Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

One of Sandy’s favorite desserts is carrot cake. I would be more than happy to whip one up for her….especially one as easy as this.  The other day I saw a carrot cake mix by Simply Organic and wondered if it would be a flavorful stand-in for a homemade rendition.  When I turned the box over in the store to see how difficult it would be to veganize, there was a recipe for making the Carrot Cake vegan using applesauce, right on the back of the box. Sold!   You sucked me in Simply Organic, by putting it out there and giving me the vegan variation right on the box. Simply Organic also uses Fair Trade Certified ingredients.  I like this about a company when they have a conscience about the environment, community and families.  Learn more about Fair Trade Certified  here.

As I was mixing the ingredients together I said to Sandy, “I will probably add more spice to it to make it really flavorful.” When I tasted the batter, it was perfect the way it was. Very nice.  I added 1/4 C  golden raisins into the batter because carrots and raisins are such good friends.  Next, I looked for a cream cheese frosting recipe, so I could top this delicious cake in a manner in which it deserved.  I found  the perfect one on the All Recipes website and veganized it and halved the quantity because the carrot cake batch was smaller than what the frosting recipe would have covered.

Bakers Notes: Instead of using an 8 or 9 inch round pan, I used my bar pan which makes individual, square cake or cookie bars. I also thought it would be fun to make mini muffins or muffin tops.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Found on AllRecipes.com and veganized by S. Duquet

Ingredients

1  8oz container of non-dairy cream cheese  (Tofutti) at room temp

1/4 C non-dairy butter (I used Earth Balance) at room temp

1/2-3/4 C sifted confectioner’s sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 C chopped pecans (for garnish)

Make it Happen:

In medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter until creamy, mix in the vanilla and gradually add the sugar.  I used my hand mixer to help the process along. The non-dairy cream cheese seemed to make the frosting a bit more watery in texture than it’s dairy counterpart, so I put it in the freezer to firm up for about 25 minutes before I piped it onto the cakes.  For a final touch, I sprinkled chopped pecans on top of each cake. What would carrot cake be without some type of nutty garnish?

Simply Organic’s carrot cake mix is a great option when you don’t have the time to make this carroty confection from scratch.  It was as easy to make as a bowl of oatmeal and infinitely more exciting. The finished cake was incredibly moist with a delectable thin and crispy outer layer. The spiced flavor was enough to tempt any palate.It was a boxed cake mix unlike any I have ever used.  Can’t wait to pull it out of the pantry the next time I need a show stopper dessert  in significantly less than an hour.

Have a delicious day.

Simply Organic image courtesy of VeganEssentials.com

Tags: compassionate eating, dairy free, Fair Trade Certified, going veg, plant based diet, plant strong, Simply Organic, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, vegan cake, vegan carrot cake, vegan cream cheese frosting, vegan dessert, vegan experience, vegan wannabe