This gluten-free Carrot Cake is a family favorite. It’s a healthy dessert for cookouts, picnics, and graduation parties. Made with almond flour, this cake is high in protein and good fat, so you won’t be left with a high-carb hangover after eating it.
I went on a gluten-free diet in 1998, when I was diagnosed with celiac disease. I went on a grain-free diet in 2001, and haven’t looked back. My digestion really improved when I gave up typical gluten-free flours like rice flour, that are high in carbohydrates. I’m so glad that I made the switch to paleo baking way back when!
If you are on a nut-free diet, try my incredible Nut-Free Carrot Cake.
Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 5 large eggs
- ½ cup agave nectar or honey
- ¼ cup grapeseed oil or palm shortening
- 3 cups carrots, grated
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup walnuts
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg
- In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, agave, and oil
- Stir carrots, raisins, and walnuts into wet ingredients
- Stir wet ingredients into dry
- Transfer batter into 2 well greased 9 inch springform pan
- Bake at 325°F for 35 minutes
- Cool cake for 3 hours, then remove from pan
- Serve
In other news, my spring has been filled with baseball. As I mentioned, I am coaching my son’s little league team and it is quite a hoot. We won again yesterday, though more importantly, the boys are playing as a team and have great spirit. It is somewhat amazing to see how focused 9 year olds can be and how supportive they are of each other. This coaching deal has been a real treat for me.
We like to smother this Carrot Cake with any of the healthy frosting recipes below for an incredible show stopping dessert:
Ruth says
I am trying to “fold in” the carrots (I have not yet added the raisins or walnuts). The dough is stiff as a board… it is impossible to fold in anything. I have used a lot of effort to get the carrots mixed with the batter. I have never (in over 60 years of cooking) had a cake recipe be so stiff. I can not imagine this turning out ok. I don’t expect a response since this book is not a recent publication… but so far I am confused and don’t know if I should bother cooking it. I feel like I’ve probably wasted a lot of good ingredients because it is beyond imaging that it will turn out edible. I found this website hoping to find a comment about there I went wrong… no luck.
Elana says
Ruth, did you use coconut flour instead of almond flour –sounds like that’s what went awry.
Amy Jean says
Hi Elana;
Thank you once again for a wonderful “Carrot Cake!” recipe! it truly was outstanding, & super moist! After I made it, & looked at one of the comments, I realized you did mean put in 2- 9″ Springform pans. But I misread it @ first. I put it into a 9×9 & it was perfect! tks so much!
Elana says
Amy Jean, so glad to hear you are enjoying this recipe and glad that your adaptation worked so well!
Mrs. Plum says
Elana, this is my favorite carrot cake recipe. I’ve made it a number of times. I usually use toasted pecans instead of walnuts. I use apricot spread as a filling, with a cream cheese frosting. I decorate the top of the cake with dried apricot halves and pecan halves. Easy-peasy, and it looks good. Many thanks for a great recipe!
Elana says
Mrs. Plum, wow! That sounds amazing :-)
Melanie says
My response after tasting this carrot cake? Wow,… over and over again, just wow! I have all 3 of your cookbooks and have been waiting for an opportunity to finally make this carrot cake. I made it mostly as listed, with the only difference being that I had to substitute macadamia nut oil for the grape seed oil since I was out. Also because I like pineapple in carrot cake I added 4oz of crushed pineapple. Again just Wow! It blew my mind. Not only would I never have known that this was gluten-free, but it was by far better than any carrot cake that I’ve ever had that was loaded with gluten! Thank you so much for this spectacular recipe Elana. I know that I will be making it for many years to come and probably in muffin-form as well. Much love on your journey.
Melanie
Elana says
Melanie, what a great comment! So glad to hear this carrot cake is wow. Big hugs to you and yours :-)
Michael Todd Koren says
I love this cake and am making it as cupcakes for some family members for the holidays. But I use Monk fruit extract with a little maple syrup instead. I stay away from agave, as I noticed you do in your later recipes.
Elana says
Thanks Michael! That sounds great :-)
Yvonne says
I cant do so many things: anything with coconut: shredded, flour, sugar, cream/milk, oil; grains of any kind or their flours/noodles; or cane sugar. I made mine with a rounded 1/3 cup of powdered erythritol and made the frosting from Kite brand almond “cream cheese“ and powdered erythritol, a little vanilla, and it was really good! I did increase the oil a bit, and used extra large eggs.
Elana says
Thanks Yvonne!
Lea says
Looking to make this cake for a birthday tomorrow. Will a 13×9 glass baking dish be acceptable? My baking supplies are limited in my quarantine location.
Many thanks for your delicious recipes!
Elana says
Lea, thanks for your comment. I haven’t tried that so not sure, if you experiment I hope you’ll let me know if it works :-)
Dionne says
I have made this cake for years in a 13×9 inch glass pan and it’s great!
Wondering about the calorie count?
Elana says
Dionne, for more on that go here:
https://elanaspantry.com/nutrition-information/
Have a fantastic day!
Elana
Yvonne says
Yvonne here again. Yes! to the sheet cake pan. I made mine in one.
Mariette says
Can I use butter instead ofthe oils?
Elana says
Mariette, I haven’t tried that so not sure :-)
MJ says
Would love to try this recipe. Can’t do sugar so wondering if I can substitute monk fruit sweetener for the honey/agave. Would this work please? How much monk fruit to use? Would I need to add some liquid? Thank you!
Elana says
MJ, I haven’t tried that so not sure. If you do experiment I hope you’ll let me know if it works :-)