! Thank you, Amie Sue!
Good morning Gracefulheather,
It sounds like you did a knock up job! Way to go. :) We really enjoyed this cake too so it thrills me to know that I was a part of your Thanksgiving meal (in kitchen spirit hehe). I appreciate that you shared. Blessings, amie sue
Amy,
Another weekend, another project. I can’t tell you how many times I read a recipe before diving in. Sometimes I can’t fall asleep anticipating the deliciousness. The flavor is yummy. Everything went smoothly, the buckwheat flour was perfect. I was able to use apricots I dried from my tree last summer. I’m at a point where I think I didn’t squeeze out enough liquid. The cake is mushy. flavorful but mushy. I’m sure it will firm up in the fridge, but I’m tempted to make up a little more flour and add that. Do you have any thoughts?
Thanks.
Mary Anne
Good afternoon Mary Anne,
I know exactly what you mean… it’s hard to wait. :) Good issue to have though I suspect. hehe
Let’s see if we can narrow it down… when you say “mushy” …. does it hold its shape when formed? It’s possible that the grated carrots were really wet. When dealing with raw veggies and fruit, the water content can vary. If the mouth-texture if off for you… you can add a bit more flour, just be careful that you don’t add too much. Let me know.. .amie sue
Thanks for getting back to me. It’s a stiff mush like cookie dough my husband said. It held its shape after refrigeration. I guess waiting is something that I have to work on. Sigh. That means I have to wait till after dinner for dessert. Good thing I got to lick the bowl!!
And yes, the carrots and apple were quite juicy.
What was the end result MaSilvestri?! :) amie sue
Hello, do you have any nut-free frosting recipes? Coconut is ok
Good evening,
I do have some but I am not sure what flavor you are aiming for. Here is a link to all the frosting recipes that I have. https://nouveauraw.com/raw-recipes/frosting/
I use this one for a chocolate frosting – https://nouveauraw.com/raw-recipes/frosting/chocolate-ganache-frosting/
I hope this helps, blessings. amie sue
I’m looking for a white frosting without cashews or nut butter.
Hmm well goodness, I did some searching but don’t see one. Looks like something I need to add to the list to work on. Sorry that I don’t have one right now. blessings, amie sue
Wow ! Such wonderful comments. I’m excited to put this in my bucket list.
Questions: when putting raisins in food processor, are they put in by themselves or with the batter?
Also, what are your thoughts on incorporating your cream cheese recipe as the frosting with a lil Sweetener added.
Lastly is their a brand of apricots u recommend?
Good morning Maureen,
Under preparation, the CAKE section. #4 – Add raisins and pulse together. Don’t over-process.
I think your idea of using the cream cheese recipes with some sweetener would be perfect! Love that idea.
Regarding apricots… I don’t have a specific brand that I stick by. But I always look for ORGANIC and the ONLY ingredient should be apricots, no preservatives or added ingredients.
I hope this helps! Have a great day, amie sue
Dear Amie-Sue,
I am finishing the final frosting layer of my most favorite cake in the whole world!
Amie-Sue’s raw carrot cake.
My recipe pages are all crinkled from using the recipe so much.
I’d have more frosting on the cake, however, I keep nibbling on it!
Since I discovered your website, years ago, I think I’ve only had 2 or 3 baked desserts since then.
I alway make your desserts – raw.
Once in a while I fall off the wagon, but I think it’s only happened 2 or 3 times in the last 4 years.
Sometimes I do make muffins to eat with a salad at lunch, however, I use organic coconut sugar now.
There is no need to eat baked desserts and eat white sugar, because your desserts are better than cooked or baked.
I have no desire for ice cream, because raw ice cream tastes better, and creamier!
I don’t want your head to get too big – but . . . YOU ARE A RAW FOOD GENIUS!!!!!!
Thank you, Amie-Sue.
Good day Teresa,
I am so sorry that it took me a few weeks to respond to your comment. I have been sick all through Christmas. Thank you so much for the kind and lovely words, it means a lot to me. I am blushing. :) blessings and happy new year! amie sue