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Paleo Raw Carrot Cake is a spin on a traditional favorite! Made with a carrot, date and walnut base, this delicious cake is topped with a silky cashew maple coconut icing that’s surprisingly healthy and good for you. This is what carrot cake dreams are made of!
I made you a cake. A healthy carrot cake that requires no baking!
If there’s one thing that will bring me to my knees (other than chocolate of course), it’s carrot cake. In fact, if a guy wants to win me over on a date then all he needs to do is bring me carrot cake.
I would take carrot cake any day over chocolate. Okay, so maybe not any day. I would still gladly accept chocolate anytime.
But there’s just something about carrot cake!
Maybe it’s the carrots. Maybe it’s the coconut. Maybe it’s the sweet cinnamon-y bread. Or maybe it’s that sweet, sweet vanilla icing. Whatever it is, carrot cake is what my dreams are made of.
Paleo Raw Carrot Cake
The thing about carrot cake is that it’s a lot harder to make healthy than you think. I should know. I’m pretty sure I’ve made at least 50 different versions of carrot cake for months and have never been able to get it just the way I wanted. Don’t get me wrong.
They were all good, but none of the versions turned out the way I imagined in my head. You know when you have something in your mind a certain way and everything else is just well, okay? Because not only am I a perfectionist, but I also have to get whatever it is just right before it meets my expectations.
Finally I gave up on making a “cake” and thought what if I just made the base out of walnuts and dates? Enter Raw Carrot Cake.
For the icing I wanted something lighter and with less sugar, but that was healthy. I know, I was asking for a lot here! So sticking with the raw theme, I knew I wanted to blend something with soaked cashews to get the consistency I wanted but that something was the question so I slept on it, went to the gym and the next morning it came to me.
Coconut milk! After my workout, I picked up the coconut milk and blended it with the soaked cashews, some almond extract and maple syrup and voila! Best. Icing. Ever.
It’s just the way I wanted it. It’s thick and lightly sweet, but not overly sweet. I actually doubled the icing so I could dip Raw Carrot Cake into it. Something I highly recommend by the way!
This Raw Carrot Cake is guaranteed to win any heart. It sure won mine! I’m already on my third batch and I have no guilt eating it either with all it’s healthy ingredients. Maybe one day I’ll make a plain old, regular carrot cake but until then, Raw Carrot Cake it is!
More Recipes To Try
Vegan Turmeric Carrot Cake Bites
Gluten Free Carrot Cake Pancakes
Paleo Raw Carrot Cake
Ingredients
For the Base
- 1 cup carrots, shredded in a food processor
- 1 cup dates, pitted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
For the Icing
- 1/2 cup cashews, soaked in water 20 minutes
- 1/8 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons walnuts, for topping
Instructions
- To make the base, mix dates in a food processor until it forms a paste. Break up the paste into a few chunks to spread it evenly throughout the food processor.
- Add the walnuts, carrots, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, coconut flour, coconut oil and coconut flakes together to the food processor with the date paste and combine until mixed together.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper vertical and horizontal so you can pull up the cake easily once set.
- Place the base mixture in the loaf pan and place in the freezer while you make the icing.
- To the food processor, add soaked cashew, coconut milk, maple syrup, almond extract and coconut oil. Blend until a silky smooth icing forms.
- Remove the loaf pan from the freezer and using a spatula spread the icing over the base covering all the corners and edges. Sprinkle with walnut pieces and gently push into the icing with your finger to secure.
- Place the loaf pan back in the freezer, 4 hours minimum (overnight is best).
- Remove and slice into 16 mini carrot cake bites.
- Keep carrot cake bites in a container in the freezer.
Video
Notes
- Soak cashews 3-4 hours, for best results soak overnight.
For a sweeter icing, add 1-2 tbsp more of the maple syrup. - If you love this recipe, also see my Raw Pumpkin Pie Cake.
- Substitutes for dates include: figs, dried raisins or cranberries. No other substitutes have been tested with this recipe. For those who believe dates have too much sugar, remember the sugar in dates is balanced with fiber which is key with any high sugar food.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Unbelievable !! Thank you so much my daughter needs to have a Paleo diet and this makes her is and her therapist so happy just to have a little sliver of this cake is heaven !!! Thank you for being such a perfectionist !!!!!
Isn’t it amazing? Glad she liked it!
Thank you for the recipe. May I please ask how long it takes to defrost once out of the freezer? I’ve made a fair bit extra for rainy days but I can be a bit impatient when it comes to carrot cake. 🙂
You don’t thaw it. You slice and eat frozen.
Hmmm did that and it is like having a frozen carrot block in your mouth.
I can’t say specifically how long it will take because it depends greatly on your climate and the the time of year too. I live in Arizona so things come to room temperature within minutes. Maybe you need to freeze for a shorter period of time or let it come to room temperature for awhile. It shouldn’t be hard as a rock. It should be soft. You’ll have to use your own personal judgement here.
Thanks for the tips on your recipe. I did manage to use my own personal judgement in the end. Thank you so much for pointing me in the right direction.
How do you soak the cashews, in what?
Thank you!
In water
Hi,
Can you help me out with an alternative for dates and maple as i’m on a sugar free cleanse at the moment. I can use stevia but no fruit or anything that produces sugar in the body.
I would looovveee to make this!!!
The dates are necessary. They hold everything together with their sticky consistency. There really isn’t a substitute for that. You may want to try almond butter with stevia, but I have no idea if that will work. I’m surprised you can still have stevia on a sugar cleanse. Stevia has the same affect on the body as any other sugar.
Raisin is the best replacement for dates. It helps for the sticky consistency as well.
I definitely need to try this! Yes, not even carrot cake comes out nice but this one looks like a charm! Thank for sharing this fantastic recipe!
Zaria
Thank you! Hope you love it.
You made me CAKE!!! And it’s carrot cake my favorite and this looks better than most of the carrot cakes I’ve had in the past. Most certainly making this one ASAP maybe for easter 🙂
I DID & it’s pretty great if I do say so myself!
I love love love carrot cake. It’s on the menu for the “final meal of my life” – if I get to choose it! This makes it accessible and less of a “treat”. Yum!
I love it…final meal of my life! I hope I get to choose to.
I’ve never made raw cake before because I thought it would be too hard but you totally proved me wrong! This looks so easy and delish! Carrot Cake all the way!
It’s as easy as putting everything into a food processor. Haha!
Ok..Somehow on my Bloglovin App, I saw this recipe this past weekend and I just made it–And it’s AMAZING!
THANK YOU!
It somehow published yesterday morning by mistake. I swear WP has ghosts. BUT YEAH! I’m so excited someone loves it as much as I do.
Oh man… I knew this was going to be good when you teased it last week. I’d down this whole thing in like 5 mins! I love chocolate cake, but carrot is a verrrrrry close second.
Thanks Laura! FYI – it’s the best right out of the freezer.