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    You are here: Home / Cakes and slices / Eggless carrot cake

    Eggless carrot cake

    Published: Apr 2, 2021 · Modified: Oct 16, 2021 by Sarah Brooks

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    Slice of eggless carrot cake decorated with lemon icing and pecans on a plate with a vintage fork and the rest of the cake and fresh Dutch carrots in the background and text overlay, eggless carrot cake, KCAEIC.

    This eggless carrot cake is made with no eggs and a secret ingredient to keep it moist and delicious. Made with fresh carrots and a tangy lemon frosting!

    Eggless carrot cake decorated with lemon icing and pecans, with single slice taken out, fresh Dutch carrots and silver serving wear in the background.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • How to make eggless carrot cake
    • How to serve
    • How to store
    • Looking for more yummy dessert recipes?
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    What do you do when you are hanging out for a carrot cake but you are egg free? Make this delicious vegan carrot cake. Made with fresh carrots, crunchy pecans, and luscious vegan lemon buttercream to top it off!

    Eggless cake-making can be tricky. Eggs provide a lot of things in baking including moisture, fats, and structural integrity. So when baking without eggs you need to think carefully about what the eggs are doing in the recipe and how to bake without them.

    I tested this recipe in a number of different ways. The best egg replacement I found and the secret ingredient in this cake is apple sauce! The apple sauce does a few things in this cake. It adds moisture and some natural sugars. The naturally occurring pectin in the apples helps add structural integrity to the cake which sets as the cake cooks. With the double-leavening combination of baking powder and baking soda to help give the cake some lift, the pectin helps stop the cake from collapsing back down again after it's baked.

    Slice of eggless carrot cake decorated with lemon icing and pecans on a plate with a vintage fork and the rest of the cake and fresh Dutch carrots in the background.

    Even with the apple sauce making egg-free cake can be tricky and can be prone to going flat or sinking in the middle.

    Here are my top tips and tricks for eggless baking (they are useful for regular baking too!):

    • Preheat your oven - Turn it on about ten minutes before you put your cake in, longer is fine.
    • Use fresh baking powder - Baking powder can lose its effectiveness over time. If I want it perfect I always buy new baking powder.
    • Get it in the oven quickly - The leavening agents will start reacting as soon as they come in contact with the wet ingredients. Once mixed get your cake into the tin and into the oven asap.
    • Don't check on your cake too early - Opening the oven door lets out the heat and can cause your cake to collapse if it hasn't baked for long enough and had time to set.

    Looking for more fun Easter desserts? Why not try making my fabulous Easter egg cheesecake or shredded wheat nests or for something different my hot cross bun ice cream or carrot ice cream! Delicious!

    Ingredients

    Eggless carrot cake ingredients, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pecans, vegetable oil, carrots, plain flour, brown sugar, bi-carb soda, apple sauce, baking powder.

    Carrots: it wouldn't be a carrot cake without carrots! Freshly grated carrots are best for this recipe. Look for smaller carrots if possible as they are likely to be sweeter and less woody. You can not substitute with canned or frozen carrots, they need to be fresh.

    Pecans: I've tested this recipe both with and without pecans and I defiantly prefer it with pecans. The nuts add some texture and some good oils to the cake. You could use traditional walnut if you like or almonds or brazil nuts, or leave them out altogether for a nut-free alternative.

    Apple sauce: the secret ingredient! Apple sauce is a common replacement for eggs in baking. It helps add some much-needed moisture. The naturally occurring pectin in the apples helps give the cake some structural integrity.

    Cinnamon: ground cinnamon is a traditional spice to add to carrot cake.

    Nutmeg: some ground nutmeg is another traditional carrot cake spice and pairs beautifully with the carrots.

    Ginger: ground ginger adds some lovely warmth to this recipe.

    Vanilla extract: sometimes also called vanilla essence, depending on where you live. You can use either, or imitation vanilla essence, depending on your preference and budget.

    Brown sugar: also known as light brown sugar, adds to the caramel notes of this recipe. You could use white sugar if you prefer, or experiment with dark brown sugar.

    Baking powder: is a common ingredient in cakes and baking, used to help the cake rise. For the best results use fresh baking powder and not one that's been sitting around the cupboard for a while.

    Baking soda: also known as bicarbonate soda or bicarb. This is NOT the same as baking powder and you can not substitute this.

    Plain flour is best in this recipe. You can also use all-purpose flour. It's important to use flour that does not have any rising agents as we will be adding our own in the right amounts to help this cake rise.

    Vegetable oil: adds some much-needed fats to this cake. You can try substituting with similar oils such as peanut or canola.

    How to make eggless carrot cake

    Preheat your oven to 320°F (160°C) (fan forced). Grease your cake tin and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.

    NB to get the lovely high on this cake I used a slightly smaller 7-inch by 2 & ½-inch springform cake tin (18cm x 6.5cm). You can use a wider cake tin if that's what you have, but your cake will be flatter and may take less time to cook.

