The best Gluten Free Carrot Cake recipe ever. Only one bowl is needed for this easy gluten free carrot cake recipe that is SO good that you will make it again and again.
Is it just me or did 2012 fly by in the blink of an eye? No sooner had I become used to writing 2012 as the year instead of 2011 and then it was over and now I have to get used to the fact it's 2013.
I wonder if age has an impact on how quickly we perceive time. When you're a child there's painstaking countdowns to events such as your birthday, Christmas or Easter, and the days just seem to drag by. But when you get a little older no sooner do you ring in the new year when all of a sudden it's Easter before you know it.
I recently reflected on the year that's just passed and shared my readers top 12 recipes of 2012, but I didn't share my favourite recipes of 2012. One of which is my Gluten Free Banana Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (followed closely by my Vegetarian Mushroom Bourguignon).
Even if you aren't on a gluten free diet my Gluten Free Banana Cake is one delicious cake. In fact, I made the banana cake twice for my husbands family while we were visiting them in Adelaide over Christmas, and each time this cake disappeared just as quickly as 2012 had done because everyone loves a good banana cake.
When we came home from Adelaide I had a sudden craving for carrot cake, which I haven't had in the longest time, usually because I find them overly oily and heavy, so I resolved to turn my gluten free banana cake into a gluten free carrot cake recipe. And it worked out brilliantly!
The beauty of this gluten free carrot cake recipe is that it couldn't be easier to make. There is no need to cream butter and sugar, in fact, there's no butter in this recipe at all. All you need is a food processor to first grate the carrots and then blitz all the ingredients together for this gluten free carrot cake recipe with almond meal to become one of the most delicious cakes you'll ever eat. Of course, you could grate the carrots by hand, but since you will have the food processor out anyway why not put it to good use?
While I was tempted to go with my cinnamon cream cheese frosting, which by the way I think would work brilliantly with this gluten free carrot cake recipe, I went for a lemon cream cheese frosting. I grew up eating carrot cakes with lemon cream cheese frosting, so lemon cream cheese frosting it had to be for me. Next time though I will make this with the cinnamon cream cheese frosting because I will definitely be making this easy carrot cake recipe again and again.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 350 g carrots peeled and tops removed, ¾ lb or 12 oz
- ½ cup pecans
- 5 large eggs
- 1 tsp heaped baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 250 g almond meal ½ lb or 9 oz, ground almonds
- 220 g brown sugar ½ lb or 8 oz
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp of ground ginger
- CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- 250 g cream cheese at room temperature, ½ lb or 9 oz
- 50 g butter at room temperature, 1¾ oz
- 100 g of icing sugar sifted, 3.5 oz
- zest and juice of half a lemon or to taste
Instructions
- Grease two 20 cm (8-Inch) nonstick springform cake tines and preheat the oven to 180 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit).
- Grate the carrots using a food processor and remove the grated carrots from the bowl and set aside. Remove the grater attachment from the food processor and switch to the chopping attachment and add the pecans and pulse until roughly chopped. Set aside with the carrots.
- Add the remaining cake ingredients (except the carrots and pecans) and process to combine. Finally, add the carrot and pecans and pulse to combine with the cake batter.
- Divide the batter between the prepared springform pans and bake for 15 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely in the tin before removing.
- To make the frosting combine the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the icing sugar and lemon juice and zest and beat for another 5 minutes, or until pale and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting between the cake layers and over the top of the cooled cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Josie says
I made this tonight because I've been craving carrot cake and have never found a GF one in cafés and it is absolutely amazing! My mum and I are both in love with it, it's one of the best cakes we've ever had. Thanks for a fantastic recipe 🙂 It's definitely been added to the repertoire in this house.
Roxann says
Can I make these into cupcakes easily?
Jennifer says
Hi Roxann, yes, you should be able to turn them into cupcakes, although I personally haven't tried it, so it would be a case of trial and error. For cupcakes I'd reduce the baking time by one third to one half. I hope that helps. Please let me know how you go 😀
Michele says
I notice your gf carrot cake does not contain any oil, is the cake still moist without?In fact, the cake contains no 'fats".
