Soft and sweet vegan cake made with carrots and coconut and topped with jam and more coconut.
One of my favorite cakes, one that I have already posted on this blog about 2 years ago already is the Carrot Coconut Cake with Lemon Frosting. I have been making it for years and actually not only that particular cake with carrots or coconut but many different ones. I really enjoy using carrots in baking, I like the flavor they give to the cake, the wonderful color but most of all that juicy, moist consistency, which is sometimes so tricky to achieve when making a simple cake without a filling.
So when I saw a recipe for a vegan carrot coconut cake for the fasting time of the year or for those occasions when we have guests who are eating vegan all the time, I knew I had to give it a try. I found this recipe in an old Romanian recipe magazine, but I’ve changed it quite a bit. I happened to have a last piece of fresh coconut in the house and I chose to use that in the cake instead of the desiccated one. I loved it, I find the flavor of fresh coconut to be more intense than that of dry one, so I am glad I had that fresh piece. However, that is not something I often have, so feel free to use the dry coconut instead. Unsweetened, of course.
Otherwise, there is really not much to say about making this vegan coconut carrot cake. It is so easy! You only have to stir a few ingredients and pour the batter into the pan. Your oven will do the rest of the work. It might be a cake you would enjoy baking with your children, I am sure they will love to grate the carrots, to mix the ingredients and to top the cake with jam and coconut. Not to mention how much they will enjoy eating this vegan carrot coconut cake! 🙂
Ingredients
- 175 g/ 6.2 oz carrots
- 75 g/ 2.6 oz fresh coconut (or desiccated unsweetened coconut)
- 150 g/ 5.3 oz/ ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 100 ml/ 3.3 fl.oz/ ½ cup minus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 300 ml/ 10.1 f.oz/ 1 ¼ cups sparkling water
- large pinch of cinnamon
- 350 g/ 12.3 oz/ 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 sachet Dr. Oetker baking powder (15 g/ 0.5 oz)
- 4-5 tablespoons (preferably yellow/orange) jam of choice (apricots, peaches, pineapple)
- 35 g/ 6 tablespoons desiccated unsweetened coconut
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking tin 30x20 cm/ 12x8 inches approximately with baking paper.
Grate the carrots and the fresh coconut on the fine grater. Place in the mixing bowl of your kitchen machine (or a regular bowl). Add the sugar, oil, sparkling water and cinnamon and mix well for 3 or 4 minutes.
In another bowl mix the flour and the baking powder. Sift 1/3 of it on the batter and incorporate gently. Add the next two batches of sifted flour and incorporate gently as well. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
In the meantime roast the shredded desiccated unsweetened coconut in a dry pan. Stay close and shake the pan very frequently, it will only take a few minutes. Roast the coconut until golden and fragrant. Immediately transfer to a plate and let cool.
When the cake is cold, spread the jam on top. Sprinkle evenly with the roasted coconut and cut into squares. The cake will keep airtight for at least 3 days.
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Others you might like:
Carrot Coconut Cake with Lemon Frosting
Carrot Cupcakes with Blueberry Frosting
14 comments
It looks so lovely golden and soft fine crumbs are so beautiful and tempting.
Hi, Adina! What a great combination. I love carrot cake… most often I eat mine topped with a milk chocolate ganache but would be thrilled to try it with coconut.
This cake looks so moist! I love carrot cake and this sounds simply delicious!
This looks delicious! And I can’t say that about every vegan dessert I see :). I love the addition of coconut!
Sparkling water is such an interesting addition here. I too love any carrot baked good and have made more than my fair share, but it’s never enough 🙂
I didn’t know that a cake with carrots can be made, Adina! Great recipe.
Carrot cake and coconut cake are two of my faves, so I know I am going to love this one, AdinaQ
I never realized that using fresh coconut gives an intenser taste than dried coconut. This cake looks and sounds delicious!!
I am making this for one of my children school for ww2 its a inspiration she will be amazed !!!!
Se ve muy rico su cake Adina,tiene un hermoso color saludable,tengo en casa un vegano y un vegetariano,sus receta me maravillan,abrazos.
i’ve never worked with fresh coconut, though i’d like to! this looks perfectly fluffy and moist and must be so delicious!
I looove how moist this cake is Adina! And fresh coconut, what a cool idea, I can’t wait to pick one up and give this tasty cake a try. BTW the new site design is gorgeous, from the recipe card to how your mouthwatering photos are featured it’s all so pretty and bright.
oh my goodness. This looks heavenly. So moist and I always have a thing for coconut!!
This cake looks so delicious and festive! I love it that it’s vegan!