Raw Vegan Paleo Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Maple Cinnamon Cashew Cream

Eat like a rabbit

My family celebrates Easter, and I celebrate any excuse to make treats. And of course I’m always on a mission to satisfy my sweet tooth in a healthier way, using real, whole foods ingredients and as little sugar (never refined of course) as possible. So this weekend, I was back at it. While I love my chocolate, I do like to change things up a bit so I figured what better way to honor the bunny holiday than with the ultimate rabbit food: carrots. Carrot cake was on. 

To be entirely honest, though, I was never a huge fan of carrot cake, and I blame it on the cream cheese frosting. I never liked it, probably because I never liked cream cheese. Which is a little weird, since I always loved cheese itself. And I love creamy food. But cream cheese – no thank you! Same goes for cheesecake – I think I’ve had one slice of cheesecake I truly enjoyed in my entire lifetime. Pass the chocolate cake please.

Anyway, I don’t really do dairy these days, and I knew cashew cream would likely be the solution for a carrot cake compliment. Cashews I could definitely work with, and why not go the extra mile and make these gems not just dairy-free but also raw, refined sugar free, and grain-free. And as it is I’m coming off of a zero sugar, no carb diet, so I was even sparing with the dates to make it as minimally sweetened as possible. But I promise the flavor balance is just right!

So I gathered my ingredients, got out my food processor, and success! Here we have it, taste-tested and approved by my non-vegan, non-raw, sugar-loving family.

Raw Vegan Paleo Carrot Cake Cupcakes

These cupcakes do best made a day in advance and refrigerated overnight. You may also wish to make the cashew cream in advance and refrigerate for a couple of hours before frosting.

Raw Carrot cake cupcake ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups shredded carrots (about 4 medium carrots)
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup pitted dates
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup unsweetened sunflower seed butter (or nut butter of choice)
• 4 tbsp coconut flour
• 1-2 inch piece of ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• generous pinch of salt

Maple cinnamon cashew cream ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup soaked cashews (soak at least 4 hours, up to overnight)
• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 – 1 tsp cinnamon (to taste)

How to make the raw cupcakes:

1. Cut your carrots into sticks so they chop a bit easier. Chop them in the food processor until they’re shredded, but be sure not to chop them too long so they don’t puree.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and mix, scraping the sides with a spatula a few times to ensure even consistency. The result should be a thick dough-like consistency.
3. Fill cupcake liners (I used silicone cupcake molds) about 3/4 full, pressing the cake down. You could also use a cake pan to make a full-sized cake.

How to make the cashew cream:

1. Put your soaked cashews into a food processor and mix until they form a creamy paste.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and mix until thoroughly blended. The result should be a smooth, creamy consistency.
3. Refrigerate for a couple of hours first before frosting for best results, or go ahead and frost your raw vegan cupcakes.
4. Refrigerate overnight before serving for best results.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Enjoy! xx