A delicious moist carrot cake topped with a fruity glaze and decorated with mandarin oranges.

This moist and lovely carrot cake is graced with the flavor of maple syrup and studded with juicy raisins. Instead of the usual creamy frosting, it’s topped with a tangy, fruity glaze decorated with canned mandarin oranges. They sparkle like jewels, calling everyone to have a piece.

Ingredients

• 2-½ cups/325 g whole-wheat pastry flour
• ¼ cup/50 g Sucanat or granular palm sugar
• 1 tbsp grated orange zest
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¾ cup/180 ml nondairy milk
• 2 tsp egg replacer, such as Ener-G
• ¾ cup/180 ml maple syrup
• ½ cup/120 ml canola oil
• 2 cups/220 g grated carrots
• 1 cup/170 g raisins

For the glaze

• ¼ cup/60 ml orange juice concentrate
• 3 tbsp agave syrup
• 1 tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch
• ½ cup/120 ml fruit sweetened marmalade
• 10 oz/280 g canned mandarin oranges (packed in water), drained and patted dry

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/gas 4. Oil a 10-in/25-cm springform pan.

2 In a large bowl, combine the flour, Sucanat, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and whisk until well mixed.

3 In a medium bowl, whisk the nondairy milk and egg replacer together until smooth and frothy.

4 Whisk in the maple syrup and canola oil. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the carrots and raisins.

5 Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it in an even layer.

6 Bake for 1 hour, until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and dry.

7 Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen the cake. Remove the sides of the springform pan and place the cake, still on the bottom of the springform pan, on a cake plate.
 
To make the glaze
1 In a small saucepan, combine the orange juice concentrate, agave syrup, and arrowroot starch and whisk until smooth and thoroughly combined.

2 Whisk in the marmalade, then put the pan over medium heat and cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture boils and thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

3 Put 3 tbsp of the glaze in a bowl, add the mandarin oranges, and stir gently until evenly coated.

4 Spread the remainder of the glaze over the cake and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.

5 Arrange the orange sections on top of the cake and refrigerate again. Serve chilled. Stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, the cake will keep for about 1 week.

Serves 12
 

 
BUY THIS BOOK
Excerpted from Sweet & Easy Vegan: Treats Made with Whole Grains and Natural Sweeteners by Robin Asbell. Copyright © 2012. Photography by Joseph De Leo. Excerpted with permission from Chronicle Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.