Carrot Cake Ice Cream [Vegan]

Yes, I admit I have a slight obsession with all things carrot cake-inspired. Case in point:

• Coconut Carrot Cake Granola
• Carrot Cake Pancakes with Maple Cream Cheese
• Carrot Cake Sandwich

Therefore, it goes without saying that the recipe for Carrot Cake Ice Cream in Wheeler Del Toro’s The Vegan Scoop caught my eye.

Like many home cooks and food bloggers, I rarely follow another’s recipe to a “t”, and this ice cream was no exception.

So, how does this recipe differ from the original? In a few ways, actually. For one, I cut the amount of overall sugar by about half. I’ve made and enjoyed many of Wheeler’s vegan ice creams, but have found that they are quite sweet. I typically use less sugar than his recipes call for, and I honestly don’t think this practice compromises the final product. I used 1/2 cup of evaporated cane juice instead of 3/4 cup of sugar, and replaced the 1 cup of brown sugar with 1/4 cup of brown sugar + 2 Tbsp of pure maple syrup. Other changes I made included using half the amount of margarine (which worked because I also cut down on the brown sugar), adding in a bit of ground ginger and nutmeg, finely grating the carrots, and omitting the raisins (although I love raisins as much as the next person, I don’t like ‘em in my ice cream).

The alternations I made suited my tastes perfectly! The orange-hued and spice-flecked ice cream was definitely sweet enough for my palate, and the addition of ground ginger and nutmeg rounded out the traditional carrot cake flavor. It is an intoxicating sensation to eat a spoonful of something that is both refreshingly cold and warmly spiced. In this sense, the ice cream truly lives up to its name because you feel like you are eating ice cream and carrot cake simultaneously.

This ice cream recipe is going straight into my cooking binder, which I fill only with recipes I know I will make over and over again. I can see myself enjoying this season-less vegan ice cream not only on a hot summer day, but also in the dead of winter, curled up in a warm blanket. Just imagine how amazing this would be slowly melting over a piece of fresh-from-the-oven carrot bread. With a maple cream cheese drizzle. And some toasted walnuts.

I think I need to get back into the kitchen.

adapted from The Vegan Scoop

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp non-hydrogenated margarine
• 1 cup finely grated carrots, preferably organic (a microplane grater works best)

• 1 cup plain soymilk, divided
• 2 Tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch
• 2 cups plain soy creamer
• 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice or granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Combine brown sugar, maple syrup, and margarine in a small saucepan over medium heat; stir until melted. Reduce stove heat to low, add carrots to mixture, and continue to cook over low heat for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup soymilk with the arrowroot. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining 3/4 cup soymilk, soy creamer, and evaporated cane juice. Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture just begins to boil, about 10 minutes. When the mixture reaches the soft boiling point (bubbles are just starting to break the surface), remove from heat, and whisk in the soymilk & arrowroot mixture. Whisk until the mixture thickens, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the vanilla extract and spices. Transfer ice cream base to a medium bowl.
4. Stir the carrots into the ice cream base, and allow to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator until cold, about 3 hours. Freeze according to ice cream manufacturer’s instructions.