Easter Without Egg, Dairy, Nut & Gluten-Free Carrot Cake? Unthinkable!
There are so many things I love about Easter. Most important to me is what this holiday means for my faith, but I also adore the traditions that surround this special time of year: time with family, Easter baskets and the seasonal food brings me back to my childhood. And, on the top of that food list... carrot cake. As a little girl, I always loved my mom's carrot cake, but the stars of that delicious show happen to be eggs, cream cheese frosting and lost of nuts. Clearly, this traditional recipe is not one that I was ever going to bring to my own family's table, so you can only imagine how thrilled I was when I discovered one that worked for us.
Enter one of my food allergy superheroes who I've reference many times before, Kelly Rudnicki. Her Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book was the very first allergy-friendly cookbook I ever used, and it literally changed my life. One of my family's favorite recipes out of this treasure is THIS incredible carrot cake. It has become our Easter tradition
My favorite part about this cake has to be the cream cheese frosting... It's hard to believe a dairy-free cream cheese base could yield such a perfect match to the real thing, but let me tell you that it does! And, good news for my gluten-free friends: I've taken the liberty of substituting a gluten-free all-purpose baking mix in this recipe and it really is perfect. You will never miss any of the things this cake comes without.
Here's one special note about an ingredient that some may not be used to - silken tofu. You can find this in the produce section of most grocery stores these days, and it is an excellent replacement for eggs in this recipe. It's soft consistency makes it easy to measure and blend, and it adds the perfect amount of moistness to this cake - so don't be intimidated!
I hope that you will give this gem a try! I promise that if you do, you will never celebrate Easter without it.
Dairy, Egg, Nut & Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup silken tofu
1 cup canola oil
2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I use King Arthur's Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups peeled carrots
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a hand or stand mixer, combine the sugars and tofu in a bowl. Slowly add the oil, continuing to mix until thoroughly combined. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Slowly add dry mixture into the wet ingredients and mix on medium speed. Once well combined, stir in carrots using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish or two 9-inch round cake pans with dairy-free cooking spray (I prefer to make this a layer cake, so I usually opt for the two round pans). Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Frost cake with dairy-free cream cheese frosting once it is completely cooled.
Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cups dairy-free butter (I use Earth Balance, soy-free version)
3/4 cups dairy-free cream cheese (I use Tofutti brand)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Using a hand or stand mixer, cream together dairy-free butter and cream cheese, salt and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix on low for approximately one minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 4-6 additional minutes, or until light and fluffy in texture. Chill frosting for at least 30 minutes before using.
Please click here to learn more about Kelly Rudnicki's Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book cookbook.
