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This is one recipe to keep in your recipe collection especially if you love carrot cake as much as I do. The best thing about this recipe is that it is of course gluten-free, but also dairy-free. There is also an option for nut-free if you leave out the walnuts .
Cake Ingredients:
- 3 cups blanched almond flour
- 1¾ teaspoons salt
Dairy-Free Cream Frosting:
- 1¼ cup coconut oil
To make frosting:
Gluten Free Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
It wouldn’t be a classic carrot cake without the tangy sweetness of smooth and creamy cream cheese frosting. The cream cheese frosting here isn’t super stiff, since to make it very stiff would require adding way too much confectioners’ sugar.
When you frost the cake as a layer cake, keep in mind that the frosting is a bit softer than a classic buttercream. That means that the cake itself is more likely to peek out from the layers of frosting.
You can frost a naked cake by just filling in between the layers and frosting right on top. For cupcakes, try frosting them right before serving.
You can also help firm up the frosting a bit by chilling it in the refrigerator before using it to decorate your cake. I wouldn’t let it chill for more than an hour, though, so it doesn’t become too firm to spread.
The Right Spice For The Best Carrot Cake
Carrot cake needs spice Traditionally, cinnamon and ginger are added, although again, the quantities vary. Some recipes also add any combination of nutmeg, allspice and cloves. For this recipe, I have balanced a good amount of cinnamon with a little ginger and a hint of mixed spice. I tried various ratios in the many bakes used to test the recipe, but this is by far the most delicious.
In addition to the spice, there is some finely grated orange zest and vanilla added for depth and a little citrus back-hit.
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How To Make Gluten Free Carrot Cake Moist
Gluten free cakes in general tend to be dry and crumbly which is why it is important to master the methods to get a moist, fluffy, risen cake with body.
And one of the ways to achieve this specifically with carrot cake is to add the right amount of grated carrots. As this adds great moisture to the cake, but be careful not to add too much as this will lead to a very dense cake.
Xanthan Gum is also key to this recipe to add stability to the cake and prevent it from becoming crumbly.
Master the art of baking GF, DF & Vegan
Gluten Free Carrot Cake Challenge Accepted
This gluten free carrot cake is amazing. Developed at the request of a reader who wanted carrot cake to celebrate a birthday, it needed to be good. And given that a carrot cake recipe was long-overdue for the blog, it was a challenge I took willingly.
I could of course have apologetically said I didnt have a recipe for this most iconic of cakes. Or referred her to Google to do an alternative search, but I like carrot cake. And I like challenges. I also knew , that most gluten free carrot cake recipes look either dry, or are written in American . This cake was more than a requested whim!
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How To Make Gluten
Although the photos of this gluten-free carrot cake show the cake as a layered cake, you can easily make this carrot cake into a sheet cake or cupcakes. See below.
Making The Brush Strokes
You dont have to make these brush strokes to put on the cake. Itll be delicious with just the cream cheese frosting. But these are so, so easy and incredibly beautiful, why not? Plus, your kids would have a blast making these AND eating em, too!
Melt a small amount of green and orange white chocolate flavored candy wafers. I had some leftover from another project I did and only had about 1/4 of a 14-ounce bag of green and 1/2 of a 14-ounce bag of orange so I melted both of those in separate bowls.
On a baking sheet lined with waxed paper place about a silver dollar-sized dollop of melted chocolate. With the back of a spoon, swoosh through the chocolate to spread it across the paper. Dont worry about being perfect.
Do this with all of the melted chocolate in both colors. Allow them to dry as recommended on the package before removing them carefully from the paper.
I only had enough of each to decorate one side of the cake. But when researching how to do these brush stroke cakes, I found that almost all of them were done on only one side of the cake anyway. So this was perfect as it was more of an abstract interpretation of a carrot.
After frosting the cake and allowing it to chill to firm up, remove the cake from the fridge and let it sit for just a few minutes to make the frosting tacky enough to glue the brush strokes onto the cake. Line one side of the cake with the orange brush strokes, overlapping and gently pressing into the side of the cake.
Read Also: Is Gluten Free Better For Diabetics
Does Gluten Free Flour Make Cakes Dry
Gluten-free cakes can become damp due to moisture. A gluten-free cake will quickly dry out and become difficult to eat if it is not properly refrigerated and covered. To compensate for the dryness of the batter, I always use Buttermilk and a little more fat.
