Locals can dream up bushels of reasons why unusually cool St. Louis summer temperatures delight. Cool-season crops available deep into summer months top the farmers market list for many area food lovers. Local, earthy, irregular-shaped carrots and a vegan cookbook purchased years ago resulted in this gluten-free, vegan carrot cake concocted hours after the last light in the neighborhood went out. Baking sweets and sipping wine after the kiddos turn in can be pure adult mischief.
This cake is very moist, and different gluten-free baking mixes will produce different cake-like results. The mix I chose, Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix, results in a slightly dense, gooey center. Also note: This particular brand is not vegan, as it contains buttermilk. Experiment with your favorite store-bought mix or try your hand at making your own.
Farm-to-Platter Carrot Cake with Cashew Cream Frosting Makes 1 11-inch round
Inspired by Vegan World Fusion Cuisine 3¼ cup gluten-free baking mix, such as Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix*
1 2/3 cup Sucanat (pure dried sugar cane juice)*
¾ Tbsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. Kosher salt
¼ tsp. allspice
1/8 to ¼ tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
1¾ cup fresh carrot juice
½ cup water
1/3 cup fresh ginger juice
3/8 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups carrots, grated
1 cup currants
Cashew Cream Frosting (recipe follows)
Handful chopped walnuts, chopped pistachios, shredded coconut or shredded carrots, for garnish
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 11-inch springform pan.
• Sift the baking mix, then measure and add it to a large mixing bowl. Add the Sucanat, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, allspice and nutmeg and whisk well.
• In another, smaller bowl, add the carrot juice, water, ginger juice, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract and whisk well.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, then add the grated carrots and currants. Mix well.
• Pour the batter into the springform pan and bake 65 to 70 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Once cooled, frost with Cashew Cream Frosting and garnish with walnuts, pistachios, coconut or carrots as desired.
Cashew Cream Frosting Makes about 2 cups
Place 1 cup raw cashews, ½ cup dates, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and ½ cup full-fat canned coconut milk in a blender. Process until smooth, adding more coconut milk as needed until the mixture is very smooth and thick. Refrigerate the frosting for 30 minutes.
*Sucanat and Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix are both available at Whole Foods. Jill Duncan is the owner of Wellness by Jill and follows a gluten-free diet.
-Photo by Jeremy DeWeese
This article appears in September 2013.