My dad loves carrot cake. Every few years for my parents birthdays  … Yes, you read that correctly—my parents were born on the same day two years apart! Anyway, every so often, I surprise them with a homemade carrot cake. This year, I started making the cake, got half way through the recipe, and realized I didn’t have any raisons! A carrot cake without raisons! Can you believe it? Well, it was much too late to head to the store. Or at least, I didn’t want to trek to the 24 hour Giant Eagle. So I started thinking about how to make a carrot cake with a twist. I looked around the cupboard and saw some chocolate chips, pecans and ginger powder. Voila! Why not make a vegan chocolate chip carrot cake?!

I have this saying—good food + good food = good food. It works with basic ingredients as well. The cake was perfectly moist, not too dense, and just sweet enough. It did not disappoint! Both my parents loved it! Why not give this recipe a try the next time you need an ‘inspired’ dessert?

Cheers and happy eating!

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Carrot Cake

Time

• 36 minutes (26 cook, 10 prep)

Servings

• One tall 9 in round cake pan (or 18 cupcakes)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour (I used a mix of whole wheat and all purpose flours)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2/3 cup Splenda or other sugar alternative
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup soy yogurt (I used vanilla Kitehill yogurt)
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 2 tsps vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 2 cups finely grated carrots
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Grease a 9 in baking pan (alternatively fill a cupcake pan with liners).
3. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, vegetable oil, soy yogurt, and vanilla.
4. Sift the dry ingredients together and then add them to the wet ingredients.
5. Mix until no large clumps remain.
6. Fold in the carrots, pecans and chocolate chips.
7. Spread the batter evenly into a 9 in round cake pan or fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full.
8. Bake for ~24 minutes until you can insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean.
9. Transfer the cake/ cupcakes to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
10. Ice the cake/ cupcakes, decorate, and enjoy!

The post Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Chip Carrot Cake appeared first on Vegan Hostess.

I recently blew out the candles for my 30th birthday. Where did the time go?! The weekend was filled with family, friends, lots of laughter, and of course, plenty of good food! When it comes to baking for my loved ones, I go all out with flavor and style. But for me, I like to keep my own birthday treats simple. 

I love a perfectly done vegan vanilla cupcake. The light airy cake, topped with a sweet icing and sprinkles – it can’t be beat! There is something so comforting and special about it. I’ve been making these cupcakes for years, but I recently doubled the amount of time I let the soy milk and apple cider vinegar curdle. I have to say, it made a huge difference! I’ve never had cupcakes so fluffy! 

Give this updated recipe a try and let me know how it works for you!

Cheers & happy eating!

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own!

Prep Time: ~20 minutes; Yield: Serves 6-8

Ingredients:  

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• ¾ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. cinnamon sugar
• ½ cup Earth Balance, softened
• 1½ cup soy milk (not almond for this recipe)
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup Truvia baking blend
• 3 tsp. vanilla extract
• Sprinkles!

Directions:  

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a muffin pan with your favorite cupcake liners.
• Whisk the soy milk and apple cider vinegar vinegar together and set aside to curdle (note, let it rest for 10 minutes! The added time makes the batter fluffy).
• Combine the softened Earth Balance, vanilla, and Truvia baking blend, until no large chunks remain.
• Once the soy milk mixture has rested, add it into the wet ingredients and mix well.
• Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon sugar, and salt, and mix until no lumps remain.
  
• Fill cupcake liners two-thirds of the way and bake for 20 to 22 minutes. (I use an ice cream scooper!)
• Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
• Frosting – I cheated and used vanilla pillsbury, but you can actually make your own frosting from scratch. Using a hand mixer, combine 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup soy milk until fluffy.
• Garnish with sprinkles of your choosing.
• Enjoy!

The post Recipe: Vegan Vanilla “Birthday” Cupcakes appeared first on Vegan Hostess.