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:
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 :-)