Did you know that an average store bought carrot cake can have up to 6 cups of white sugar?! Wow that’s a lot! Do we really need all that sugar?!
White sugar may increase your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. It is also linked to a higher likelihood of depression, dementia, liver disease, and certain types of cancer.
In this cake I’ve used dates instead of white sugar. Dates are a fruit of the date palm tree and are a source of fructose, a natural type of sugar found in fruit. Dates are high in fiber and high in disease-fighting antioxidants.
Did you know that – a wrinkled skin indicates that dates are dried, whereas a smoother skin indicates freshness.
I adapted the recipe for this lovely carrot cake from the Forks over Knives website – with certain changes to suit my taste!

Vegan and Gluten Free Carrot Cake
Equipment
- Blender
- Baking tray 20cm x 20cm
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients:
- 500 ml plant based milk
- 130 g dates
- 15 g raisins
- 120 g banana mashed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 225 g oat flour Finely blended oats work just fine
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ cup shredded carrots
- 45 g chopped walnuts prepare some extra for decoration
- 2 tsp goji berries prepare some extra for decoration
Icing Ingredients:
- 100 g dates
- 100 g cashews
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- water for soaking
Instructions
Making Date Mixture for the cake:
- In a bowl combine plant based milk, dates, raisins, mashed banana and vanilla extract. Let it stand for 15 minute and blend until smooth.
Making the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C
- In a large bowl combine oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and nutmeg.
- Add the date mixture to the oat mixture and stir until combined.
- Gently mix in the carrots, walnuts and goji berries.
- Transfer the batter to the baking pan and bake for 40 minutes.
Making the Icing:
- Combine the dates, cashews and vanilla extract in a bowl, add enough water to cover the mixture. Leave it for 45 minutes until dates and cashews are soft, blend until smooth, If it's too dry add a little bit of water to make it blend easier.
- Place the icing on the cake and decorate it with walnuts and goji berries.
Video
Notes
References:
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/refined-sugar#processing
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-dates#TOC_TITLE_HDR_6
Disclaimer: no content of this post should be used as a substitute for direct medical advice.