    Adding baking powder to flour.
    Adding cinnamon to flour.
    Adding ginger to flour.
    Adding nutmeg to flour.

    Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a bowl and mix well.

    Roughly chopping pecans.
    Grating carrot with the coarse side of a box grater.

    Roughly chop the pecans. Grate the carrots using the large side of a box grater.

    Add the pecans and grated carrots to the flour and mix thoroughly.

    Adding oil to brown sugar.
    Adding vanilla essence to sugar and oil mix.
    Adding apple sauce to sugar and oil mix.
    Adding wet ingredients to dry ingredients.

    In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, oil, apple sauce, and vanilla and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. The mix will be quite dry and quite lumpy. This is fine as long as all the flour has been mixed into the wet ingredients and there are no dry streaky bits of flour.

    Tipping cake better into greased and lined cake tin.
    Removing baking paper from cake.

    Tip into the prepared cake tin and get straight into the oven. Bake for one hour and ten minutes. The cake will be a lovely golden brown when cooked and a skewer inserted into the cake will come out clean. Wait until the cake is completely cooked before removing it from the tin and peeling off the parchment paper. You can put a tea towel over the cake and remove it from the tin the following day if you like.

    To make the vegan lemon buttercream

    Hot tip: make sure the cake it completely cool before frosting, or the butter cream will melt when you put it on!

    Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. It's important not to skip this step or you made end up with lumpy buttercream!

    Add the vegan butter and lemon juice. Mix with an electric handheld mixer or in a stand mixer until smooth and creamy.

    Smooth the cool cake with a butter knife or spatula. Decorate with whole pecans and you're done! Also lovely with some extra finely grated lemon zest sprinkled over the top.

    How to serve

    Slice of eggless carrot cake decorated with lemon frosting and pecans, on a plate with a vintage fork and fresh Dutch carrots in the background.

    To serve grab a cuppa, pop the cake onto a pretty plate, slice and enjoy! Perfect to serve with some of my carrot ice cream for an Easter get-together, for morning or afternoon tea or just because!

    How to store

    This vegan carrot cake will store well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

    Have you made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below and tag me on Instagram so I can see your delicious creations! @keep_calm_and_eat_icecream

    Looking for more yummy dessert recipes?

    Why not try making

    • Carrot ice cream
    • Shredded wheat nests
    • Hot cross bun ice cream
    • Old fashioned fruit cake
    • Passion fruit cheesecake
    • Chocolate red velvet cake

    Follow me on Facebook or Pinterest for many more delicious recipes.

    Top down shot of whole un decorated eggless carrot cake, with fresh Dutch carrots on one side and silver serving wear on the other.

    📋 Recipe

    Close up eggless carrot cake decorated with lemon frosting and pecan, with fresh Dutch carrots in the background.

    Eggless carrot cake

    Author: Sarah Brooks
    This eggless carrot cake is made with no eggs and a secrete ingredient to keep it moist and delicious. Made with fresh carrots and a tangy lemon frosting!
    5 from 4 votes
    Save Recipe Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Course afternoon tea, Dessert, morning tea, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12 slices, approx.
    Calories 397 kcal

    Equipment

    • Spring form cake tin, 7" x 2.5" (18cm x 6.5cm)

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups (300gms) plain flour
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
    • 1 cup (120gms) pecans
    • 1 and¼ cups (230gms) grated carrots, about 2 - 3 medium carrots
    • 1 cup (220gms) tightly packed brown sugar
    • ½ cup vegetable oil
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
    • ½ cup apple sauce

    Vegan lemon buttercream

    • 1 cup (160gms) icing sugar
    • 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon (25gms) non diary margarine
    • 1 tablespoon freshly squeesed lemon juice
    • extra whole pecans for decorating

    Instructions
     

    • Pre heat your oven to 320°F (160°C) (fan forced) . Grease a line a spring form cake tin, 7" x 2.5" (18cm x 6.5cm) with baking paper.
    • Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger to a bowl. Mix well.
    • Roughly chop the pecans. Grate the carrots using the coarse side of a box grater.
    • Add the pecans and carrots to the flour mix and mix well.
    • In a separate bowl add the brown sugar, oil, vanilla and apple sauce. Mix well.
    • Working quickly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix the cake batter lightly until just combined. Try to make sure there are no unmixed flour streaks but do not over mix.
    • NB the cake batter will be quite dry and lumpy, This is normal.
    • Tip the batter into the tin and smooth down.
    • Bake for one hour and ten minutes or until cake is golden brown and a fine skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
    • Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan.

    Optional vegan lemon buttercream

    • Sift the icing sugar into a bowl.
    • Add the margarine and lemon juice.
    • Beat on medium with electric hand beaters or in a stand mix until light and fluffy.
    • Frost the cooled cake and decorate with whole pecans. Lovely with some freshly grated lemon zest over the top to!

