Carrot Halwa Cake

Carrot halwa cake is a fusion recipe that uses traditional Indian dessert (Gajar Halwa which is a cardamom scented carrot fudge like dessert) because the topping for a flavorful cake. It has such an incredible mixture of flavors and textures! Glutenfree option

Carrot halwa is an Indian dessert made with shredded carrots cooked down with sugar and milk. They caramelize into this amazing, roasted carrot flavor. It is commonly flavored cardamom, and it has some roasted nuts and raisins in it. 

Carrot Halwa is generally made in springtime with the primary crop of juicy, red carrots. Red carrots are generally not easily available here, so I find yourself using orange. But for those who can find some red carrots, they’re amazing. You too can use a combination of the orange and purple carrots, which also works amazingly for this carrot halwa cake.

For the cake, we cook the shredded carrots with slightly little bit of cardamom, lime zest, and maple syrup until they are only al dente, after which we add it to the cake. This helps the carrots cook and caramelize when baking for the delicious caramelized flavor and texture.

Should you add the carrots on to the cake, they do get cooked, but they’ll have more of a steamed carrot form of flavor. So I highly recommend cooking the carrots before adding to the cake batter. 

Why You’ll Love Carrot Halwa Cake

• carrot cake flavors you like with layers of incredible Indian dessert flavors
• sweet, spiced carrots have an incredible, roasted flavor!
• easy to make with nut-free and gluten-free options

More Vegan Carrot Cake Recipes

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Carrot Halwa Cake

Carrot halwa cake is a fusion carrot cake recipe that uses a standard Indian dessert -Gajar Halwa(Indian carrot fudge) because the topping for a flavorful cake. It has such an incredible mixture of flavors and textures! Glutenfree option

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Cooling Time20 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian Fusion

Servings: 8

Calories: 201kcal

Creator: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the Caramelized Carrots

• 1 tablespoon vegan butter
• 3 cups (384 g) shredded carrots (About three and a half cups of chopped carrots, for those who’re going to shred them )
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon lime zest

For the Dry Ingredients

• 1 1/2 (1.5 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (59.15 g) almond flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

For the Spices

• 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon each of ground nutmeg, cloves, and allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon lime zest

For the Wet Ingredients

• 1 cup (236.59 ml) non-dairy milk similar to almond, soy, cashew, oat milk
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal mixed with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water
• 1/3 cup (73.33 g) brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla powder

To Top the Carrots

• 2 tablespoons raw cashews or roasted, unsalted cashews
• 2 tablespoons raisins soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
• 1/2 teaspoon oil optional

Instructions

Cook the carrots.

• In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the carrots and blend well. Cook for two to three minutes, then add within the maple syrup, almond flour, cardamom, lime zest, and an excellent pinch of salt and blend very well. Proceed to cook until the carrots are cooked or somewhat al dente. Stir occasionally. It will take anywhere from 6 to eight minutes.

Let the carrots cool whilst you make the cake batter.

• In a bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients and put aside.

• In one other bowl, add the wet ingredients (that’s the milk, flax egg, sugar, oil, and vanilla) and blend very well. Then add in half of the flour mixture. Mix that in, after which add the remainder of the flour mixture. Proceed to combine until you get a smooth batter. The batter can be barely thick, like muffin batter. It mustn’t be overly flowy. Whether it is, add in 1 to 2 tablespoons more flour. If it is simply too thick, you then can add in a tablespoon of nondairy milk.

• Fold 1/3 of the cooked shredded carrots into the batter and add in half of the drained, soaked raisins. Line an 8- or 9- inch cake pan with parchment paper and pour the batter into the pan. Even it out with a spatula, and top the cake with the remaining shredded carrots, distributing them evenly.

• Then, toss your cashews within the oil so that they’re coated well, and sprinkle that on top of the carrot mixture. Put the raisins on top of the carrot mixture, as well. Press the cashews and raisins into the batter and into the carrot mixture, ensuring they don’t seem to be coming out of the mixture. Otherwise, they are going to are likely to burn.

Bake the cake.

• Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 30 to 40 minutes. The baking time will depend on your cake pan, your oven, the peak of the cake and so forth. Cover the pan with parchment after the primary quarter-hour of baking, in order that the cashews and raisins do not get too brown.

• Check in after half-hour with a toothpick in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, that’s when the cake is finished. Then take it out of the oven and let the cake cool for 10 to quarter-hour, then transfer it from the pan onto a cooling rack or your cake serving stand and let it cool for one more couple of minutes.

• You possibly can serve this cake as is, or add easy sugar icing or a drizzle of my cream cheese frosting. I often drizzle the cake with 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons of water, after which just drizzle all of that over, in order that the cake stays moist and the highest stays moist, as well.

• Store and Reheat: Let the cake cool for one more couple of minutes, then slice and serve or store in a closed container once it’s completely cool within the fridge for as much as 4 days. You too can freeze slices of carrot halwa cake. Reheat within the microwave for five to 10 seconds if it’s refrigerated. Whether it is frozen, then microwave for 20 seconds, then check after which microwave again for 20 seconds and so forth until the cake is warmed through.

