Cathy Fisher
Cathy Fisher is the creator of StraightUpFood.com, a website offering free recipes and information on eating a whole-food, plant-based diet free of salt, oil, and sugar. She is also a cooking instructor, teaching classes at TrueNorth Health Center and the McDougall Program, both in Santa Rosa, CA. Cathy began eating a plant-based diet in 1999, and in 2016 published her first cookbook, Straight Up Food: Delicious and Easy Plant-based Cooking Without Salt, Oil or Sugar. Find her on Instagram and Facebook.
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Comments (164)
This is truly more of a bake oatmeal. It has a nice flavor, but is dense and heavy, so much so that I would not call it a cake in the traditional sense. That said, it has its place in our menu as a sweeter breakfast item or snack.
Made this last night and was very pleased with the results! The balance in sweetness and spice is very nice. The cake is moist but not mushy. I blended the wet ingredients in my Vitamix on the smoothie setting and everything was super creamy. I swapped applesauce for the banana since I’m allergic. I will definitely make this again.
Literally made this at least 10x! It’s delicious! I had a few people try this version against a store bought version and everyone chose this cake. So tasty!
Can you use quick cooking oats, will the outcome be the same?
Hi D.,
They’ll cook faster than regular oats, so you may need to adjust the cooking time to get the same textural result.
We recommend going extremely easy on coconut milk in your diet, because it’s high in saturated fat. If you do use coconut milk, we recommend getting the beverage kind, which is lighter than the canned kind.
Thank you,
Courtney, editor, Forks Over Knives
What about coconut milk?
Looks amazing! Can’t wait to make it
I look forward to trying these healthy recipes.
This is better than any carrot cake I’ve ever had in my life, and my non-vegan family was very impressed!
I see a lot of judgemental comments on this thread when someone is just asking for nutritional info. The forks over knives program is advertised for diabetic patients. Those of us on insulin need to know the exact net carb totals in order to eat any of these recipes. It’s quite time consuming and overwhelming when a recipe has a lot of ingredients. I would think if these recipes were done by nutritionists that it should be easy to publish.
You can add all the ingredients and measurements to any calorie/nutrition app and then it tells everything.
You can find the nutritional info on the web site straightupfood.com.
This is a great cake cake!! I make it for my daughters first birthday so I took out the nuts and raisins and added crushed pineapple instead. . . Yum! Everyone loved it!
This is so good. It doesn’t taste healthy at all:) I made it into cupcakes. Baked for 25 minutes. I added a teaspoon of vinegar as suggested in the comments to help the baking soda. Will be making this often.
Can I use almond flour for this to make it gluten free?
You can get certified gluten free oats – even oat flour.
It’s possible that it won’t bind together with almond flour. Oat flour has binding ability. Maybe try it and used a couple of flax eggs to hold it together.
Rather than oats, I used whole wheat flour. Does that make it less “wfpb”? I live in Poland where the flour (especially whole wheat) is just ground wheat- no additives.
Whole wheat isn’t less “wfpb”. Some people just like to add gluten free on top of that, sometimes due to autoimmune issues. Just for your information, industrially milled wheat flour is rarely just wheat that has been ground and put into bags. The components inherently separate during the milling process. Whole wheat is just those components mixed back together without adding other things. On the downside this sounds like pure. On the plus side the flour will be more consistent because there won’t be variation in the amount of each depending on the harvest.
Made this and I love it! It’s a little time consuming to make but the results are worth it.
Delicious and naturally sweet with the dates.
Very delicious – no sweet like regular carrot cake. Very moist and full of texture.
Delicious. I used dried raspberries instead of raisins and added 1 heaped tsp ginger powder for a slightly varied flavour. This is my go-to carrot cake recipe.
This was a very simple and delicious cake. i just used a simple non vegan icing for ease but I will continue to use this cake recipe.
Can you put the measurements in grams please? Online converters give conflicting answers sometime.
