This post may contain affiliate links. This means that when you click the link and make a purchase, I make a small commission. I only recommend products that I have used and find helpful. Thank you for supporting Motivate Educate Repeat!
Spring is such a wonderful time of year! With it comes warmer weather, blooming flowers and fresh flavors. Easter is one time of year that always reminds me of carrot cake. This Gluten-Free Carrot Cake recipe is the perfect dessert for this specific holiday weekend or any time of year.
This cake has a subtle spiced cake base with all of the usual ingredients you’d find in a traditional carrot cake. The difference? I make this version with gluten-free flour, coconut sugar, applesauce, and a little butter. I did however keep the raisins, walnuts and traditional cream cheese frosting! It’s so good!
Have your cake and eat it too
Do you ever find yourself making a whole cake for a special occasion but not finishing it all? Now you have a huge portion of cake tempting you all week and you don’t want to ruin your health or fitness goals?
Well the good thing is you don’t have to! With just a few simple swaps, you can literally have your cake and eat it too! 😉 Not to mention any sustainable healthy lifestyle should come with treats. It’s all about the right type of balance!
This Gluten-Free Carrot Cake fits right into my 80/20 nutrition plan. That just means that I find balance with food by sticking to about 80% healthy foods and leave 20% for everything else. For more info on the 80/20 rule and learn how to apply it to your life, check out this post HERE.
Find what swaps you like and stick with those. If you don’t need to make this gluten free, you can easily use a regular all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour. Just note that the results will vary since I haven’t tried those in this recipe, but it should work!
This cake is topped with a velvety cream cheese frosting. It’s the perfect addition to this spiced cake with carrots, raisins, and walnuts. What makes this frosting perfect is that it isn’t too sweet. A great option when you really want the flavors of the cake to shine. It’s so delicious!
Healthier Ingredients
*Gluten-free all-purpose flour- I use this in most of my baking these days. A great anti-inflammatory option. So easy and no fuss over creating your own gluten free blend etc. I love using Bob’s All-Purpose Gluten Free Blend. You can find it HERE. It works as a nice 1:1 ratio swap for most recipes.
*Coconut Sugar- to be clear sugar is still sugar! This one just tends to sit lower on the glycemic index (won’t spike your blood sugar as much) than others and is less processed. The closer to the source the better. It also tends to have a bit of a less sweet but nutty taste which goes well in the recipe with walnuts.  Shop for it HERE on Amazon.
*Applesauce- I love adding applesauce to any cake or muffin recipe to not only provide more moisture, but to swap for oil/butter etc if needed. I chose to have both in this recipe and it works so well! Just be sure to shop for an organic applesauce if available and one that is made with just apples on the ingredient list. No additional sugar is needed! Shop my favorite option HERE.
Indulgent Ingredients
*Butter- Yes you can have butter when following an 80/20 plan with nutrition. This is why it’s called balance. Butter adds moisture to the cake and is actually a healthier choice than using a vegetable or canola oil, which you often find in many cakes or brownies. It’s also used in the cream cheese frosting. To me frosting is frosting so if you’re going to have it, just have it! Just be sure to get a good (organic if possible) unsalted grass-fed butter.
*Cream Cheese- I love using cream cheese for frosting! It makes such a delicious, velvety frosting for any cake or cupcakes. I usually opt for a full fat option here, but feel free to swap what you like. The cream cheese whips nicely into the perfect frosting. It’s definitely an essential part of this Gluten-Free Carrot Cake recipe!
Mix-In Ideas:
*Regular Raisins
*Golden Raisins
*Shredded Coconut
*Small Pineapple Chunks (canned as pineapple tidbits)
*Walnut Pieces
It’s really up to you and what you like. I love sticking with the traditional mix-ins of regular raisins and walnuts. Try out different combos and see what you like. Just swap them where I have raisins and walnuts. Any of these ingredients would be delicious in this Gluten-Free Carrot Cake.
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
I usually make this recipe in a just a cake version in my favorite 9×13 glass baking pan. But, you can also make it into cupcakes using a standard muffin or cupcake pan. This is just a fun, versatile way to use your favorite cake recipes. Sometimes swapping out the way you usually make something is more fun!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! This is such a great treat for any time of year, but especially Springtime. If you are looking for another healthy dessert, check out my Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins recipe HERE.
Social Media
Follow me @motivateeducaterepeat on Instagram or use the link HERE. Stay up to date on my latest healthy recipes and other content I share all about the 80/20 approach to holistic living and nutrition. Feel free to send me a message or an email with any questions. Enjoy!
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Dry Ingredients
- 2 Cups Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
- 1 Cup Coconut Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda
- 2 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
- 1 Tsp Kosher Salt
Carrot Cake Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled to room temp
- 3/4 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Cups Carrots, shredded (about 2 large carrots)
Frosting
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened
- 1 8oz pkg Cream Cheese, softened
- 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tbsp Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- 1/8 Tsp Kosher Salt
Other Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Raisins
- 1/2 Cup Walnuts, chopped into pieces
Instructions
For Carrot Cake:
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 13x9 glass baking pan.
-
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
-
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs. Add in applesauce, butter, almond milk, and vanilla. Stir in carrots.
-
Add wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
-
Stir in raisins and walnuts. You may substitute any other mix-ins at this step.
-
Pour batter into glass baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes. If your oven runs hot, start with 10 minutes and add additional 2 minutes at a time.
-
SEE FROSTING INSTRUCTIONS BELOW: Once cake is completely cooled, drop cream cheese frosting on top of cake in large dollops. Spread with large spoon or spatula. I recommend chilling the cake for at least 30 minutes before cutting. This makes it so much easier.
-
Store cake in the refrigerator covered tight with plastic wrap or other airtight container. Should last up to 5 days for freshness.
For Frosting:
-
Using a large mixer with the whisk attachment (may also use an electric hand mixer), whip the butter with the cream cheese and vanilla. Add almond milk and salt and mix until combined.
-
Slowly add in powdered sugar on a low setting. Add just 1/2 cup at a time until throughly mixed. Then turn mixer up to a higher setting and whip at a higher speed about 2 minutes until frosting is fluffy and has stiff peaks.
-
Go back to section above for frosting instructions.
