Vegan CBD Carrot Cake: a Pumpkin-Free Fall Edible, Any Time of the Year
If you typically get your CBD through edibles, it can be easy to get tired of the storebought stuff; no matter how tasty gummies can be, we all want a change every now and then!
If you’re ready for a CBD edible that’s truly unique, brings the flavors of fall any time of the year, and leaves out the pumpkin spice, this vegan carrot cake is just for you!
Tips for Vegan CBD Carrot Cake:
- For the CBD dosing of this cake, we went with 300 mg of CBD oil, but this can be changed with your own preference, and we strongly encourage readers to go with a dosage that works for them. This cake is also delicious CBD-free, and requires no further alteration if this is chosen.
- A great general tip for cakes: don’t overmix your batter! Only mix your batter to ensure that everything is combined, as overdoing it will result in a very dense, non-fluffy cake.
- For a carrot cake with a tender, even consistency, make sure to grate your carrots as finely as possible.
- Another general cake tip: don’t frost your cake until it’s completely cooled. A freshly baked cake is incredibly soft, so it can fall apart easily if you attempt to frost it. Alternatively, the heat of the cake can cause your frosting to melt.
Vegan CBD Carrot Cake Recipe
For the frosting, we used a vegan buttercream made with macadamia and cashew nuts, but this cake is just as delicious plain, or with a dollop of vegan whipped cream upon serving.
Ingredients:
For the Vegan Carrot Cake:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 ½ cups grated carrot
- 1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed with 6 tbsp water)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) coconut oil, mixed with 300 mg CBD oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup (100g) chopped walnuts (optional)
For the Macadamia Buttercream Frosting:
- ½ cup raw macadamia nuts, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup raw cashews soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup almond or coconut milk
- ¼ cup agave nectar or maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Grease two 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- Add the brown sugar and finely grated carrots
- Prepare the flax eggs: mix together the flaxseed meal with 6 tbsp water, allowing the mixture to sit for a minute until it slightly thickens.
- Meanwhile, add the oil & CBD mixture, vanilla, and vinegar to the mixture before adding the flax eggs.
- Allow the mixture to sit for 2-5 minutes so that the moisture from the carrots release.
- Mix everything together to combine.
- Optional: add chopped walnuts to the batter, and lightly stir to distribute them.
- Divide the batter into the two cake tins.
- Place in the ovens and bake for 30 minutes.
- While the cakes are baking, prepare the frosting.
- To make the frosting, combine all of the ingredients for the frosting into a food processor or high speed blender.
- Blend for 1-2 minutes, periodically scraping down the sides, until the mixture becomes completely smooth.
- Place the frosting in the fridge and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- To test the cake’s doneness, insert a toothpick into the batter. If it comes out clean, your cakes are ready.
- Allow the cake to cool completely. Once the cake is cool and the frosting has chilled, frost the cake.
- Sprinkle crushed walnuts on top of the cake and serve.