Raw Vegan Carrot Cake Bars
Raw Vegan Carrot Cake Bars
Surprise your friends & family this holiday season with these delicious raw vegan carrot cake bars. The bars have a coconut carrot walnut base with a cashew cream cheese topping and a full of nutritious ingredients and anti inflammatory spices.
One slice of carrot cake has about 360 calories (which most ingredients are empty calories) meaning they have little to no nutritional value but contribute to excess calories and weight gain. The typical American diet is full of processed foods containing empty calories with high amounts of fat, sugar and salt. Although carrot cake may sound healthy, carrots are not the only ingredients in the cake. The typical carrot cake has high amounts of granulated sugar, vegetable oil, and white flour.
One of my passions over the years has became taking recipes that are full of empty calories and turning them into REAL food recipes with high nutritional value.
This raw carrot cake takes about 30 minutes to put together with an overnight freeze and can be made in advance and left in the freezer for up to two weeks.
You will need:
Carrot cake base
2 cups of carrots (buy shredded for a faster prep or peel shred on cheese grater)
1.5 cups of walnuts
10-12 pited medjool dates
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1.4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp sea salt
Cashew Frosting
1.4 cups cashews (soaked for at least 30 minutes and rinsed/ drained)
3 tbsp real maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
juice of one lemon + 1/4 tsp zest from lemon
pinch of sea salt
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/8 cup water or coconut milk milk.
To make:
For the base… prep carrots and set aside.
In a food processor pulse pitted dates then add walnuts and pulse again.
Add coconut, carrots, spices, and pulse a few times until combined. Do not blend on low or high, just pulse so the carrots and coconut flakes stay more intact and bind the ingredients together. This should be about 3 or 5 of four second pulses.
Once combined, take carrot cake base and smooth it over a 6-6 pan lined with parchment paper. Move onto the frosting while the base sits in the freezer for 10 minutes.
For the frosting… Combine all frosting ingredients in a high speed blender. Pour over carrot cake base and smooth.
Optional: Top with walnuts, coconut flakes, or chopped raisons
Freeze over night, cut into squares, and defrost 1 hour before serving. Best if defrosted in the fridge.
