This Eggless Carrot Cake recipe makes a delicious and tender cake every time. Whole wheat carrot cake is a slightly healthy(ish) dessert that features a wonderful lightly sweet flavor and a decadent, moist crumb. Follow my easy instructions with step-by-step photos to prepare a fantastic tea time delight, dessert, or even breakfast treat.
Table of Contents
About This Carrot Cake
This classic recipe for carrot cake is naturally a slightly healthy dessert option, thanks to the fresh and nutritious carrots that give the cake it’s signature sweet flavor. I’ve perfected this carrot cake recipe that’s made with whole wheat flour and skips the cream cheese icing that’s sometimes included in the US.
I’ve tested and tasted several versions to get just the right taste and texture you know and love in a carrot cake, but without any eggs needed. The cake is slightly dense owing to the nature of whole wheat flour but it tastes great and you won’t complain.
As it turns out, a combination of sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, and sunflower oil creates a cake batter that’s moist and slightly fluffy. Exactly what you want in the best egg free carrot cake made with whole wheat flour!
In fact, the first perfect version of eggless cake I created was this Wheat Cake Recipe. It’s so wonderfully light and soft, I figured I’d try it as a base for making a simple carrot cake. Give both of these recipes a try and I’m sure your whole family will love trying to decide which is their favorite.
How to make Eggless Carrot Cake
Preparation
1. First rinse and then peel 190 to 200 grams of carrots, or 1 to 2 large carrots. Use a fine grater to grate them into a bowl. You should have approximately 1 cup of grated carrots.
2. Grease a loaf pan very well with oil. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes.
Sifting dry ingredients
3. In a sieve over a bowl, add 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour (180 grams). If you prefer you can use all-purpose flour instead.
4. Then add 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 pinch of salt, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder, ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg powder and ½ teaspoon of ginger powder.
You can skip nutmeg and/or ginger powder, but I recommend using at least the cinnamon for that signature carrot cake flavor.
5. Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl. Set the bowl aside.
Mixing liquid ingredients
6. In another bowl add 1 can (400 grams or 14 oz.) of sweetened condensed milk. For a more sweet cake, you can also add 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar.
7. Then add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
8. Pour in ¼ cup of sunflower oil or olive oil, or other neutral-tasting oil.
9. Add ½ cup of milk, either chilled or at room temperature.
10. Now use a wire whisk to briskly blend the wet ingredients for 1 to 2 minutes. You should have a smooth mixture.
11. Now add the grated carrots to the mixed liquid ingredients.
12. Mix again well.
Making eggless carrot cake batter
13. Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl with the sifted dry ingredients.
14. Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. To see how folding is done, you can watch my youtube video – Eggless Banana Bread.
15. Use light pressure and fold well. Do not over do the folding. The batter should have volume and should not fall flat or become dense and thick.
It should have a pouring consistency. You can add ¼ cup of milk more if the batter looks doughy or too thick.
16. Pour the cake batter in the prepared pan.
17. Gently shake and tap the pan so that the cake batter spreads evenly in the pan and any air bubbles are removed.
Baking eggless carrot cake
18. Place the loaf pan on the center rack in the preheated oven. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 35 to 45 minutes.
If using a regular oven or an OTG then heat only the bottom heating element (do not heat the top element – use bake option in the OTGs available in India).
Since temperatures vary from oven to oven, bake time may be different than what is mentioned here.
19. After 20 to 25 minutes, carefully cover the top of the pan with aluminium foil. Since condensed milk is used, this cake can get browned on top quickly.
20. Continue to bake until the carrot cake is done and a wooden skewer comes out clean.
21. Place the cake pan on a wired rack to cool for at least 15-20 minutes.
22. Once the cake cools down, use a butter knife to loosen the edges. Invert the cake on a chopping board.
23. Then slice the eggless carrot cake and serve. Leftover cake can be easily refrigerated.
24. Serve eggless carrot cake as a tea time sweet or as a dessert.
Serving Suggestions
This eggless carrot cake keeps well for up to two weeks in the refrigerator, making it the perfect cake to have in the fridge for whenever you need a sweet treat. Keep wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container, and simply take out the cake and slice however many servings you need for tea time or dessert.
