I am so excited to share this recipe with you today! This carrot cake is unlike any other gluten-free cake I have ever tried. Baked in a loaf pan, it is moist and flavorful with the perfect crumb. Also, it’s topped with a delicious lactose-free cream cheese frosting! Honestly, if you gave me a slice of this paleo cake and then a slice of conventional carrot cake, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference! Except that this one is slightly less sweet, which is the way I like it 😉
This cake is nut-free, except for the walnuts in the batter. So if you omit the walnuts, it’ll be nut-free! I’ve also made it dairy-free. But if you are fine with dairy, you can substitute the palm shortening with butter, and the lactose-free cream cheese with regular cream cheese!
The best part about the cake is how little time it takes to make. Only a few minutes of prep time, then BOOM! You’ve got yourself a grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free carrot cake, filled with spices, carrots, and topped with cream cheese.
Description
Grain-free, gluten-free, paleo, dairy-free, can be made nut-free.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 Tbs vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup + 1 Tbs coconut flour
- 1/3 cup arrowroot flour
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- ¼ cup organic palm shortening (or butter), softened at room temperature
- 3 large carrots (about 1 cup shredded)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
For the frosting
- ¾ cup lactose-free cream cheese (or regular)
- 2 Tbs organic powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp dairy-free milk of choice (almond, coconut, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and line a 9×5 inch glass loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Add the eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla to a large bowl or stand mixer. Beat until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then stir in the shortening.
- Mix the flour/butter mixture into the egg mixture, and beat until smooth.
- Let the batter sit for ten minutes. Meanwhile, grate the carrots! I used a hand-held cheese grater, but you could also use your food processor with the shredding attachment.
- Give the batter a quick stir, then mix in the walnuts and carrots.
- Pour your batter into the prepared loaf pan, and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the loaf from the oven, and let it coll 100% before frosting.
- Place the cream cheese and powdered sugar the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl + an electric mixer). Mix together using your paddle attachment on low speed for a few seconds, then beat in the vanilla and milk. Beat on high until smooth and creamy.
- Frost the top of your cooled loaf, and garnish with carrot shreds, if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10
4 Responses to “Real-Deal Carrot Cake”
Perfect, thank you! I will try that next time 🙂
Enjoy!
Can you recommend a good dairy-free cream cheese. I tried Daiya and it was not a winner.
Hi Rebecca, I like Kite Hill, but I’m not sure it will work well in this recipe. I have an incredible dairy-free cream cheese frosting recipe here, though! https://wholegirl.com//portfolio_page/keto-carrot-cake/