The Best Gluten Free Carrot Cake

this recipe

It’s Friday and your carrot cake recipe is here. As promised!! Now you can make good use of that cream cheese frosting we made on Monday.

And with plenty of time to spare before Easter. You’re welcome!

You guys!!! I made a cake!!! One that has two layers!!!!

I have been wanting to share a gluten free carrot cake recipe for years but chickened out. Guys, this is only the second cake I have shared on Robust Recipes. The first one was a caramel apple upside down cake. It was delicious, but it was a no pressure, one layer cake.

I am not a baker. I mean yes, I bake cookies, and banana bread, and such, but when it comes to cake I usually opt for a cupcake version. Less scary. I am not someone to make layers of cake and pipe frosting on them – hence the naked cake you see before you, I am more of the rustic type of cake decorator.

It was time to get in the kitchen and squash my doubts. Three cakes later and I made the BEST gluten free carrot cake!!! I know it’s the best because Paul’s favorite cake is carrot cake and he pretty much devoured this entire cake by himself.

Okay, that’s not true. I may have eaten a few slices!

I mean, who can resist carrot cake, right?!

Yes, I made this carrot cake gluten free because I want everyone to be able to enjoy it. Besides cake is meant for sharing. No one makes carrot cake just for themselves. Well except for food bloggers! (LOL)

The thing is, you can’t tell this carrot cake is gluten free. Not one bit.

It’s fluffy, tender, moist (get over that word, will you? No one wants a dry cake anyways LOL), perfectly spiced with all the warming spices, carroty, perfectly sweet and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting.

Oh, and there is pineapple in there! Canned crushed pineapple that has been drained adds a nice bite of zesty fruitiness. The raisins also add nice bursts of plump sweetness that I love. However, if you aren’t a raisin person you can either swap them for chopped pecans or walnuts or omit them completely.

A trick I found to making carrot cake taste even better is to use the smaller box grater to shred your carrots. Finely grated carrots sort of melt into the cake so you get carrot flavor in every bite, rather than random chunks of carrots. Finely shredding the carrots takes a little bit of elbow grease, but it’s totally worth it.

The cream cheese frosting is from Monday’s recipe. It only takes 10 minutes to make, is perfectly sweetened and tangy and the ultimate frosting for carrot cake!

Other frosting options:

• yogurt cream cheese frosting – a slightly lighter twist on traditional cream cheese frosting.
• vegan “buttercream” frosting – a vegan and dairy free option.

Funny story. The third time I made this carrot cake, the final version to photograph it, I accidentally added extra milk to the batter. As in one cup extra!!!

I repeat. One. Whole. Cup. Extra!!!

Gulp.

Panic!!! Freak out!!!

Deep breathes.

Decision time.

A quick google search encouraged me to add in some more dry ingredients, and flavors to compensate for the liquid. I baked it a little longer, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

Guess what! The carrot cake turned out even better than the time before. A happy accident.

I did share the recipe with the extra amount of milk, which is why the flour is kind of a weird measurement. As in 1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons. BUT just trust me, it’s totally going to turn out.

This carrot cake is made a little healthier a few ways:

• almond flour – gluten sensitive or not, almond flour is a healthy option for it’s healthy fats and fiber
• apple sauce to reduce oil – helps hold things together and keep the cake moist without adding as much oil
• crushed pineapple – for extra sweetness
• naturally sweetened – this cake is sweetened using low-glycemic pure maple syrup and coconut sugar
• Cream cheese frosting – as you know is sweetened with honey instead of powdered sugar
• carrots – getting a serving of veggies and beta carotene in cake form! It counts, right?!

Slightly healthier carrot cake?! Yes, I am all in!

I hope you enjoy this carrot cake as much as we did. Honestly, it is the best carrot cake I have had in a long time.

And no, we don’t need any fancy piped on details or carrots to enjoy this carrot cake. She’s got a lovely simple, rustic style to her.

This gluten free carrot cake is the perfect treat to share for your Easter gathering, Mother’s day, birthday parties, graduation parties, baby showers, bridal showers, or just because you want a little carrot cake in your life.

Carrot cake is good for the soul.

