Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
This Gluten-Free Carrot Cake is ultra moist, perfectly spiced, and so delicious you’d never guess it’s free of refined sugar, dairy, and flour!
Servings: 16 Bars
Cost: $6.43
Equipment
- High-powered blender think Vitamix or Blend-tec, see note 1
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
Carrot Cake
- 1 cup cashews see note 2
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats see note 3
- 3/4 cup maple syrup see note 4
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil measure when melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk or milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch see note 5
- 1 cup finely grated carrots
Optional Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened vanilla almond milk or milk of choice
- Toasted and coarsely chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Add the cashews, oats, maple syrup, and coconut oil (measured when melted) to a large, powerful blender (Blend-tec/Vitamix) and blend until fairly smooth, 60 seconds. Add in the rest of the cake ingredients except the carrots. Blend until smooth and creamy, about 60–90 seconds. Stop and scrape edges as needed. Meanwhile, grate carrots on the small side of the grater and measure to get 1 full cup. Gently stir the carrots into the batter in the blender and pour the batter into the prepared pan, using a spatula to scrape out every bit.
- Smooth the top with the spatula and bake for 28–34 minutes or until the cake is lightly browned at the edges and set in the middle (toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean). (32 mins is perfect in my oven!)
- Optional Frosting: Meanwhile, place softened cream cheese in a large bowl. (Give it ample time to warm to room temperature so your frosting isn’t chunky.) Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese with the vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar (beating between additions) until smooth and creamy and to your desired consistency. Add milk and beat until smooth.
- Frost the completely cooled cake evenly with the frosting. If desired, top the frosting with chopped pecans.
Video
Notes
Note 1: You’ll need a good, powerful blender (think Blendtec® or Vitamix®) to break down the cashews without over-heating the machine.
Note 2: I love dry-roasted and lightly salted cashews best—more flavor without extra effort on your part. (Here’s what I use in this cake.)
Note 3: Although it would make sense that any oats would work since they’re getting blended anyway, it’s important to use old-fashioned to get the right measurement. Both quick and steel-cut oats are smaller, denser, and more compact, so measurements would be off and the cake would be too dry.
Note 4: Pure maple syrup is a natural sweetener (unlike corn syrup or pancake syrup) made from the sap of a maple tree, which is boiled down to a thicker consistency. I don’t recommend any substitutes.
Note 5: Corn starch is an important ingredient since we aren’t using flour and need some additional support and thickness.
Nutrition Note: Nutrition information does not include the optional cream cheese frosting. With the frosting, one serving is 241 calories.
Storage: Store leftover carrot cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze individual slices wrapped tightly, then place in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 17.6g | Protein: 3.1g | Fat: 11.3g | Cholesterol: 23.3mg | Sodium: 171.7mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 9.9g