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:
elana says
Laney,
I’m glad you liked the cake. You definitely need to leave the frosting in the freezer until it turns an opaque white.
Let me know if it works next time and/or enjoy the cream cheese frosting, that’s my boys fave.
Thanks,
Elana
Laney says
I made this last night for my boyfriend’s birthday (in a heart shaped cake pan:)) The cake turned out amazing! I had some trouble with the coconut cream frosting though, I think I was just impatient and didn’t leave it in the freezer long enough. But even though the frosting isn’t perfect, it’s still very tasty! I think next time I will use your cream cheese frosting recipe with the carrot cake. Thank you for such deliciousness!
Linda says
Elana –
Just wondering – do you grate the carrots or shred them? It seems it would take a ton of time to grate them.
Thanks
elana says
Jillian -Unfortunately, there is no company in the U.S. that sells organic almond flour in stores.
Our Green Nest says
Elana,
Love you blog! Have you ever seen an organic almond flour??? Have you used it and what did you think? TU SO MUCH!!!
Jillian
elana says
Julia,
For the frosting, maybe try leaving it in the freezer a tad longer, that usually helps. That is great that you ground your own almonds.
Thanks for sharing all of your findings.
Elana
Julia says
Just finished making this cake. My only regret is that I substituted Real Salt for the celtic salt, and it was WAY too much. I feel a bit stupid for not realizing how much I was adding. If anyone uses any other type of salt for this, only use 1/2 tsp!!! Besides that, the cake is BRILLIANT- it cooked beautifully and it’s hard to believe there is no flour in it. I also blanched the almonds myself, then ground them in a food processor. They didn’t get as fine as flour, but it’s good to note that a blanched almond meal is perfectly fine for this recipe. My frosting did not get as thick as the picture shows, so I will have to tweak that a bit next time. Can’t wait to perfect this cake!
elana says
Bonnie -Thanks so much for your feedback; glad you like the frosting.
Bonnie says
Elana,
I made the carrot cake and coconut frosting today. I’m new at this type of cooking. My cake didn’t rise much but still tasted good. The coconut frosting is amazing! I really appreciate the time that you spend to share your experience and experiments with others. I have been trying to use the scd (specific carbohydrate diet) to help with several health issues. It is good to be able to find creative genius such as yours.
elana says
Camila,
Thank you for your comment. I’m not sure if the ingredient substitutions you mentioned would work for this recipe. I’ve only used the ingredients listed. If you decide to experiment feel free to share your results here.
Elana