Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Recipe

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For me, the promise of spring means bouquets of tulips, bottles of Rosé, mini eggs, and CARROT CAKE!

I have loved carrot cake for as long as I can remember. I mean fresh grated carrots baked into a deliciously spicy batter and topped with heavenly cream cheese? Yes, please!

As you know, I have a hard time tolerating gluten but have worked hard to recreate some of my favourite recipes into a gluten-free version and I must say, I think I NAILED IT with this carrot cake recipe.

What kind of flour do you use?

There are many types of flour that are considered gluten-free like almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca starch, white rice flour and millet flour to name a few of the more frequently used flours.

However, there are also many gluten-free all-purpose flour blends that can simply replace regular all-purpose flour in a recipe. But beware, not all gluten-free all-purpose flours are the same. I find some just do not taste right in baking like the very popular Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose flour which I think doesn’t taste right because of the bean base. I also find some gluten-free all-purpose flours are too starchy for baking.

My two favourite cup-for-cup gluten-free flours are Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (in the blue bag) and the 1-to-1 Baking Flour blend from Bulk Barn.

One other important piece to note when baking with 1-to-1 or cup-for-cup flour is the use of xanthan gum. Since there is no gluten in these flours, we need something to ensure our baking doesn’t fall apart on us.

The two 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blends I mention above both contain xanthan gum in the blend so it’s not necessary to add more but, if your flour blend does not contain xanthan gum, the general rule of thumb is to add 1/4 of a teaspoon of xanathan gum per 1 cup of flour in your recipe. You shouldn’t need more than a tablespoon of xanthan gum in a recipe.

To add the extras or not to add?

There are some strong opinions when it comes to what to add to your carrot cake recipe. Some believe pineapple is an important ingredient while others completely disagree. Does one add pecans or walnuts or leave the nuts out altogether? Let’s not even mention the strong feelings people have about raisins. Yikes! I also know of someone who includes a swirl of cream cheese IN THE CAKE BATTER! Yum!

For my recipe, I chose to add pecans because I prefer the taste of pecans to walnuts. I didn’t toast the pecans first but you can totally do that by baking your pecan bits on a cookie sheet in the oven for about 15 minutes. This will bring out the flavour of the pecans in the cake.

What about all of that sugar?

It’s true that traditional carrot cake recipes have a ton of granulated and brown sugar. Not to mention the powdered sugar included in the cream cheese frosting. While I refuse to mess with the cream cheese frosting recipe, I do replace the granulated and brown sugar with coconut sugar and maple syrup and you know what? I think this swap actually makes the cake taste better. I’m serious!

What should I bake my cake in?

There are so many options when it comes to the type of pan you wish to bake your cake in and the look you’re going for. I baked this cake in two 6-inch round cake pans and then stacked them with cream cheese frosting in between each layer. You can also use 2 8-inch round cake pans or a 9×13 cake pan or use liners and make cupcakes. Of course, you will need to adjust the baking time depending on the cake pan you use.

Let’s get baking!

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Recipe

Tools You’ll Need

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups gluten-free, all-purpose flour (I prefer Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour or the 1-1 gluten-free flour from Bulk Barn)
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend already contains it which both of the blends named above do)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (reduce to 1/4 teaspoon if using salted butter)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup applesauce
2/3 cup avocado oil
1/2 cup melted butter
3 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream or half and half

Directions

Preheat oven to 350^o. Grease your cake pans with butter.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, allspice and cloves and set aside.
Using a standing mixer, beat together eggs, coconut sugar and maple syrup on medium-high speed until combined; about 1 minute.
Reduce speed and gradually add applesauce, avocado oil and melted butter. Mix for about one minute to ensure it’s thoroughly combined.
Reduce speed to the lowest setting and slowly add dry ingredients mixture one cup at a time and continue to stir until the mixture is fully incorporated.
Remove the mixing bowl from the standing mixer and fold in the shredded carrots and pecans using a wooden spoon.
Pour batter into your greased cake pan (separating evenly if using two cake pans). Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let cool. If using cake pans, allow the cake to cool for about 30 minutes before removing it from the pans to a cooling rack. Ensure the cake is completely cooled before icing.

How to make the cream cheese frosting:

In a stand mixer, whip together the butter and cream cheese for about 3 minutes.
Add vanilla extract and mix for another minute.
Slowly add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix until the sugar is fully incorporated.
Once your cake is cooled, use an icing spatula to frost your cake with the cream cheese frosting.