Although I prefer my whole wheat carrot cake plain as-is, you certainly can add a frosting if you like. The sweet carrots and warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger flavors make it perfect to top with a classic cream cheese icing, chocolate frosting, or simple sugar glaze. Choose whichever you want to turn this delicious treat into an ultra-decadent dessert.
Variations
The combination of fresh carrots and sweetened condensed milk make this cake sweet on its own. However, if you want an even sweeter dessert you can add a few tablespoons of granulated sugar to the dry ingredients when preparing the recipe.
The whole wheat flour used in this recipe is a healthy alternative to all-purpose flour, but it does give the cake a slight dense consistency. If you prefer a fluffier eggless carrot cake, feel free to use all-purpose flour instead.
Carrot Cake – Expert Tips & FAQs
Yes, you can prepare this recipe using a microwave oven in convection mode only. Preheat the microwave oven to 170 degrees Celsius (330 degree Fahrenheit) and bake as per the recipe below.
Absolutely! Grease a muffin tin or line with paper cups before adding the cake batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, as muffins tend to bake faster than a full cake. Cover the muffins with foil if needed halfway through the baking and continue to bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Yes, add ¼ cup of finely chopped nuts of your choice when you are folding the batter. Raw or toasted walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, pistachios are great options. You can even add seeds like sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. Raisins are also great in this eggless carrot cake.
Use coconut cream in place of condensed milk. To make up for the sweetness of the sweetened condensed milk, add a ½ to ¾ cup (depending on how sweet you want the cake) of raw sugar to the dry ingredients before mixing.
If you want to make an eggless carrot cake recipe you can prepare as a vegan version with coconut cream and sugar as mentioned above. However, the sweetened condensed milk really does create the best texture and taste.
Feel free to substitute the sunflower oil with olive oil, another neutral oil you like, or melted butter.
More Popular Eggless Cakes!
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Carrot Cake (Eggless & with Whole Wheat Flour)
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour (leveled) or 180 grams
- 1.5 teaspoons levelled baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder (ground cinnamon)
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder (ground or grated nutmeg) – optional
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder (ground ginger)
Wet ingredients
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk or 400 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk – chilled or at room temperature
- ¼ cup sunflower oil – use neutral tasting oil or olive oil
- 1 cup finely grated carrots or 190 to 200 grams carrots or 1 large delhi red carrot
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse, peel and finely grate the carrot.
- Grease a loaf pan very well with oil. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes.
Sifting dry ingredients
- In a sieve, take all the dry ingredients mentioned above.
- Sift and keep aside.
Mixing liquid ingredients
- In another bowl pour sweetened condensed milk. For a more sweet cake you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar.
- Add vanilla extract, sunflower oil and milk.
- With a wired whisk begin to stir and mix the wet ingredients briskly for 1 to 2 minutes to a smooth mixture.
- Now add the grated carrots to the mixed liquid ingredients. Mix again well.
Making cake batter
- Pour the liquid ingredients in the sifted dry ingredients.
- With a spatula using cut and fold technique, fold the dry ingredients in the wet ingredients.
- Use light pressure from hand and fold well. Also do note, not to over do the folding. The batter should have volume and should not fall flat or become dense and thick. It should have a pouring consistency.
- Pour the cake batter in the prepared pan.
- Gently shake and tap the pan so that the cake batter spreads evenly in the pan.
Baking carrot cake
- Place loaf pan on the center rack in the preheated oven. Bake at 180 degrees celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) for 35 to 45 minutes. If using an OTG then heat only the bottom heating element. Since temperatures vary from oven to oven, the time taken will be less or more than what is mentioned here.
- After 20 to 25 minutes, cover the top of the pan with an aluminium foil. Since condensed milk is used, this cake can get browned quickly from the top.
- Continue to bake until the carrot cake is done and a bamboo skewer comes out clean.
- Place the cake pan on a wired tray to cool.
- Once the cake becomes warm or cools down, then with a butter knife loosen the edges. Invert the cake on a chopping board.
- Then slice the cake. Leftover cake can be easily refrigerated.
- Serve eggless carrot cake as tea time sweet or as a dessert.
Notes
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This eggless carrot cake recipe post from the archives (Jan 2018) has been republished and updated on 1 June 2021.