Omg – uh-MAZING! I will definitely make this for guests in the future!
Its very good. However, would be great with nutritional facts. Calories important for me to know!
just enter your ingredients into the myfitnesspal recipe app
Made this over the weekend and it is outstanding – it is so moist and delicious you could skip the frosting but I did make the Vanilla Bean Frosting for it and it is the perfect complement (just a note on the frosting, I added a bit of soymilk to help blend). If you want a dessert for non-plant based eaters this is a great one – they will be amazed, it is so good, better than traditionally made carrot cake!
I made this in a 8” square dish, and it turned out great. I baked it for 40 minutes. The spices are spot on and make this cake so full of flavor. I made a frosting with firm tofu instead of cashews, and it turned out perfectly. However, the cake is so doggone delicious as is, no frosting necessary (but it’s nice to have on the side to add if you wish).
Hi! How much tofu did you use?
Hello! How long do you bake it if using a 9×13 pan?
Recipe sounds great. Really looking forward to making it!
Hi J! We don’t recommend using a different size pan as it will thin the batter and produce a much flatter cake. However, if you experiment with the size and enjoy the end product, let us know!
Absolutely delicious, great without frosting and works well as a snacking cake. I make it often.
I am really impressed. Taste and texture is so good. I did use some lemon juice with the vanilla frosting. Will make this again .. allot
Absolutely delicious!
Amazingly delicious cake! I have never actually made the frosting, because the cake is so good on it’s own:) Reminds me of a Morning Glory muffin (without all the oil!)
About how many calories are in a serving?
May I substitute oats for rice flour?
Still in the oven… Just wondering though about the baking powder when there’s no apparent acidic ingredient like lemon juice or vinegar.
I automatically put 1.5 tsp of vinegar in when I see “baking soda” listed as an ingredient. I also did that here.
Forgive me, I meant baking soda.
it’s always such a pleasure to see how something plant based can turn out well with out the traditional necessities of egg and dairy or added sugar. I made this into cupcakes/muffins. The timing was a guess – it was around 35 minutes for 11. I liked the texture and flavor better the next day. I was short on raisins, so just bumped up the banana and dates a bit, but I prefer the raisin flavor and chew. Did not use the frosting here, so definitely a great breakfast choice that way, but for party-dessert i would use a frosting . – Jennifer MS, RDN
Great flavor but mine turned out gummy inside. I followed the recipe exactly.
Hi, first time I made it same thing, so I used a 9”x13” pan for the second make and it was perfect! I’ve made this now 1/2 dozen times using the larger pan and it’s perfect! Family and friends love it…moist not gooey! Hope it helps
I’ve been making this recipe for a couple of years and absolutely love it. It’s my “go-to” recipe for making a b’day cake for even our non-vegan friends. Everybody loves how moist and delicious it is. I always double the recipe to make either two 8″ square pans or a 9×13 pan (easier to decorate and write on) with adjusted baking time. I also make an easy icing with vegan cream cheese, icing sugar and almond flavouring.
I figured it was about time I wrote a comment and was surprised when I looked at the recipe above that it calls for ground up oat meal. I’ve been using OAT FLOUR all this time. Works perfectly.
Grinding oats in the blender as instructed in the recipe gets you to the same place – oat four. It’s just from scratch is all.
I recommend not grinding the oats too fine (gives baked goods that “gummy” texture). A coarse grind works much better!
No carrot’s in the recipe? It’s the third ingredient from the bottom? 12oz’s! Hope that helps Emily.
It looks like it has 1 1/2 Cups finely shredded carrots in this recipe!
I’m pretty confused as to why this is called a “carrot cake” because no carrots are used at all within this recipe and it didn’t taste like a carrot cake….the cake tasted fine, but it wasn’t truly a carrot cake….