The flour may be light in the end, but it is likely to contain only one type of gluten-free flour. It would be preferable to use a combination of various flours, which contain different amounts of protein, nutrition, and structure. If you dont have time to make potato flour, you can make almond or other nut-based flours at home. When it comes to gluten-free flours with xantham gum, there is a noticeable difference in how liquid they are. Some flours, such as potato flour or coconut flour, soak up more water than regular flours. Because gluten-free flour is much lighter than regular flour, measuring it according to your recipe is the best option.
If your gluten-free cake is falling in the middle or rising and becoming dense, you may have insufficient baking powder or too much chemical leavening . If you need to convert the baking powder or baking soda to gluten-free flour, make sure to use 25% more of the baking soda or baking powder. Consistency can be improved by lowering the temperature by 25 degrees and baking the cake for 15 minutes longer.
Development Of The Best Carrot Cake
Carrot cake is a well-known favourite, which means that there is nowhere to hide. When de-glutening popular recipes at GFHQ, the start point is always the traditional wheat version. Why? Because when we make cake, it has to be impossible to know that it is gluten free Even to the hardiest gluten-eater. Any cake made here has to stand proudly and equally alongside its non-gluten free cousins. And not because it is apologetically special.
The recipe shared here is version 3 of the development And yes. Weve eaten a lot of carrot cake in the last couple of weeks to get to happy. Version 1 was too dry and version 2 too wet. This recipe on the other hand is the BEST carrot cake. Perfectly moist but still fluffy Wonderfully nutty, but not over crunchy Rich, but not overwhelmed with spice With a glorious citrussy hint of orange and a gorgeous carroty hue. All slathered with a sublimely silky, decadent and lightly tangy cream cheese frosting.
Its even been created in delicious Carrot Cake traybake form too! Perfect for bake sales.
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More Favorite Almond Flour Recipes
Its worth buying a bag of almond flour! You can use it in any of these almond flour recipes. Here are a few delicious recipe picks to get your started:
I had originally hoped to bake this gluten free carrot cake recipe for my family at Easternone of whom have a dietary restriction but all of whom love a good carrot cakebut were putting our get-together on hold for the time being. Ben and I will be having a quiet Easter brunch at home to ourselves. While I thought baking an entire carrot cake might be a bit excessive for just two the two of us, I honestly dont think Ill be able to resist!
This cake saves well and tastes so magnificent, I know well be delighted to enjoy the leftovers in the days and weeks that follow.
I hope this carrot cake brings a sense of peace, comfort, and optimism to your table too.
Choosing The Right Gluten Free Flour For Carrot Cake
I’ve made this cake so many times that I’ve made it with Better Batter classic gluten free flour blend, Cup4Cup gluten free flour blend, and my Better Than Cup4Cup blend. They all work beautifully.
It’s a relatively forgiving recipe, unlike for example our perfect gluten free vanilla cake, which is so simple that it must be made with just the right gluten free flour blend, sifted. Steer clear entirely of gf flour blends with very gritty rice flour, like Bob’s Red Mill, but you might even be able to make this cake successfully with King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure.
As always, please consult our comprehensive guide to all purpose gluten free flour blends, which is linked in every recipe, like this one, that calls for an all purpose gluten free flour blend.
Also Check: White Corn Tortillas Gluten Free
Equipment Used At Gluten Free Alchemist For Making Gluten Free Carrot Cake
- Measuring Spoons : like these Tala ones.
- A Good Grater : With lots of carrots to grate, you need a good grater. I am really lucky and have a Zyliss Grater bought by hubbie. To be honest, I dont use it that often, but it was a godsend for this cake. You can also get a hand-held version, which works on the same principle and looks a lot more practical from a storage perspective.
- A whisk for the cake sponge : Mine is a Kenwood K-Mix Hand Whisk
- A mixing spoon/spatula : When making cakes, I always use my Zing silicone spoon. Its a spatula as well as a spoon!
- Baking Paper : Dont cut corners on this one I always use Lakeland Baking Parchment It hasnt let me down yet.
- Cake Tins : The Masterclass are non-stick and have a loose bottom to make cake removal as straight forward as possible.
- A Zester : A microplane zester is an amazing thing for zesting.
Use A Food Processor To Quickly Grate Your Carrots
You should always grate your carrots fresh, rather than used a prepared bag of grated carrots, for carrot cake. The prepared grated carrots are almost always quite thick, and they’re too dry.
