I love playing around when I bake… vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and etc. There is so much to figure out like binding agents, raising agents, flours to use and so on. This particular recipe uses linseed (flaxseed) instead of egg to act as a binding agent. I didn’t have any and forgot to get some on my way home, so I played around with the rest of the ingredients hoping for the best. So here is my version of these Waitrose magazine Carrot Cake Muffins.

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Vegan Carrot Cake Muffins

Makes 12 | Prep 20 mins | Cook 25 mins, plus cooling
Easy | Vegan | Dairy-free | Contains Nuts

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You’ll need:

  • 300g self-raising flour;
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda;
  • 1½ tsp mixed spice;
  • 150g Dark Muscovado sugar;
  • 35g porridge oats;
  • 75g sultanas;
  • 75g walnuts, chopped;
  • 1 large orange, zest and juice;
  • 150g Stork baking block, melted;
  • 250g Alpro Vanilla Soya;
  • 250g carrots, coarsely grated (about 3);
  • 25g icing sugar.

Preheat the oven to 200˚C, gas mark 6. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases. Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl and add the mixed spice and a pinch of fine salt. Stir in the Muscovado sugar, porridge oats, sultanas, the walnuts and ½ the orange zest.

Add the melted baking block, vegan soya with vanilla and 50ml orange juice and stir with a spatula. On the fifth turn of the spatula, add the grated carrots and continue to fold until the mixture is mostly even – don’t worry if there are a few dry patches; it’s best not to over-mix it. Spoon into the cases; they will be very full. Bake for 23-25 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

For the topping, stir together the icing sugar, 2 tsp orange juice and the remaining zest. Brush this over the top of the muffin and leave to set.

Original recipe from Waitrose Baking supplement from September 2019 issue, available online here.