Wow! So delicious. Made twice and second time was even better…hint – I used a 9”x13”, parchment lined baking dish and the consistency was perfect, moist and firm throughout. My first make was in the 8” square, as recommended, the cake was good but gooey in the middle. Not bad, but like an undercooked brownie! Try the larger pan, try the recipe…you’ll love it! Lot’s of Easter Day complements. Here’s to healthy cooking! One delicious meal at a time.
I dont think u are looking at the recipe. There is 1/12 cups of grated carrot in there.
It looks like there is 1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots in this recipe!
So glad I found this recipe and this site! It was perfect!
This carrot cake is the best ever. It turned out perfectly and my guests for Easter all loved it too. I will definitely be making it again.
This recipe is incredible! Best carrot cake ever!
This came out soooo great! You would never know this cake is gluten free, oil free and vegan. Also sugar free. I did add 1/2 tsp salt to bring out the flavors, but otherwise followed the recipe. I have a large toaster oven that runs hot, so the cake was one in 20 minutes. Very tasty, sweet and moist without being overly so. Great recipe!
Delicious!!! I was worried about making this. Only my second vegan cake. It turned out great! I made it 2 days ahead and served it for Easter. Loved it! Will make it again. I doubled the recipe and made it in circle pans and stacked them for a double layer cake. Yum!!!
Anyone make these into cupcakes??? Wondering if there’s any adjustments to make.
I made cupcakes, no substitutions needed. I baked them in silicone cups for 40 minutes at 350. This is a marvelous recipe.
Definitely better the next few days after it has been refrigerated. It was gummy when it first came out of the oven but it was better the next day.
This cake is AMAZING! Made it along with the Vanilla Bean Frosting for Easter and we LOVED it! So moist and the frosting is sooooo good.
Love this!
Martha – look at each of your ingredient labels and do the math. It’s not hard to figure out the nutritional content of what you consume without expecting it to be done for you.
Please include calories or gram value. Most of us are on a ‘counting’ diet of some kind. Also please list possible substitutes in the recipe!
Great recipe. I think you could fool nearly anyone who isn’t vegan who thinks they don’t like vegan recipes.
Martha,
All foods can be enjoyed, without the need to count calories. That’s why you won’t be seeing as many recipes with nutritional facts;)
Counting calories is restrictive and causes a lot of disordered eating…and can be very triggering for a lot of people. Registered dietician’s are recommending a mostly plant based whole foods diet ( using the word diet here, to describe a healthy eating lifestyle) it is recommended to eat intuitively without restriction.
No more diet’s or calorie counting…yay!
I made this 2 days ago.It’s delicious and so moist. My husband, who is not a vegan, said it was outstanding.
Did it first time, lovely. I would probably leave bit longer in oven but had it yesterday with friends and this morning finished off 😉
Thank you for recipe
This is such a great cake. Made exactly as directed, along with the frosting. Cake was moist and light.
I put the leftover pieces in the freezer for emergencies. Lol.
What is the calorie count for the cake with and without the frosting per serving? Thank you!
Delicious flavors! This came out more brownie-esque than cake but still tasted amazing.
I don’t think you’re going to find that information here . WFPB eating is not about counting calories.
Could you use date sugar instead of the whole dates?
This was really fantastic! Everyone loved it. It was a huge hit with the whole family. I love that it is only sweetened with whole fruit. I am definitely going to make this again. I would recommend making this cake.
Oat allergy in my house. What may I use as a substitute?
I was going to try almond flour.
I’d use buckwheat (I live with celiacs) but you could also use whole wheat groats of gluten isn’t a concern for you.
I would try brown rice flour
Maybe chickpea flour?
Made this today and it is Excellent, Will be my go to dessert from now on. Super moist, super delicious and done with no flour or sugar that’s a win-win!
Absolutely phenomenal flavor! I agree with the folks that advised using a pan larger than 8″.
Do you have nutritional values?
I’m not a frosting person and this cake is perfect for that! This recipe surpassed my expectations.