Mini carrot cakes are topped with a vibrant blood orange cashew butter glaze. These vegan and gluten free cakes are the perfect way to usher in the spring season!
Happy Vernal Equinox! Flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, and pine pollen has given everything in Houston a distinct yellowish green hue. This season always reminds me of this lovely excerpt from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens:
“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. We had our pea-coats with us, and I took a bag. Of all my worldly possessions I took no more than the few necessaries that filled the bag. Where I might go, what I might do, or when I might return, were questions utterly unknown to me; nor did I vex my mind with them…”
That first line is such an apt description of the weather. The rays of sunshine feel hot and biting since we’re used to winter’s grey clouds. Yet, it’s still cool enough in the shade to produce a shudder and longing for a light sweater. I love the intersection of winter and spring not only for the lovely weather, but for the produce that comes into season. As winter citrus bids its last farewell, carrots, strawberries, fennel, dill, dandelion, and a whole host of other lovely veggies make their first appearance.
As today marks the first official day of spring, I figured it was the perfect excuse to come up with a seasonally inspired dessert. It’s full of carrots, toasted coconut, fresh ginger root, cinnamon, blood orange, and a little cashew butter. To make it even more spring-worthy, it’s garnished with an edible flower (wood sorrel to be exact). Since spring is a time to begin moving away from the heavier fare of winter, there’s no oil in this recipe except for the tiny amount used to grease the baking pan! These cakes are truly a feast for the eyes, the belly, and the soul. How are you guys spending these first days of spring?
Mini Carrot Cakes with Blood Orange Cashew Butter Glaze
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 mini loaves 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Mini carrot cakes are topped with a vibrant blood orange cashew butter glaze. These vegan and gluten free cakes are the perfect way to usher in the spring season!
Ingredients
for the cakes:
- 60g brown rice flour
- 35g oat flour
- 35g arrowroot flour
- 1/4 tsp psyllium husks
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 50g (1/2 cup) grated carrot
- 15g (2 tbsp) toasted shredded coconut
- 120g coconut milk (or other plant milk you like)
- 60g unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 70g coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp blood orange zest
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
for the glaze:
- 1 tbsp fresh blood orange juice
- 1 tbsp cashew butter
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- optional for garnish: edible flowers
Instructions
Pre-heat your oven to 325 and grease your preferred pan lightly with oil.
In one bowl, whisk together the flours, psyllium, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Fold in the grated carrot and toasted coconut until they are evenly distributed in the dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, applesauce, vinegar, coconut sugar, vanilla, blood orange zest, and grated ginger. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until your cake batter comes together.
Fill the molds of whatever pan you are using (cupcake, mini bundt, mini loaf, etc.) about 2/3 full of batter. Tap the pan lightly on the counter a few times to help release air bubbles, then bake the cakes for 18-20 minutes for mini bundts/cupcakes or 23-25 minutes for the mini loaves. The cakes are ready when the tops are firm and spring back when touched. Cool the cakes in the pan for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Once the cakes are cool, whisk together the glaze ingredients until they are very smooth. Drizzle each cake with the glaze.
Notes
- I used a mini loaf pan like this to get the small cakes you see in the photos. You can also make these in a cupcake pan or mini bundt pan.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: dessert
