Happy Easter! I hope everyone is staying safe indoors this holiday. While this is definitely not a typical Easter for my friends and family, I am happy that I was able to do some baking this morning. Carrot cakes on Easter have become a tradition in my house. They are sweet and earthy. I love to spice mine up with extra ginger and cinnamon to contrast with the rich buttercream frosting. This year, I decided to make my usual cake into whoopie pies! A little piece of home to keep my family in Maine in my heart! These small treats were also perfect to deliver to my friends that were unable to travel home this holiday! Don’t worry- this was all done from a safe distance. I hope you enjoy this recipe and have a happy Easter!
Prep Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Difficulty: Medium
Ingredients:
Carrot Cakes:
2 tbsp Ground Flax Seed
6 tbsp Warm Water
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 ½ tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 ½ tsp Cinnamon
1 ½ tsp Ginger
1 ½ tsp Nutmeg
½ tsp Salt
½ cup Vegan Butter (room temperature)
½ cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
½ cup Cane Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 ½ cups Grated Carrots
½ cup Crushed Walnuts
½ cup Diced Dates
Frosting:
½ cup Vegan Butter (room temperature)
2 cups Confectioners Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
2 tbsp Unsweetened Almond Milk
Directions:
Make the Carrot Cakes:
- In a small bowl, mix warm water and flax seed to create a “flax egg”. Allow mixture to sit for about 10 minutes.
- While “flax egg” is setting, add all dry ingredients to a separate bowl. Mix well.
- In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter, sugars, and vanilla until creamy.
- Add the “flax egg” to the butter mixture and beat until well combined.
- Add dry ingredient mixture to the stand up mixture about ½ cup at a time and beat until well combined.
- Remove the mixing bowl from the standing mixer and fold in carrots, walnuts, and dates.
- Allow batter to set in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Once the batter has set, preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a small cookie scoop (approx. 1 tbsp in size), scoop batter into small balls and place on parchment paper. Allow 2 inches of space between each scoop.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown; the tops should spring back when touched.
- Allow carrot cakes to cool completely before frosting.
Make the Frosting:
- Cream butter with a mixer.
- Add confectioner’s sugar, almond milk, and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Using the same cookie scoop used to measure the carrot cake batter, scoop frosting onto the flat side of the cooled carrot cake. Sandwich with another carrot cake flat side down.
Enjoy!
