Chinese Five Spice cake. Chinese 5-Spice brings together all five flavors - sweet, sour, bitter, umami and salty. The spice blend's star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, fennel, cassia, and cloves add depth to this wholemeal carrot cake.

A cake with a piece taken out, on a cake stand next to a pile of tangerines.

Chinese New Year

So this is the year of the fire monkey. What will it bring? What won't it bring?

We're in the midst of the Chinese New Year celebrations at the moment and as red envelopes of money are exchanged, fortune cookies opened and prosperity wished upon others, I thought I'd bake a cake.

No, perhaps not the most Chinese of desserts, but I've added the classic spice blend, Chinese Five Spice, to turn it into a cake that is at once unusual, yet an edible memory.

Normally paired with savoury meat dishes, this spice is actually quite versatile with so many flavours.

Try these other Chinese recipes for Chinese New Year!

Jackfruit Bao Buns
Asian Tofu with spicy garlic sauce
Vegan Crispy Duck (Cauliflower) and Pancakes

An unusual cake

The faint liquorice aromas from the star anise and fennel pair well with the nutty, treacly flavour of the wholemeal flour.

This all marries well with the Szechuan peppercorns, fennel, cassia, and cloves of the spice blend, making a cake that excites all senses - from sweet to umami.

The carrot brings moisture and I've drastically reduced the sugar of the cake, since it was going to be covered in a tangy, rich orange buttercream.

Carrot cakes can be heavy with oil, so I've replaced half of the oil with yogurt to make it lighter.

Changes are afoot. There's an awakening that is gathering pace. Our broken food system is being analysed from all directions and the facts that once just were accepted are now being challenged.

Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and Jamie Oliver are adding celebrity voice and massive power to the heightening debate about food waste. Wonky veg are returning to our fridges.

Food Assemblies and farm co-operatives are springing up everywhere. Food banks are at breaking point. Organic is the new normal.

I did Veganuary this year (going vegan for January) and I felt my own awakening when watching films like Forks Over Knives and Cowspiracy. Something is wrong. We put convenience and gluttony over the welfare of animals and ourselves.

But to me, wherever you stand on meat, dairy, eggs or vegetables, organic goods, carbs, palm oil or sugar it's important that we talk about it, and even more importantly, listen - whether you agree or not.

As Michael Pollan so perfectly stated:

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
“Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognise as food."

It feels like, collectively, we've hit the point where we can't blindly accept the products on the shelves that are put before us. Change is in the wind and at last it is beginning to blow in the right direction.

Looking down on a cake with buttercream and orange zest.

More Carrot Desserts

I hope you'll love the unusual, but delicious, five-spice notes of this carrot cake. Be sure to also try these other tasty carrot dessert recipes.

Orange Carrot Cupcakes
Vegan Carrot Cake
Carrot Cake with Maple Topping
Carrot Peeling Cake

Plus, you'll get a free eBook: 15 Minute Vegan Dinners!

Veggie Desserts Cookbook by Kate Hackworthy

Check out the Veggie Desserts + Cakes cookbook on Amazon

📖 Recipe