In case you need to justify eating cake for breakfast, here goes… This recipe is sweet but not too sweet. It’s naturally sweetened with carrots, ground cinnamon, and maple syrup or honey. The creamy cheese frosting can also offer a probiotic boost to your day. The frosting doesn’t require much sweetener because the tanginess balances the sweetness of the cake to form a great pair.
I prefer my cake on the basic side, but feel free to add raisins and walnuts, decorate with more toasted walnuts on the top or bottom of the cake, and frost it as a naked cake by spreading frosting in between layers and on the top.
I have a recipe for carrot cake in my cookbook, The Healthy Coconut Flour Cookbook, which uses just coconut flour. This recipe uses a combination of coconut and almond flour that gives the cake a light, tender texture. If you prefer, you can omit the coconut flour and use 2 cups of almond flour instead of 1 cup.
For the frosting, you have a few options: Farmers cheese, goat cheese, dripped yogurt aka Greek yogurt, or substitute to make the frosting dairy free using cashew ricotta that is on the thick side.
I use 6-inch baking pans to make a small layer cake. Another option is to make it as a small sheet cake in an 8-inch square pan. You can also double this recipe and use two 8-inch or 9-inch baking pans for a larger cake and more servings.
Spread this sweetness around: If you make this recipe, take a photo, post it on social media and tag @comfybelly!
Carrot Cake {grain free}
Ingredients
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 cups grated carrots about 4 carrots
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted or unsalted butter or replace with applesauce or full fat coconut milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175° C, or gas mark 4).
- Combine the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl or mixing bowl and blend well.
- Add the carrots, eggs, maple syrup, and coconut oil, and blend well again.
- Prepare two 6-inch baking pans with parchment paper on the bottom and lightly grease the sides of each pan.
- Divide the batter into each pan and even it out with the back of a spoon or your hands. It will be thick and you'll need to scoop it in and even it out a bit.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and frost. Store in the refrigerator for a few weeks.
Nutrition
Creamy Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Farmers cheese or dripped yogurt, Greek yogurt, goat cheese, or creme fraiche
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 to 2 tablespoons coconut milk optional, if needed to thin out the frosting
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until blended and creamy enough to spread on a cake.
This was delicious! Since I had to use what I had on hand, I substituted full fat coconut milk for the oil. Thank you for the recipe!
Always great to hear! Great idea to sub with coconut milk 🙂
Oh my this look delicious ! I can’t wait to try this!
Hello
Is it possible to substitute almond flour for Spelt flour in this recipe and in your recipes in general? We have nut allergies. Thank you and I can’t wait to try this cake recipe!
I don’t know if it will work, sorry!
I am so excited to see your recipe, I have carrots and I will, hopefully, make this either tomorrow to Tuesday. Thank you so very much. I love your recipes so much! Take care…
Thanks so much, Laura 🙂 I hope it you enjoy it!
How can I make these into cupcakes? I want to have individual servings that I can freeze and take out one at a time. That way, I won’t be tempted to eat too much at one time!
I haven’t tested this yet, but I imagine it will make about 8 cupcakes baking for about 15 minutes or so.
Will it work in a one layer 8 or 9 inch round pan?
Yes, it will work in a 8-inch or 9-inch round pan, or a square pan. 🙂