    Notes

    NB The time given is the hands on prep and cooking time.  It does not include time for the cake to cook before frosting.  

    Nutrition

    Calories: 397kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 2gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.1gSodium: 140mgPotassium: 204mgFiber: 3gSugar: 42gVitamin A: 4136IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 1mg

    Nutritional Disclaimer

    Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online database. The nutritional content of ingredients may vary by brand. If you require accurate nutritional information, you should calculate this based on the specific brands and products you are using.

    Keywords: dairy free, egg free, vegan
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    Slice of eggless carrot cake decorated with lemon icing and pecans on a plate with a vintage fork and the rest of the cake and fresh Dutch carrots in the background and text overlay, eggless carrot cake, KCAEIC.

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    Comments

      5 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Sylvie says

      May 04, 2021 at 4:03 am

      5 stars
      It's always so great to find eggless alternative to classic desserts like this one. Love the use of applesauce, it must bring a delicious flavour as well!

      Reply
      • Sarah Brooks says

        May 04, 2021 at 9:04 am

        Thanks Sylvie, yes the apple sauce really gives it a lift, as well as helping replace the eggs.

        Reply
    2. Lynn Havinga says

      July 04, 2021 at 9:21 pm

      Thanks for this brilliant recipe!!!! I have an egg allergy and constantly reading up on eggless recipes...Def's going to give it it a go💜

      Reply
      • Sarah Brooks says

        July 06, 2021 at 12:32 pm

        You're welcome Lynn, let me know how it goes! If you are looking for more eggless recipes I've recently made some eggless brownies you might like 🙂 https://www.keep-calm-and-eat-ice-cream.com/eggless-brownies/

        Reply
      • Vijay says

        August 08, 2021 at 4:15 am

        Thx u for sharing u recipe love any recipe that dnt have eggs but pls tell me what can I use in place ok apple sauce thx u

        Reply
        • Sarah Brooks says

          August 09, 2021 at 9:26 am

          Hi Lynn, I'm so glad you loved this recipe. You could try making your own apple sauce by stewing your own apples, blitzing and adding a little sugar. If you can't do this you could try using a commercial egg replacer. Most egg replacers come in powdered form, so you might need to add some water to make up for the lack of water. I have not tested the recipe with these alternatives, if you have success with any of these let me know!

          Reply
    3. Ronelle says

      August 17, 2021 at 4:29 pm

      I'm really going to try this sound amazing and I luv apples

      Reply
      • Sarah Brooks says

        August 18, 2021 at 9:48 am

        Thanks Ronelle! The apple sauce adds some extra sweetness and structure in place of eggs, but you can't really taste the apples. Its still a delicious carrot cake, especially with the lemon frosting 🙂

        Reply
      • Diana says

        August 02, 2022 at 1:33 am

        Hello, love the recipe, very moist. I less the sugar( raw sugar ) less the oil and I use a grated green apple instead of apple sauce. And put mix nuts on it. Turn out very good. Thank you for sharing❤️

        Reply
        • Sarah Brooks says

          August 02, 2022 at 12:00 pm

          Hi Diana, you're very welcome, I'm so glad you loved it 🙂 Good to know it works well with grated apple instead of apple sauce.

          Reply
    4. Sunelle says

      November 30, 2024 at 8:51 pm

      Hi, I am wanting to bake this for my husband’s birthday this week and just wanted to check - is that two tsp ground nutmeg or should the 2nd tsp be something else?
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Sarah Brooks says

        December 26, 2024 at 8:39 am

        Hi Sunelle, sorry your comment got caught up in cyber space. 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground ginger. Have updated the recipe 🙂

        Reply
    5. Jojo Bella says

      April 05, 2025 at 6:36 am

      This is one of the best cakes I have ever made (that's a lot of cakes to compare with). I added clove powder to the spice mix and swapped some brown sugar for raw honey. Haven't iced it and am eating a corner piece (I used a square 6" tin) with a cup of tea. It took 10 minutes longer so it means the edges are magnificently caramelised and chewy.

      Reply
      • Sarah Brooks says

        May 29, 2025 at 3:05 am

        Hi Jojo, delighted to hear it! Honestly this is why I do this, to help share my love of good food and good recipes with my fellow dessert lovers. The addition of cloves sounds Delicious 🙂 But try it with the lemon icing, gives it a lovely tang.

        Reply
    Slice of eggless carrot cake decorated with lemon icing and pecans on a plate with a vintage fork and the rest of the cake and fresh Dutch carrots in the background and text overlay, eggless carrot cake, KCAEIC.
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    Slice of eggless carrot cake decorated with lemon icing and pecans on a plate with a vintage fork and the rest of the cake and fresh Dutch carrots in the background and text overlay, eggless carrot cake, KCAEIC.

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