Cardamom Carrot Cake With Kombucha Frosting

This beautiful carrot cake is simple and incredibly satisfying. Cardamom is added to the batter to give it a bit of spiciness, and the baked cake is moist, tender, and perfectly carrot-full. The frosting is made with coconut oil, cocoa butter, tangy kombucha, and plenty of powdered sugar – a unique and delicious twist!

CARDAMOM CARROT CAKE WITH KOMBUCHA FROSTING [VEGAN]

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CAKE:

• 5 1/4 cups carrots, grated
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed plus 3/4 cup warm water
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cardamom
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 cup cane sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, sucanat, or coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup melted coconut oil

FOR THE FROSTING:

• 3/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup cocoa butter
• 10 tablespoons plain kombucha
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar

PREPARATION

TO MAKE THE CAKE:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 6-inch cake pans.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together flax and warm water and set aside to thicken.
3. In a separate large bowl, mix together flour, spices, salt, soda, and baking powder.
4. Add both sugars, applesauce, and vanilla to the flax mixture and stir to combine. With mixer running, stream in melted coconut oil until emulsified. Add dry ingredients and mix to barely combine, then stir in grated carrots.
5. Divide the dough evenly between the prepared pans and bake for around 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool fully before frosting.

TO MAKE THE FROSTING:

1. Prep the ‘butter’ by heating the coconut oil and cocoa butter over a double boiler until fully melted together, then cool to solid. This step can be done the night before.
2. Soften the butter either at room temperature or in 10-second increments in the microwave, just until it is soft enough to hold a fingerprint when you press it.
3. In an electric mixer, cream the butter until it is fluffy and no hard bits remain. Scrape the edges of the bowl. Add in 2 tablespoons of kombucha and 1 cup of powdered sugar and stir until fully combined. Continue adding in sugar and kombucha until it reaches a buttercream-like consistency (or to your liking), remembering to the scrape the sides of the bowl after each addition. Keep the frosting at room temperature before using. Decorate as usual/desired.

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/cardamom-carrot-cake-with-kombucha-frosting/