October 19, 2016

New York’s Vegan + Gluten Free Lael Cakes’ Carrot and Orange Cake Recipe

Dairy Free, Dinner Party, Gluten Free, Holidays, Sweet Things, Vegan, Vegetarian

I’ve been gawking at Emily’s Instagram page for longer than I care to admit. Emily is the amazing baking extraordinaire behind Lael Cakes, a gluten free and vegan boutique cake studio based in New York City.

I remember stumbling across it and just being so in awe of her towering and gorgeously decorated gluten free and vegan cakes. They all just look absolutely flawless, and her naked cakes are probably the most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen, which isn’t surprising considering her art background!

All her cakes are vegan and gluten free, as Emily herself suffers from allergies which she found out about at pastry school. Surrounded by flour and eggs, she used to brush it off as seasonal allergies until something finally clicked and she was able to see how the gluten was actually the culprit. While gluten free baking is all the rage now, back then it was definitely more of a niche and Emily went through a lot of trial and error until she absolutely nailed her gluten free flour mix, which will soon be available through her website and can also be found in her book – UK | US .

We all know my self control definitely needs some working on, and thankfully all of Emily’s cakes take a more natural approach in her baking. Her cakes boast more natural alternative ingredients instead of refined sugar, wheat flour and dairy. Her cakes are colourful and vibrant, coloured naturally with dyes extracted from the natural pigments of fruits and vegetables, some of which she grows herself – like the basil in her strawberry and basil icing!

Emily says that running around the kitchen and being on her feet all day help when it comes to keeping fit, and that she does eat her cakes, though obviously being constantly surrounded by them she does have to exert some self control – and many days brings home cake scraps for her husband. What a lucky fella.

If I go to New York and don’t come back, you now know where you can find me.

A photo posted by Emily Lael Aumiller (@laelcakes) on May 13, 2015 at 12:13pm PDT

A photo posted by Emily Lael Aumiller (@laelcakes) on May 20, 2015 at 9:55am PDT

I’ve mentioned before that my favourite cake is carrot cake. I’m a chocolate lover, no doubt, but when it comes to cake it’s definitely carrot that sways my heart – as can be seen by my Raw Carrot Cake and my Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache. It’s a serious love, so you can imagine my joy when Emily said she would share her Carrot and Orange Cake recipe with us! Thanks Emily =)

The gorgeous Carrot and Orange Cake and Ginger Icing recipes below are from Emily’s cookbook Pure Artistry. It is one of those stunning books that makes you want to get your baking hat on and become a (gluten free) flour fairy and try your hand at recipes such as Strawberry and Basil Icing and Coconut Macaroons.

You can buy her stunning cookbook online. (UK | US)

Carrot and Orange Cake with Ginger Icing from Lael Cakes

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Ingredients

For the Cake

1 tablespoon golden flaxseed meal 3 tablespoons warm water

Dry ingredients

2 cups | 300 grams Lael Cakes Gluten-Free Flour (page 11)
1 cup | 210 grams evaporated cane juice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon arrowroot
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Wet ingredients

1¼ cups | 454 grams carrot juice
¾ cup | 180 ml safflower oil
1 tablespoon orange oil or extract
¼ teaspoon white rice vinegar
Grated zest of 1–2 oranges
1 large carrot, finely grated
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

For the Icing

4 cups | 728 grams non-hydrogenated palm shortening
2 cups | 280 grams unbleached powdered sugar, sifted
½ cup | 140 ml agave nectar
½ cup | 120 ml safflower oil
2 tablespoons of vanilla bean paste (or 1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract or seeds of 1 vanilla bean)

Instructions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 175ºC / 350°F.
Grease four 6-inch round cake pans by spreading non-hydrogenated palm shortening with a pastry brush or spraying with coconut cooking spray.
Trace and cut out four 6-inch circles of parchment paper and place on the bottom of each greased pan.
In a small bowl, combine the flaxseed meal and warm water. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Add the flaxseed meal mixture.
With the mixer on medium speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on medium-high until all the ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth, about 2 minutes.
Fold in the orange zest, carrot, and ginger to ensure they are evenly incorporated. (I’ve found that if you add these ingredients any sooner, they clump in balls.)
Divide the batter among the cake pans and smooth the tops with a flat spatula or spoon.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into one of the cakes comes out clean. If there is still batter on the toothpick, continue to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. (Baking times will vary depending on your oven and the thickness and size of the cake layers.)
Let the cakes cool completely in the pans. Cover the pans tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. This will ensure the cakes set up properly and be much easier to work with.

For the Icing

Place the shortening in the bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle attachment and beat on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, slowly add the powdered sugar, and beat
until incorporated.
Raise the mixer speed to medium. Add the agave nectar, oil, and vanilla bean paste. Mix until fully incorporated and the icing is fluffy with a glossy appearance.
Use immediately, or store in an airtight container. Icing will keep for up to 2 weeks refrigerated or 1 month frozen. After refrigerating, bring to room temperature and beat in a standing mixer to restore the texture before using.

Notes

Makes about 7 cups of icing.

Cake makes 4 15cm | 6inch cake layers.

The images for this post were kindly provided by Emily as well as taken from her Instagram page. The recipes have both been reposted on Sprinkle of Green with permission from Emily. This post also contains affiliate links, from which I stand to make a commission if a purchase is made.