Comfy Belly

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Carrot Cake {grain free}

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Carrot Cake

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 Carrot Cake

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5 from 3 votes

Carrot Cake {grain free}

I use 6-inch baking pans to make a smaller 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.
I like my carrot cake on the basic side, but you can add 1/2 cup of raisins and 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts to the batter.
You can also replace the coconut oil with applesauce or full fat coconut milk if you prefer to avoid oil or butter.
To reduce the carbs, replace the maple syrup with Lakanto syrup or another low-carb syrup.
If you prefer to use just almond flour, remove the coconut flour and use 2 cups of almond flour instead of 1 cup.
I find this cake sweet enough, but if you prefer a sweeter cake you can add another tablespoon or so of maple syrup to the batter.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 231kcal

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

Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 340mg | Potassium: 161mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 5449IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 1mg

 

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5 from 3 votes

Creamy Cheese Frosting

Feel free to use your favorite creamy cheese. You do want it a bit on the thick side because it will thin down a bit when you add the honey or maple syrup to it. If it's a thicker, drier cheese, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut milk as well.
Cheese options include 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.
To make this low carb, replace the maple syrup with Lakanto syrup or another low carb syrup.
To frost the cake, spoon the frosting on to the middle and swirl it with the back side of the spoon to spread it to the outer edges.
If the frosting is a bit runny, store it in the refrigerator for an hour or so.
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 24kcal

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 24kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 35mg | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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!

    Reply

  3. 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!

    Reply

  4. 5 stars
    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…

    Reply

  5. 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!

    Reply

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