Jennifer says
Hi Michele, yes, it's still super moist without the oil, thanks to the amount of eggs used, and the natural oils in the nuts. I hope you enjoy it if you decide to try it. 😀
Roxann says
I made these into mini-cupcakes for a party and they were a hit! So easy to pop in your mouth and they came out so good...perfect consistency. Thanks for sharing!
bumble says
This is the most delicious recipe for carrot cake - sensational! I read through all your reviews and took the advice of one of those posted and baked it for 30 minutes and it came out perfectly. A happy five stars x
Jennifer says
Thank you for the feedback bumble! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. 😀
Joanna says
I've just made this cake - it tastes very good and my children are on their second piece as I type...but the egg sort of pooled at the bottom when I baked it so there is a bit of an egg layer at the bottom...I do not have a food processor but I tried to stir it REALLY well...could this be the reason? Any tips are appreciated...
Jennifer says
Hi Joanna, I'm glad you and your children are enjoying the cake 🙂 As for the egg layer at the bottom, it does sound like that perhaps batter was under mixed. If you have a hand held or stand mixer, I'd perhaps try using that next time to ensure everything is well mixed. Alternatively, if you are making it by hand, try using a whisk and perhaps put the kids to work to make sure it's well mixed before baking. 😉
Claudia says
I had never made carrot cake before and this cake really boosted my confidence to be able to make my on GF and DF(milk protein) baking. I added raisins to mine. I then used a pineapple frosting concoction with a vegan cream cheese and butter substitute. It is so good, I may not have to worry about storing it!!! Thanks!!!!
Robin says
I noticed you are using grams and pounds in your recipe. Are these US measures?Many thanks,
Jennifer says
I'm based in Australia, so we use grams as our unit of measure, but a lot of my readers are based in the US so I also try to provide equivalent measures in brackets (pounds, oz or cups) if people aren't comfortable using grams. Was there a particular measurement that confused you that I can perhaps clarify?
Robin says
It was the cups that I am concerned about. There is a difference between Australian cup measures and US as well as tablespoon, teaspoon etc.Thank you
Robin says
Just noticed your conversion chart. Tiny letters, old eyes.Thank you,Robin
Jodie says
I think I will love this for my Birthday on the 17th! XD
Tara says
This recipe is wonderful! I doubled the cinnamon and nutmeg the second time around because I love a strong spice flavor. Delicious. And I don't mean delicious for gluten-free. I mean DELICIOUS.
carol says
Hi I have just made your gluten free carrot cake and its now cooling. As I haven't a food processor I wasn't sure whether to just mix the the ingredients with a wooden spoon or beat with my hand mixer, what is the best? I haven't tasted it yet but I did just mix.Regards Carol
Jennifer says
Hi Carol 🙂 I think as long as you beat it well enough to mix all of the eggs well then you should be fine to do it by hand. Do let me know how it turned out. Enjoy!
kim says
Ha. I think I did something really wrong. It pretty much tastes like pumpkin pie. Should the batter be smooth when you put it in the pans? Mine was quite thick.
Jennifer says
Hmmm that doesn't sound right Kim. There should still be quite a lot of texture in the cake. Did you run the food processor for long? I'm wondering if perhaps all the ingredients became too chopped and pureed? Sorry, it's a little difficult to tell what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you 😀 If you do decide to make it again I'd suggest only running the food processor long enough for the ingredients to combine before pouring into the tin to bake.
Cathy says
I made this cake 2ice, 1st attempt wouldnt come out off a ring tin (tasted great tho) then made again yesterday in a single tine and this time I lined the sides and the bottom, (BEST EASIEST CARROT CAKE TO MAKE)I made it for my sons 33rd Birthday he loves Carrot Cakes and said this was the best cake, my husband daughter in law all agree. Thank you so much for posting this recipe
Lee says
So impressed with this carrot cake. Tastes great and so moist. Can't tell its gluten free. Definetly a permanent fixture.
Jennifer says
Thanks Lee 😀 I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It is a firm favourite in our house.
tennille says
I make this all the time. It really is the best carrot cake ever! I made it for a 'bake off' at work and won. 10 judges and I scored 9's and 10's! Thankyou.
