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Carrot Cake with Maple Cashew Frosting

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One of my main goals, after just keeping the girls alive, is to get them to have an extremely versatile palate when it comes to food.  I want them growing up and constantly tasting new things, challenging their senses, and grow up loving all types of different things. This Carrot Cake with Maple Cashew Frosting was something that I would have never touched at their age. I wouldn’t have even touched it as a high school student. But yet, here we are, making this carrot cake together as a great brunch dessert for Easter, and my kid’s gobbled it up.

Think about it…growing up, you weren’t touching Aunt Sally’s carrot cake when you saw real carrots in the cake. Who’s eating that? I barely ate the vegetables on my plate, really only because I was forced too, yet here we are and you think You’re going to be able to get me to eat some?  You must have lost your mind. 

But seriously, a lot of us didn’t/don’t eat carrot cake.

I don’t actually recall the first time I did try a carrot cake, but I remember being like DOH. Why did I never have this before, it’s actually really good!

Our homemade version carrot cake from scratch is insanely easy to make and our girls loved licking the beaters clean. It was my favorite thing to do as a kid and I love sharing in their joy as they do it now (Andrew, however, thinks we are nuts because he was never allowed to do it growing up). The only downside is that I don’t get one for myself anymore.


The baby is really getting involved more in the kitchen and it’s absolutely adorable to see her excitement as she stirs and mixes things together. There’s no greater feeling than watching the joy on your child’s face. I love that she’s learning at such a young age also.

Tip Time!

The carrot cake recipe is super easy to make. We make it a bit healthier by subbing in applesauce instead of using oil, which does make for a denser cake.  If you aren’t a fan of that, definitely try making it with coconut oil instead.

Always fold in your carrots.  You don’t want these being mixed earlier because they will stick to the beaters and become super annoying. Trust me from experience. 

Always make your frosting ahead of time.  It takes awhile to make maple cashew frosting, as the cashews need to soak in water, so don’t wait!

One of my favorite cake tips to share is that as soon as your cake is cool enough to touch, but still very warm, take plastic wrap and wrap up the cake. Then put in the freezer until completely cooled.  This allows for all the steam to stay trapped inside the cake, allowing for a very moist cake.

The blend of homemade carrot cake mixed in with the maple cashew frosting is such an amazing combination.  We can’t wait to eat it again!

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Carrot Cake with Maple Cashew Frosting
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 cups shredded carrots
  • 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Maple Cashew Frosting
  • 2 cup cashews
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp pink salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9 pan with coconut oil.
  3. In a large bowl, mix sugar, applesauce, vanilla, and eggs for 30 seconds.
  4. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  5. Beat for 1 minute.
  6. Fold in carrots and nuts.
  7. Pour into greased pan.
  8. Cook 30-40 minutes
  9. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan, cool completely.
Maple Cashew Frosting
  1. Soak cashews in water for 1 hour. Water should cover cashews.
  2. Strain cashews from water
  3. Add to food processor with maple syrup until smooth
  4. Stir in remaining ingredients.
  5. Spread on top of cooled cake.
  6. Sprinkle nutmeg on top of frosting.
  7. Serve!

ENJOY!

Here’s some things that could help you with your cake making!


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Homemade Dirt Cake Recipe with Dye-Free Strawberry Carrots

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homemade dirt cakes with dye free strawberry carrots

Growing up, one of the coolest desserts my mom made was her dirt cake recipe.  I was a ‘tomboy’ growing up, so I thought it was hysterical that I was eating “dirt”. Then, we added gummy worms to make it look like worms were coming out of the dirt in the flower pot and it was even more comical to a young me at the time.

