Looking for a new twist on carrot cake? This deliciously moist Carrot Poke Cake is loaded with carrots, sultanas, and spices. Topped with cinnamon whipped cream, chopped walnuts, and vegan caramel sauce, this light and creamy cake is the perfect Easter dessert.
This moist and gooey vegan Carrot Poke Cake was a huge hit with my family! A soft and fluffy carrot cake packed with fresh carrots, sultanas and the classic carrot cake spices, then topped with luscious whipped cream, velvety vegan caramel, and crunchy walnuts, the flavour is out of this world!
What is a Poke Cake?
A poke cake is so much more than a standard cake. True to their name, poke cakes are cakes that are baked, then (you guessed it!) poked with the back of a wooden spoon, then filled with a syrup or liquid to add extra flavour and moisture into the cake. Poke cakes are usually topped with whipped cream, cream cheese, or buttercream.
Why you’ll love this Carrot Poke Cake
If you love the taste of carrot cake but want something that is quicker and easier to make, then this carrot poke cake is perfect for you!
bursting with delicious carrot cake flavours
This cake can easily be made gluten-free
It’s completely vegan
It's made with readily available ingredients
You won’t need any fancy baking equipment
This is the moistest carrot cake, wonderful for bake sales and parties. It’s always a crowd favourite.
GET CREATIVE!
I’ve adding typical carrot cake flavours to this carrot poke cake, but you can get creative with additional ingredients. You can add other dried fruits such as cranberries, blueberries or dried chopped apricots, and why not try adding different nuts such as chopped almonds or pecan nuts.
How to store carrot poke cake
For best results, store this cake in the refrigerator to keep it fresh and moist. You can either wrap the baking dish in cling film or transfer leftovers to an airtight container.
Ingredients for carrot poke cake
Flour – I’ve used all-purpose flour for this recipe, but you can use a gluten-free flour alternative if you’d like to make this cake gluten-free.
Ground Almonds – The ground almonds help the cake to stay extra moist, but if you don’t want to use ground almonds, you can replace it with more flour.
Carrots - You'll need around 250g fresh carrots. Make sure to finely grate the carrots so that they're easier to incorporate into the batter.
Sultanas - The sultanas add a lovely texture to the cake. You can substitute the sultanas with other dried fruit such as cranberries or blueberries.
Walnuts - I've used walnuts, but other nuts such as pecans or almonds would also work in this recipe.
Spices - A bit of cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger and allspice will give this carrot poke cake it’s unique flavour.
Baking Powder and baking soda - These additional raising agents will lighten the texture of the cake and will help it to rise better.
Vinegar – can use use either apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. The vinegar acts as leavening agents. So as the batter bakes, these tiny bubbles expand, causing the cake to rise and giving it that light, airy texture we all love.
Brown Sugar - I’ve used light brown sugar for this recipe, but dark brown sugar or coconut sugar can be used as an alternative.
Unsweetened soya Milk - I’ve used soya milk for this recipe, but you could substitute soya milk with other neutral tasting, unsweetened plant-based milks such as oat milk.
Vegetable oil – You’ll need some oil to help combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. If you don’t have vegetable oil, any other neutral oil will work.
Vanilla extract – You’ll need vanilla extract for the cake batter and the whipped cream, so make sure you’ve got plenty on hand!
Condensed milk – You’ll need 1 can of good quality vegan condensed milk to pour on top of the cake.
Icing sugar – icing sugar not only sweetens the cream frosting, but it also helps to thicken it
Vegan Whipping Cream – Make sure to use a vegan whipping cream that stabilizes well. My favourite is the Oatly whipping cream
How to make Carrot Poke Cake
STEP 1:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a 11×7 in rectangle baking tray with butter then set aside. For the cake, whisk together the flour, ground almond, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and spices in a medium bowl. Set aside.
STEP 2:
Combine the vinegar with the soya milk to create a vegan buttercream. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients along with the vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined, then gently fold in carrots and sultanas. Your batter may appear dry at first, but as you combine it with the grated carrots the moisture from the carrots will create an ideal consistency. If your batter still appears too dry, stir in 2-3 tbsp more soya milk. Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes or until a skewer poked into the cake comes out dry.
STEP 3:
Allow the cake to cool down completely in the baking tray, then poke holes in cake using the back of a wooden spoon. Make sure to leave at least 1 inch space between each hole. Combine the condensed milk with the cinnamon, then evenly pour on top of the cake, allowing the condensed milk to seep into the poked holes. Let the cake rest for a few minutes while you prepare the whipped cream.
STEP 4:
To make the whipped cream topping, add the vegan cream, icing sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon to a large bowl. Use a hand mixer to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread evenly over cooled cake, then top with vegan caramel and chopped walnuts.
Notes and Tips
Store poke cake in the fridge in a tightly covered sealed container. Since whipped cream is in the recipe, it needs to be refrigerated.
Be sure that you do not over-mix the cake batter or it can result in a chewy cake.
Allow the cake to cool down completely before spooning the whipped cream on top, if not, you’ll end up with a hot mess.