Pumpkin Carrot Cake Loaf
Carrot cake is probably one of my top five favorite desserts. If it’s on the menu, chances are I will order it. There’s just something about the addition of shredded carrots that gives the cake a crave-worthy texture.
Prior to switching over to a mostly vegan diet (or paying much attention to ingredient lists, for that matter), I used to love the carrot cake from Cheesecake Factory. One slice was basically the size of what probably should have been an entire cake, and it must have had at least seven layers, each one loaded with about a pound of cream cheese frosting. Absolutely ridiculous, but oh so delicious.
I don’t even want to think about the nutritional information for an eighth of that slice of cake. Or the fact that it’s generally eaten after an equally ridiculous portion of avocado egg rolls (do they still make those?), a burger, and another pound of fries.
I did, however, want to create a lightened up carrot cake, with all of the flavors I love, but minus the gallon of oil and frosting. Something I could enjoy and not feel the need to put on a pair of stretchy pants after I ate it. Although, let’s be honest – I work from home. I pretty much live in stretchy pants.
So instead of all of that oil, I subbed in pumpkin for all but a tablespoon. And instead of using a cake pan, I baked it in a loaf pan, adding just a light dusting of powdered sugar after it cooled. Don’t get me wrong – this is NOT anything like the Cheesecake Factory’s carrot cake, but it is the type of cake that you can get away with eating for breakfast.
And what’s better than eating cake at 9am?
| Pumpkin Carrot Cake Loaf |
- 1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 C. All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Tbs. Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp. Baking Soda
- 1/2 Tsp. Sea Salt
- 2 Tsp. Cinnamon
- 1/2 C. Brown Sugar
- 1/2 C. Granulated Sugar
- 1 C. Canned Pumpkin
- 1 Tbs. Canola Oil (melted coconut oil would also be good)
- 1 C. Non-Dairy Milk
- 1 Tbs. Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Chia Egg (2 Tsp. ground chia seeds, 3 Tbs. water)
- 2 1/2 C. Shredded Carrots
- 1 C. Raisins (optional)
- 1 C. Walnuts (optional)
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a 9 x 4 inch loaf pan.
- Prepare your chia egg by combining ground chia seeds and water. Allow to sit for 1-2 minutes to thicken.
- In a large bowl, combine sugars, pumpkin, non-dairy milk, vegetable oil, vinegar, and chia egg.
- Sift in flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well.
- Fold in carrots, and raisins and walnuts (if using).
- Transfer batter to loaf pan and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Allow to cool before slicing, and finish with a dusting of powdered sugar or your favorite frosting.
I used my food processor to shred the carrots and highly recommend doing the same if you have one. On the other hand, grating carrots is an awesome arm workout.
Feel free to replace the chia egg with a flax egg, if you like.
…
And now the part you’ve all been eagerly anticipating (okay, I’ve been eagerly anticipating)…what did we name the puppy?!
Her name is Olive!
Thank you all so much for your input on puppy names. Olive is adjusting well, and Honey is even sharing some of her toys, albeit reluctantly. I think these two are going to be good friends.