These are the types of memories that I want my girls to have when they are my age and cooking with their own kids.  I was actually talking to my mom about this a little while ago and she actually gave me the recipe for dirt cakes that she had written down. It means a lot to me to have the actual recipe in her handwriting that one day I will also be able to pass on to my girls too.

homemade dirt cake nanas recipe

I started writing out my own recipes as I make them and keep them in a book, so that my girls will always be able to have my recipes in my handwriting too.  In a digital word, I think sometimes we loose focus or even loose the notion that handwritten things are becoming a distant past and not realizing how it may affect our children growing up to never have anything with our handwriting on it that sparks their own memories.

making homemade dirt cakes

Now, I’m not saying that all children will need or even want something handwritten, maybe the memories that we are making in the kitchen will be enough for them, but I definitely think we need to reflect and consider what memories we are leaving our kids.  For me, it’s hard sometimes to even realize that I’m getting older.  I feel sometimes like I’m still 21 years old and tomorrow I’ll wake up and need to get ready for class again.  I know from speaking to friends, and even Andrew, that I’m not the only one that feels like this.  We forget that we’ve grown up and are or almost are 30-somethings.  Shoot, half of the time, I’m looking around for the adult to tell me what to do and then remembering that I am the adult.  I’m the one in charge.  And that’s scary sometimes. So, trying to really realize that and accept that, I want to make sure that I’m giving a gift that is timeless for my girls to have.

Sibbles favorite part about this recipe was when daddy gave her a mallet to crush the cookies.  Oh, Daddy!

homemade dirt cakes recipe

dye free strawberry carrots

I’m excited to share this recipe with you guys today!  It’s perfect for Easter just around the corner with our dye-free strawberry carrots on top.  If you are making in the summer, just push some gummy worms inside!

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Homemade Dirt Cake Recipe with Dye-Free Strawberry Carrots
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • One medium terra cotta plant dish or 5 3x3 recyclable planters
  • 2 packages 8oz each cream cheese, softened
  • 2 small instant vanilla pudding
  • 2 cups homemade whipped topping
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 packages chocolate sandwich cookies crushed
  • 1 stick butter softened
For the strawberries (recipe enough for 10 strawberries)
  • 1/4 cup carrot juice fresh or store bought, brought to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate melted
  • 1 tsp coconut oil melted
Instructions
  1. In a mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese.
  2. Add the whipped topping, sugar, milk, and pudding, and beat on a low setting until thick.
  3. In a recyclable or terra cotta pot, alternate crushed cookies and filling, ending with cookies on top.
  4. Refrigerate overnight.
For the strawberries:
  1. An hour before serving, mix together the melted chocolate, carrot juice, and coconut oil.
  2. Dip the strawberries (leaves still attached) in the orange mixture.
  3. Place on a wax paper covered baking sheet.
  4. Place in freezer for 10 minutes.
  5. Remove from freezer and carefully peel off each strawberry and re-dip in the chocolate mixture.
  6. Place back in freezer for an additional 10 minutes.
  7. Remove, place in dirt cakes, and serve.
Additional toppings:
  1. Add in strawberry carrots, gummy worms, artificial flower, or any other desired toppings.
  2. Enjoy!

homemade dirt cake recipe

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I am hosting Mini Chef Mondays along with 11 fabulous bloggers! Read how Mini Chef Mondays started and how to link up!

Be sure to check out each of their Mini Chef posts as well. We would love it if you would share your Mini Chef posts with us each week, too! Follow along socially and join in on the fun by using our hashtag #MiniChefMondays to share creations your mini chef created in the kitchen. Additionally, if you have a kid-friendly recipe that kids can easily recreate, link up! Don’t have a blog? Share the URL of your instagram photo in our linky below.

  1. Fruits and Veggies “Carrot” Ice Pops // Courtney’s Sweets
  2. Outrageous Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies // Momma Lew
  3. Easter Bunny Marshmallow Pops // Baby Loving Mama
  4. Homemade Dirt Cake Recipe // We’re Parents
  5. Princess Bread // Frugal Novice
  6. Canned Tuna Sushi for Kids // Eating Richly Even When You’re Broke
  7. 10 Leap Year Foods to Make with Your Kids // Giggles, Gobbles and Gulps
  8. Breakfast Muffins // Step Stool Chef
  9. Spiralized Potato Gratin // Vegging at the Shore
  10. Better Than Turtle Cheesecake // Mom’s Messy Miracles
  11. Dr. Seuss Snack Ideas to Make with Kids // O’Boy! Organic
  12. Homemade Berry Fruit Snacks // Can’t Google Everything


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