Vegan Carrot Cake with Golden Berries and Golden Berry Compote

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease two 7-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with baking paper. Set aside.  

Prepare the flax eggs by mixing 2 tbsp flaxseed meal with 6 tbsp water and set in the fridge for 10 minutes.  

In a pot, combine 1 cup golden berries with 300ml water and simmer over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes. The water should have reduced by half at this point.

Add maple syrup and keep simmering for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until liquid is syrupy. Remove from heat and set aside.  

While the compote is simmering, prepare your cake batter. In a large mixing bowl, sift the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a mixing bowl.  

Add the almond flour, grated carrot and coconut sugar and mix well. The batter will seem dry at first, but don’t worry. You’ll notice as you keep mixing, the carrots will release more of their water and the batter will become wetter.  

Add golden berries, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar, mixing again. Finally, add the flax eggs and do a final mix.  

Carefully divide the mixture between the two cake tins, place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely on a cooling rack.  

While the cakes are baking, prepare your frosting by combining icing sugar, vegan cream cheese, orange juice, orange zest and apple cider vinegar in a mixing bowl together. Mix with a fork or spoon first before using a handheld mixer on low speed to whisk it all together.  

Once cakes are completely cooled, place the first layer cake on a large plate. Spoon frosting on top until it’s completely covered and then add the other cake layer. Spoon frosting on top (and if you like, you can also frost the sides).

Top with a spoonful of Golden Berry Compote, and sprinkle with chopped pistachios if using. Serve with extra compote and pistachios and enjoy!