Recipe: Gluten-Free & Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes with a Light Vegan Cream Cheese Icing

With the success of my carrot cake experiment…I happened to have a lot of carrots left from my CSA bin.  While I definitely used some to chop up for salads and the like, I didn’t want any to go to waste.  And I was getting ready to head out of town for the weekend.  So…what does one do when it’s early in the morning and you’re staring at a bunch of carrots?  Shred them up and throw them into pancakes, of course.

I’m a runner.  I love pancakes.

This gluten-free and vegan recipe is simple to make…and simply delicious.  I topped mine off with a light vegan cream cheese icing which is also easy.  I made mine ahead and put it in the fridge, then pulled it out when I got up in the morning to let it soften up before I applied it to the top of the pancakes.

Recipe: Gluten-Free & Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes with a Light Vegan Cream Cheese Icing

Servings: 6
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Cook 15 minutes

Ingredients for pancakes:

• 5 3/5 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour)
• 1/4 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts (or you can use toasted walnuts, but I had peanuts on hand)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 dash ground cloves
• 1 dash ground ginger
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• 1 tablespoon pure pumpkin (I used Libby’s)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 cups (about 1 pound) finely grated carrot

Ingredients for light vegan cream cheese icing:

• 4 ounces of vegan cream cheese (I used Galaxy Nutritional Foods Vegan Cream Cheese)
• 2 tablespoons butter (I used Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups of confectioners sugar, sifted

Directions:

Make the pancakes:

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife.

Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through ginger) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through applesauce), stirring just until moist.

Fold in carrot.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and coat the pan with cooking spray.

Spoon 4 1/4-cup batter mounds onto pan, spreading with a spatula.

Cook for 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked.  Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 1 minute or until bottoms are lightly browned.

Repeat procedure twice with remaining batter.

Make the icing:

Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium-size mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, 30 – 45 seconds.

Stop the machine and add the vanilla and 1 cup of the confectioners’ sugar.  Beat with the mixer on low speed until combined, 30 seconds.

Add another cup of sugar and beat on low speed until combined, 15 seconds.

Add the remaining cup of confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth, 15 – 30 seconds.

Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the frosting until fluffy, 30 seconds longer.

Spread on top of pancakes and garnish with chopped nuts and a drizzle of maple syrup, if desired.

~*~*~

The end result is fluffy, delicious carrot cake pancakes that taste just like a carrot cake.  For real.  Even a co-worker of mine got to sample one and she said it tasted even better than carrot cake.  She doesn’t even like vegetables, so that was a high compliment.  And…she is neither gluten-free nor a vegetarian/vegan…so the compliment meant even more when she gave it.

My roommate devoured these every morning I had them.  I made up the entire batch and then we had a couple mornings worth.  These reheat very well in the microwave and the icing makes plenty to get you through…with some left over.  I just used that on another carrot cake recipe I’ll share a little later.

Want to change up breakfast…maybe get in a serving of vegetables first thing?  Treat yourself to some gluten-free and vegan carrot cake pancakes.  Top them off with the cream cheese icing and savor each bite.