Of Donkeys & Dhoklas

This carrot cake is totally like Gajar ka Halwa in a cake form! The earthy flavor and rich color of carrots team up beautifully with the sweet, fruity tones of apple/pineapple to make this moist, dense, and flavourful cake. This is quite a homey cake, the kind you’d bake for a little get-together at home or for a leisurely weekend dinner with family.

What I love the most about this recipe is that it’s very easy to make—as simple as making gajar ka halwa! So, if you’re a beginner baker, you can try this without any worry. All you need is a handful of ingredients that are easily available in any Indian kitchen and a few minutes of active preparation. We humans just need to perform the simple steps; the “hard” work is taken care by the oven 🙂

Do try and let me know how it goes!

Vegan Carrot Cake (Whole Wheat)

Preparation time: 1 hour + macerating time

Yields: 6 big slices or 8 medium ones

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups grated carrots, tightly packed
• 1 cup roughly chopped pineapple (or apple)
• 1 1/3 cup brown sugar (or jaggery powder)
• A small piece of ginger, grated
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1big pinch green cardamom powder (elaichi)
• ½ cup coconut oil (or any neutral smelling oil)
• 1 heaped teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoon chopped nuts (cashews/almonds/walnuts)
• A handful of golden raisins
• A pinch of salt

Method:

1. Mix together grated carrots, roughly chopped pineapple/ apple, brown sugar, grated ginger, lemon juice, raisins, cinnamon, green cardamom powder, and salt. Keep aside for 2-3 hours.
2. Sieve whole wheat flour and baking soda 2-3 times.
3. In a big mixing bowl whisk the carrot + pineapple/apple mixture with the coconut oil and add the chopped nuts. Gradually add the flour and mix until just combined. At this stage, the batter will appear to be quite thick–it’s totally fine, the apple and carrot will release some moisture during the baking process. 
4. Transfer to a greased cake mold and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes before unmolding.