Gluten Free Carrot Cake … That Counts As A Vegetable!
Why do I love this carrot cake so much? Not only is it delicious, but it counts as a vegetable, you can’t beat that!
For the Cake
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated organic carrots
- 2 cups gluten-free, organic brown rice flour (I am using Pamela’s baking mix http://www.pamelasproducts.com)
- 1 cup organic almond meal
- 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons organic coconut sugar, or sucanat or pure cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 4 large organic eggs
- 1/2 cup & 2 tablespoons organic unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup organic unsweetened applesauce
- 3 tablespoons organic pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon Organic vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup organic unrefined coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
- Optional toppings: toasted coconut, toasted chopped pecans or walnuts
Homemade Organic Powdered Sugar
- 3/4 cup organic pure cane sugar
- 3/4 cup organic coconut sugar**, or organic sucanat
- 1 1/2 teaspoons teaspoons arrowroot starch or Frontier Corn Starch
- Orange Infused Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces organic Neufchatel cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons full-fat organic Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups homemade organic powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons organic orange zest
- 3/4 teaspoon Simply Organic orange flavoring
- 1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic vanilla extract
Directions
We suggest making the frosting first so it can be chilled while the cake is being made and cooled. 1 1/2 cups of traditional organic powdered sugar can be used instead of the homemade variety above. Frosting will be very spreadable and soft. For a stiffer frosting use full-fat cream cheese and omit the Greek yogurt.
For the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Grease 2, 8-inch round pans thoroughly with coconut oil or butter.
- After grating your carrots (small hole side of your grater) spread them over a few paper towels. Place a few more paper towels overtop and lightly blot. Measure out 1 1/2 lightly packed cups and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and all spice until combined.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs together. Then whisk in the milk, applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until thoroughly mixed. Whisk in the coconut oil
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredient bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until just combined (when you no longer see dry flour). Scrape the bowl if needed and whisk again.
- Fold in grated carrots then pour equal amounts of batter into your cake pans. Spread the batter to level out.
- Place on the middle rack of your oven and bake for 36-42 minutes. Test each cake with a toothpick for doneness (one might cook slightly faster than the other if amount of batter varied in the pans.) The toothpick should come out moist but not gooey.
- Place on cooling racks and cool for about 1 hour.
- Slide a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen then place one hand on the top of the cake and one holding the pan. Flip the pan over slowly, allow the cake to drop to your hand, and place on the cooling rack. Repeat with other pan and allow cakes to fully cool before frosting.
For the Powdered Sugar
- Place all ingredients in your blender and blend starting on low working to the highest setting until the sugar is fully powdered (like traditional powdered sugar). Blend in 2 batches if necessary.
- Measure out 1 1/2 cups for the cream cheese frosting and store the excess in a sealed container in your pantry.
For the Frosting
- Place cream cheese and Greek yogurt in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed until completely smooth.
- Add in your homemade powdered sugar and beat on low working to medium until fully combined and smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the orange zest, vanilla extract, and orange flavoring until fully combined.
- Cover in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight) before frosting the cake.