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Oh wow, that is high praise indeed! Thank you so much for sharing @tennille 🙂
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Hi Chaz, sorry I didn't see your comment earlier. You're correct. There is no butter or oil in the cake. The nuts provide their own natural oils which keeps the cake moist.
frances says
the oven at 180 degress. is that for a fan forced or a conventional oven.
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
That is 180 celsius for a conventional oven. I've cooked it in a fan forced oven as well, at 170 celsius. I hope you enjoy the cake Frances 🙂
Danielle says
I made this cake for my brother and he loved it, now he wants it as his wedding cake - a doubled stacked 10inch round - which I'm guessing would be roughly 4times your recipe?? What I really.want to know is can it be frozen? (both brothers getting married 2 weeks apart so I want to get a head start if possible)
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Congratulations on your brothers wedding Danielle! As for your question, I haven't personally tried freezing the cake, but I'm sure it would be fine. Also, in relation to making 4 cakes, instead of making it in one big batch, I would make individual batches of the cake. Good luck and let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Danielle says
Oh my goodness, it was amazing and went down a storm at the wedding! I baked the cake in 4 layers, using the whole recipe for each 10" round tin and cooked for 45 minutes each. I did add 90g of sultanas and 2 tbsp of fresh grated root ginger to each layer mix. It also froze incredibly well, left for a few hours to defrost and then layered up with cream cheese and lemon icing before coating with ganache and fondant 2 days before the wedding. Thanks for a great recipe
Linette says
I'm going to try ground flaxseed instead of almond flour, do u think it will work out?
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Hi Linette 🙂 Sorry, I don't have experience with ground flaxseed so I can't say whether it will work or not. If you do give it a go please do let me know how it turns out.
deliciouslynell says
Hi there! I made this for a friend's fiance's birthday, and it was a huge success! I increased the cooking time, as the cake definitely needed more cooking to firm it up and dry it out a bit more, then I doubled the icing, coated the cake with it, and pressed crushed walnuts all over it. It was absolutely delicious!
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
I'm so glad your fiance enjoyed the cake. The crushed walnut coating sounds fabulous! I'll have to try that 🙂
Liz says
This is the best carrot cake recipe ever. I regularly make it and your banana cake! A couple of questions for you - is it 350g carrots before you've peeled them and taken the tops off or after? And what weight of egg do you use? Sounds silly but sometimes the cake is too moist. Also any tips on adjusting the banana cake recipe to use thawed bananas? I often put bananas in the freezer when they are a bit too ripe to eat then thaw them and use them in cakes later. When they are thawed they are a bit more runny than fresh banana. Thanks! ?
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Thank you, Liz for your wonderful comment 🙂 It is always wonderful to hear from people who have tried recipes. As for your questions. It is 350g of carrots before peeling and removing their tops. As for the eggs, I use large eggs (600g for dozen). For the thawed banana, I'd suggested perhaps thawing it in a fine mesh sieve to remove any moisture before making the cake. That should hopefully remove any excess moisture. I hope that helps and thanks again for taking the time to leave some feedback. Have a wonderful weekend!! 😀
Liz says
Thanks Jennifer!
Sister Catherine says
hi i need a dairy free creamy frosting what dou you suggest? usually ingredients weights are the finished weight like carrots without tops, ends ,etc. the part ready to put in the mix, and usually egg is 38 gram or large. please get back to me about what to do about a dairy free creamy frosting? thanks [email protected] Sister Catherine
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Hi Catherine, the eggs are large, which in Australia are 50 to 58g. The carrot weight is whole, with the tops, for ease, because the carrots are shredded in the food processor after being topped and peeled. As for a dairy free topping, I've been experimenting with a few options, but honestly, I haven't come across anything that works as well as a simple icing (confectioners sugar) frosting as the cashew based alternatives I've tried all seems to seep into the cake. I hope that helps.
Suzanne says
This looks so so good! Thanks for posting the nutrition content. That's helpful when trying to stay on a specific meal plan. I'm excited to give this a try!