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:
mina says
Can I use a bundt pan and what about the cooking time?
Elana says
Mina, I haven’t tried that so not sure :-)
Lisa says
Did you try a bundt pan? If so, did it turn out? How long did it cook?
Anne Lee says
I made this cake for my moms birthday and for Mother’s Day (fell on the same day this year). It was such a hit with everyone! My family couldn’t believe that it was made with almond flour and with just 1/2 cup of honey! I made the cake with your cream cheese frosting and it was soooo good! Thank you for sharing your wonderful & easy to follow recipes with us! I always turn to your website & cookbooks for a recipe I know everyone will love.
Elana says
Anne, thanks for letting me know you always turn to my website and cookbooks for recipes you know everyone will love!
Michelle says
I think I’m going to give this s try. I just did a raw carrot cake that was well received. I can’t wait to try this!
Elana says
Thanks Michelle!
Natalie says
We made the carrot cake batter then instead of baking in cake pans we made it into muffins. I cooked them at the same temp. and for about 20 min. When they came out I thought they weren’t done but let them sit for 10 minutes and they ended up perfect! I am used to another carrot cake that I have made for years and this was great and didn’t bother me later. Thank you!
Elana says
Natalie, thanks for letting me know this is great!
Nicole says
Hi Elana, do you happen to know by chance if this cake would turn out well baked in a bunt pan?
Thanks!
Elana says
Nicole, I haven’t tried that so not sure :-)
Kylie says
Love this cake – it was our wedding cake! Do you think this recipe would make 3, 6 inch cakes?
Elana says
Kylie, I Haven’t tried that so not sure, if you do experiment I hope you’ll let me know if it worked! I’m so glad to hear that you love this cake and that you had it for your wedding!❤️
Mary says
I LOVE pineapple and coconut in my carrot cake and am not a fan of raisins. If I leave out the raisins and add pineapple and coconut, would I need to make any other adjustments?
Elana says
Mary, thanks for your comment! I haven’t tried that so not sure :-)
Mary says
How would it affect the cake if I exchanged half the almond flour for all purpose gluten free flour?
Elana says
Mary, thanks for your comment! I haven’t tried that so not sure. I gave up GF flours in 2001 and haven’t cooked with anything but grain-free flours since, sorry I can’t be of more help :-)
Lynn says
My husband hates raisins, and we both like pineapple in our carrot cake so I sub 1/2 chopped dates and 1/2 chopped drained pineapple for raisins. Turns out great every time
Elana says
Thanks Lynn!
Kiran says
SIMPLY AMAZING!
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday with cream cheese frosting and it was SOO good. Moist and the flavour was spot on. I used currants instead of raisins and used 1.5 tsp. of salt. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for the great recipe!
Elana says
Kiran, thanks for letting me know this cake is SIMPLY AMAZING!
Jen says
This is currently baking and filling my house with yummy smells. I was going to make a ‘normal’ carrot cake for everyone else and a small grain free dessert for me, but all the reviews about fooling the norms made me just give it a go!
This seems like a great high protein breakfast waiting to happen… do you think this could handle the pineapple/applesauce combo that goes into morning glory muffins?
Elana says
Jen, thanks for your comment! I haven’t tried that so not sure, if you do experiment I hope you’ll let us know how it goes :-)
Diana says
Why not Coconut Flour?
Elana says
Diana, here you go:
https://elanaspantry.com/nut-free-paleo-carrot-cake/
Enjoy!
Elana