Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/205 degrees Celsius.
Place the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cardamom and nutmeg in a bowl and whisk.
Add the remaining ingredients--sugar, carrots, almonds (save some almonds for decorating the top, if you like), oil, applesauce, vegan yogurt, vanilla and apple cider vinegar. Use a spatula to mix, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure there is no dry flour. Don't overmix. The batter will look quite thick.
Let the batter stand five minutes. This will give the carrots a little time to express their juices and it will be easier to scoop into the muffin tins.
Mix the batter quickly one last time, then scoop into a muffin tin lined with paper liners or sprayed with oil. If you saved some almonds for the top sprinkle them on now.
Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake five minutes, then, without opening the oven, reduce temperature to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C and bake 18 minutes more or until a toothpick in the center of a muffin comes out clean or with crumbs sticking to it.
Let the pan stand on a rack for 5-10 minutes, then unmold the muffins and place them on a rack to cool.