That doesn’t mean you necessarily have to grate your carrots by hand, though, on a box grater. Try making quick work of the job by grating them in your food processor with the grater plate or blade.
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How Do I Substitute Gluten Free Flour For Cake Flour
Image Source: https://letseatcake.com
Gluten free flour can be substituted for cake flour by using a 1:1 ratio. For example, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of cake flour, you would use 1 cup of gluten free flour.
When and How to Choose Gluten-Free Flour for Baking. No one-size-fits-all solution to gluten-free baking, but we have some ideas to help you create delicious gluten-free versions of the baked goods you enjoy. All-in-one blends replace regular flour with a single blend you should use the blend. All-in-one blends are distinguished by their stabilizers, such as xantham gum. Even if baked goods are made with ingredients other than flour, it is not noticeable that they use other ingredients instead of flour. Gluten-free flours should be explicitly mentioned in any recipe that has been tested.
If youre making gluten-free flour substitutes in a recipe, use Bobs Red Mill all-purpose flour. Because this flour is gluten-free, it will not cause any issues in baking. Because gluten-free flours frequently contain fine starches, they absorb more liquid than traditional flours. Batters become more liquidy as a result of this process, so it is critical to add enough liquid to the recipe to achieve the desired consistency. Furthermore, gluten-free flours may require a larger amount of leavening, such as baking powder, in order to give them a more structured appearance and lighten their texture.
Heres Why This Gluten Free Carrot Cake Recipe Is The Best
- Its moist! Is there anything worse than a dry carrot cake? Ugh. So disappointing. Thankfully this gluten free carrot cake is anything but dry!
- Its easy to make. This is a pretty standard cake recipe you can whip together in your mixer in no time!
- It uses common ingredients. The only semi-unusual ingredient on this list is the gluten free flour blend, which thankfully is found in most grocery stores these days!
- The cream cheese frosting. My version is full of tangy cream cheese flavor and not too sweet. I adore it and believe its the only frosting that should ever go on carrot cake. Forever and ever. Amen.
Also Check: Gluten And Dairy Free Frozen Meals
How To Store And Freeze
- Store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- According to the FDA, cream cheese frosting must be refrigerated within 2 hours. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving to take the chill off.
- To freeze the cake, do not frost. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator until ready to frost.
- Cakes can be made one day in advance and, once cooled, kept covered at room temperature. Alternatively, once the cakes are cool, wrap and refrigerate for up to three days before frosting.
- If you have leftover frosting, transfer it to a small freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, label the bag with the name and date and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Defrost frosting in the refrigeratoruse it on cupcakes or thin it with some milk or water and drizzle it over a Bundt cake or quick bread.
Lets Make The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
To get started, preheat your oven to 325F, grease your pans, and line them with parchment paper. Then follow along below.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk them all together.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate large bowl, mix everything together with a whisk or hand mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.
- Blend it all together. Add the dry mixture into the wet and blend for one more minute until combined. Then fold in the carrots and pecans.
- Pour the batter into the pans. Note that the pans will only be ¼ full, and use a spatula to smooth out the top.
- Bake and cool. Bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating the cake halfway through. Then pull out the cake, let it cool for 15 minutes, and remove it onto a cooling rack.
- Make the frosting and slather it on. Mix the frosting ingredients in a large bowl with a stand mixer or hand mixer on medium speed. Then divide the frosting between the cake layers.
Also Check: Gluten Free Bread Recipe For Bread Machine
Tips From The Betty Crocker Kitchens
- tip 1 Cooking Gluten Free? Always read labels to make sure each recipe ingredient is gluten free. Products and ingredient sources can change.
- tip 2 Finely shredding the carrot and finely chopping the nuts spreads their goodness through the whole cake and makes it easier to cut, too.
- tip 3 Bettys mixes won gold. The Edison Best New Product Awards are given annually and are voted on by a not-for-profit group. Enjoy this recipe using one of the mixes.
- tip 4 The same Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake mix used to create Easy Gluten Free Carrot Cake is used in this recipe for Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies. Now everyone can enjoy the goodies you create.
- tip 5 Gluten-Free Lemon Squares have all the sweet, tart flavor you love. To create another delicious, homemade gluten-free dessert, use Betty Crocker All-Purpose Gluten Free Rice Flour Blend.
