SERVES 12 TO 14
File this one under “happens to be vegan”—it’s not what’s missing that you’ll remember, but what’s there in spades: big flavor. Ground flaxseed, which often stands in for eggs in vegan dessert recipes, helps give the cake a lift, and vegetable oil—not to mention a whole pound of grated carrots—makes it super moist and tender. There’s something about the simplicity of a sheet cake—here frosted with a vegan version of our irresistible cream cheese frosting—that makes every celebration just a little bit sweeter.
1 cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
2¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ cup ground flaxseed
1 cup sugar
½ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1 pound carrots, scrubbed, trimmed, and grated on large holes of a box grater (3¼ cups)
¾ cup chopped toasted walnuts
½ cup golden raisins
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting (here)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan, then line with two strips of parchment paper that fit the pan both vertically and horizontally, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides, and generously grease the parchment.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the ground flaxseed and ¾ cup water, then add the sugars and beat for 1 minute. With the mixer running, add the oil in a slow stream and beat until blended. Slowly add the flour mixture, beating until blended. Using a spatula, stir in the carrots, walnuts, and raisins until incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until it springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool the cake completely in the pan on a wire rack and frost with vegan cream cheese frosting. Cut into squares to serve.