The Best Gluten Free Carrot Cake

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• Author: Emily Koch
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Yield: (1 cake) 8 to 12
• Category: dessert, baking
• Cuisine: gluten free, refined sugar free

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Description

Gluten free carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is studded with carrots, raisins, pineapple, and laced with warming spices. The perfect cake for parties and holiday celebrations.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• Cake
• 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon carrots, finely shredded – about 3 to 4 large carrots (see notes)
• 1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour)
• 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 eggs, room temp
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup or honey
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon canned crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk, but any kind will work)
• optional: 2/3 cup golden raisins (can swap for chopped walnuts or pecans, if you prefer)
• Frosting Options (see notes)
• Cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar(click here for the recipe)
• Vegan cashew frosting – dairy free option that resembles buttercream frosting (click here for the recipe)
• yogurt cream cheese frosting – a slightly lighter version of traditional cream cheese frosting. (click here for the recipe)
• Topping/decoration
• Optional: 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

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Instructions

1. Prepare: Position your oven rack in the middle of your oven. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two round 9 inch cake pans or three 8 inch cake pans, set aside. At this time also grate your carrots so that they are ready to go.
2. Mix the dry ingredients: To a large mixing bowl add the gluten free flour blend, almond flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg – whisk to combine and set aside.
3. Mix the wet ingredients: To a medium sized mixing bowl add the eggs and coconut sugar, whisk until well combined. Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, applesauce, crushed and drained pineapple, vanilla, and milk – whisk until everything is well combined.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients: Transfer the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients, use a spatula to gently stir until everything is well combined. Fold in your grated carrots and raisins (if using). The batter should be thick but slightly runny. If it seems too runny add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of GF all purpose flour. Evenly divide the batter between the cake pans. Tap the pans on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
5. Bake: Transfer the cake pans to the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top of the cake is firm and a toothpick removes mostly clean from the center.
6. Cool: Cool the cakes completely (about 1 hour) on a wire rack. To remove the cakes gently run a butter knife around the sides and then flip the cake out onto a plate or your hand to catch it.
7. Make the frosting: While your cakes are cooling make your frosting (about 10 to 20 minutes of time, depending on if you make cream cheese frosting or vegan cashew frosting) – links to recipes above.
8. Frost the cake: Once the cakes have completely cooled place a teaspoon of the frosting on the center of your cake stand or serving platter to hold the cake in place. Carefully transfer one cake to the center of the cake stand/platter, placing the cake upside down. Use an offset spatula to spread half of the frosting on the cake, right to the edges so some will show when you put the second cake layer on top. Transfer the second cake on top of the first cake, placing it upside down. Spread the remaining frosting on top of the cake, right to the edges. Use the spatula to smooth the frosting out. Sprinkle the chopped nuts around the edge of the cake, if desired.
9. Chill the cake: Cover and chill the cake for at least 3 hours, or overnight. You can eat the cake right away, but it is way better chilled. Store covered in the fridge for up to 1 week.

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Notes

carrots: I highly recommend finely grating your carrots using the medium size grater on a box grater. This does take a little more elbow grease, so if you are in a hurry you can use the largest grater you would normally use to grate carrots. BUT I tested the cake with both sizes of grated carrots and the finely grated carrots melted into the cake better and gave the cake a more “carroty”, sweet flavor that made a difference.

Frosting: I tested this cake with both thecream cheese frostingrecipe and the vegan cashew frosting recipe. We preferred the cream cheese frosting for a more authentic taste. However, if you are wanting to keep this cake dairy free than the vegan cashew frosting is a good option and very delish. Just keep in mind you will need to add 20 minutes of time versus 10 minutes for the cream cheese frosting.

Prep time doesn’t reflect time needed to make the frosting, since it varies depending on the type of frosting you will make. Add 10 to 20 minutes on to your overall prep time.

Decorating: I chose to frost my cake in a naked style (only frosting the middle and top, but not the sides). The amount of frosting was perfect for this style. If you want to frost the sides than I would recommend increasing the frosting recipe by half or even doubling it depending on how much you will use. It’s always better to have extra frosting than not enough ;).

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