Cinnamon rolls are the epitome of autumn. When the days get shorter, nights get colder and Starbucks officially release their annual Pumpkin Spice Latte (hallelujah), you really do deserve to gobble up a cinnamon roll every now and again.
Carrot cake really is one of my most favourite treats. The flavour profile of sweet carrot, spiced cinnamon, ginger, and caramel-y brown sugar is so warm and welcoming. So, combining carrot cake with fluffy cinnamon rolls was only really a matter of time. Behold, the most perfect autumnal pick me up for a glump November afternoon. Oh, and they’re 100% vegan-friendly as well – yay!
I know you may be thinking… Vegan cinnamon rolls will NOT be anywhere near as fluffy and delicious as their non-vegan counterparts. However, I PROMISE that these are super soft and indulgent – you really won’t notice the difference!
I really hope you love this recipe as much as I do. Comment below if you have any questions 🙂
Ingredients:
- 1 sachet of instant yeast (7g)
- 1 tsp. caster sugar
- 430g plain flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 125ml warm water
- 125 ml plant milk – I used soy
- 70g vegan spread – I used an olive oil/ vegetable blend
- 70g caster sugar
- 2 medium carrots, grated
- 100g soft brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp. ground ginger
- 50 g vegan butter
- 100g ground almonds
- a handful of chopped pecans – optional
- 8 tbsp. icing sugar
- 2-3 tbsp. vegan milk
Method:
- Pour the 125ml of warm water into a small bowl and add the tsp of caster sugar. Sprinkle over the yeast and set to one side for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, place the 70g vegan butter, 70g sugar and 125ml plant milk into a saucepan. Gently warm on a low heat until the butter has melted and everything has warmed through.
- Add the yeast mix into the milk mixture and stir.
- Place the 430g of flour and your salt into a large mixing bowl. Pour the wet mixture on top and beat with a wooden spoon for a minute or two, until you achieve a homogenous sticky dough.
- Tip the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic, and no longer sticky. If you’re worried your dough is too sticky, add an extra sprinkling of flour and keep kneading.
- Place the dough back into your bowl. Cover in clingfilm and leave in a warm place to prove for an hour, or until its doubled in size.
- To make the filling, start by grating the carrots. Once grated, place into a square of kitchen roll and squeeze out any excess liquid.
- Next, combine the cinnamon, soft brown sugar, ground ginger, ground almonds, chopped pecans, and grated carrots in a bowl.
- Once the dough has risen, tip onto a floured surface. Roll into a large rectangle roughly 40cm x 20cm and 1/2cm thick.
- Take your carrot filling and spread evenly over the rectangle, leaving a 1cm edge bare on each of the longer edges.
- Tightly roll the dough into a large log lengthways – starting from one of the 20cm edges.
- Cut the log in half, and cut each half into 4, so you have 8 rolls in total. You can alternatively cut each half log into 5 so you have 10 slightly smaller rolls.
- Grease a large baking tray/dish with vegan butter, and place the rolls inside with at least 3cm of space between them.
- Preheat your oven to 190°C. Cover the rolls with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for one more hour to prove.
- After an hour, place the cinnamon rolls into the oven. Turn the oven down to 180°C and leave to bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Whilst baking, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add your vegan milk until a thick icing paste is formed. You can add additional cinnamon to the icing frosting too if you love it as much as I do.
- Once baked, leave the cinnamon rolls to cool for 15 minutes, and then spread the frosting onto the surface of the rolls.
- ENJOY!
Lots of Love, Sofia xxx
sofiabakes.com 