Notes

Nut-free, omit the cashews, omit the almond flour from the caramelized carrots, and omit the almond flour from the cake mixture. Add 2 tablespoons more flour to the cake batter.
Should you don’t like cardamom, just use extra cinnamon as a substitute.
To make this gluten-free, use a combination of three/4 cup almond flour, 3/4 cup oat flour, and 1/3 cup potato starch. Mix very well and use rather than the 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. Then add only 2 tablespoons more almond flour as a substitute of 1/4 cup, and as a substitute of the 1 cup nondairy milk, use 3/4 cup nondairy milk and 1/4 cup of club soda or carbonated water.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Carrot Halwa Cake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 201
Calories from Fat 99

% Every day Value*

Fat 11g17%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 198mg9%

Potassium 344mg10%

Carbohydrates 25g8%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 16g18%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 8086IU162%

Vitamin C 3mg4%

Calcium 131mg13%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Every day Values are based on a 2000 calorie weight loss plan.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• vegan butter – Gives the caramelized carrots such a fantastic flavor!
• shredded carrots – That is the bottom for the carrot halwa. You possibly can shred at home or buy them pre-shredded.
• maple syrup – For sweetness.
• almond flour – Adds texture and flavor to the carrots and to the cake batter.
• cardamom – That is traditional when making carrot halwa. You should use cinnamon as a substitute, for those who don’t like cardamom.
• lime zest – Adds zing to the carrots and to the cake batter.
• all-purpose flour – That is the bottom in your cake batter. See recipe notes for a gluten-free option using more almond flour.
• baking powder and baking soda – Help the cake rise and maintain shape.
• spices – Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice make a tremendous spiced cake!
• non-dairy milk – Moistens the cake batter.
• flax egg – Flax meal mixed with water helps the batter hold together because the cake bakes.
• sugar – Sweetens the cake.
• oil – Adds moisture and texture.
• vanilla – Deepens the cake’s flavor.
• cashews and soaked raisins – These are toppings for the cake, adding elements of carrot halwa

Suggestions

• Mix up the flax egg whenever you first start cooking, so it can have time to thicken up.
• The batter must be barely thinner than muffin batter. If it’s too thin, add more flour. If it’s too thick, add more non-dairy milk.
• Make certain that you press the cashews and raisins into the carrot mixture when topping. In the event that they’re protruding, they will burn and/or turn hard.
• Your cake is prepared when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Start checking on the 30-minute mark.

Find out how to Make Carrot Halwa Cake

Cook the carrots first.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the carrots and blend well. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then add within the maple syrup, almond flour, cardamom, lime zest, and an excellent pinch of salt and blend very well.

Proceed to cook until the carrots are cooked or somewhat al dente. Stir occasionally. It will take anywhere from six to eight minutes. 

Let the carrots cool whilst you make the cake batter. In a bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients and put aside.

In one other bowl, add the wet ingredients (that’s the milk, flax egg, sugar, oil, and vanilla) and blend very well.

Then add in half of the flour mixture.

Mix that in, after which add the remainder of the flour mixture. Proceed to combine until you get a smooth batter.

The batter can be barely thick, like muffin batter. It mustn’t be overly flowy. Whether it is, add in a single to 2 tablespoons more flour. If it is simply too thick, you then can add in a tablespoon of nondairy milk. 

Fold 1/3 of the cooked shredded carrots into the batter and add in half of the drained, soaked raisins.

Line an eight- or nine-inch cake pan with parchment paper and pour the batter into the pan.

Even it out with a spatula, and top the cake with the remaining shredded carrots, distributing them evenly.

Then, toss your cashews within the oil so that they’re coated well, and spread them on top of the carrot mixture.

Put the raisins on top of the carrot mixture, as well. Press the cashews and raisins into the carrot mixture, ensuring they’re not coming out of the mixture. Otherwise, they are going to are likely to burn. 

Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 30 to 40 minutes. The baking time will depend on your cake pan, your oven, the peak of the cake and so forth.

Cover the pan with parchment after the primary quarter-hour of baking, in order that the cashews and raisins don’t get too brown. 

Check in after half-hour with a toothpick in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, that’s when the cake is finished.

Then take it out of the oven and let the cake cool for 10 to quarter-hour, then transfer it from the pan onto a cooling rack or your cake serving stand and let it cool for one more couple of minutes.

You possibly can serve this cake as is, or add easy sugar icing or a drizzle of my cream cheese frosting.

I often drizzle the cake with 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons of water, after which just drizzle all of that over, in order that the cake stays moist and the highest stays moist, as well.

Let the cake cool for one more couple of minutes, then slice and serve or store in a closed container once it’s completely cool within the fridge for as much as 4 days. You too can freeze slices of carrot halwa cake.

Reheat within the microwave for five to 10 seconds if it’s refrigerated. Whether it is frozen, then microwave for 20 to 25 seconds, then check after which microwave again for 20 seconds and so forth until the cake is warmed through. 

Ceaselessly Asked Questions