This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
When I set out to create a healthy carrot cake, I figured coconut flour would be a great choice, since many carrot cakes already include coconut. It’s one of the rare times when people expect to taste a hint of coconut, along with tender carrots and plenty of spice.
But this ratio of ingredients wasn’t easy to land on. I think I tested this cake over 10 times before I felt like it was delicious enough to share. Luckily, I love taste-testing carrot cake.
I mention this because people are always surprised by how little coconut flour a recipe requires and how many eggs it calls for. These are not typos! If you’re nervous about it, I’d recommend making half the batch and baking these as 6 cupcakes. They bake quickly, so you’ll have an easily portioned treat to taste-test before committing to a full cake.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“This is the best recipe for carrot cake, hands down! I’ve made this recipe twice, but into cupcakes rather than the cake, and I received so many compliments! Thank you for sharing such an incredibly decadent and delicious recipe using coconut flour and maple syrup as the sweetener – IT WAS PERFECT!!!” – Colleen
How to Make Carrot Cake with Coconut Flour
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare a cake pan. You can use one 8-inch pan or two 6-inch pans for a two-layer cake. Lightly grease the pan with oil, then press a piece of parchment paper into the bottom to guarantee easy removal.
In a large bowl, add the coconut flour, maple syrup, eggs, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and lemon juice. (The acid reacts with the baking soda to help the cake rise.)
Note: To properly measure coconut flour, dip the measuring cup into the bag of flour, then use the back of a knife to level-off the top. Don’t use a heaping measure, as it will result in a dry cake.
Step 2:
Once the batter looks smooth, with no clumps, fold in the shredded carrots, pineapple, and raisins. (The pineapple and raisins are optional, FYI. Carrot cake is easy to customize!)
You can also add chopped walnuts or pecans, if you like. Keep in mind that if any of your ingredients are cold from the fridge, like the eggs or shredded carrots, the batter might thicken from the chill. Coconut oil thickens when cold, but don’t worry, it will still bake just fine in the oven.
Want to save this for later?
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Step 3:
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan(s) and smooth it out evenly. Bake at 350ºF until the center feels firm to the touch, about 40 to 45 minutes.
Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan. Then you can transfer it to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Frosting & Serving Tips
As soon as the cake is fully cool, you can add your favorite frosting on top, if you like.
In these photos, I used my Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting, which is dairy-free and made with white sweet potatoes. If you don’t need a dairy-free option, try my Healthy Cream Cheese Frosting, which is made with cream cheese and no powdered sugar.
Alternatively, you can drizzle this cake with my Maple Pecan Glaze or Cashew Frosting, or simply dust it with a little powdered sugar, if you like.
Coconut Flour Carrot Cake (Gluten-Free!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 1 cup maple syrup (for a less sweet cake, you can use 3/4 cup)
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- 8 eggs , at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups shredded carrots (about 4 carrots)
- ⅓ cup diced pineapple (optional)
- ¼ cup raisins (optional)
Frosting Options:
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and generously grease an 8-inch pan or two 6-inch pans. (Tip: Add a square of parchment paper on the bottom for easier removal later.)
- To prepare the cake, combine the coconut flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, lemon juice and baking soda, and whisk well to create a uniform batter. If any of your ingredients are cold the mixture will be thicker than traditional cake batter, but don't worry, it will still bake just fine! Once the batter is uniform, stir in the shredded carrots, pineapple, and raisins (if using them).
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan(s) and bake at 350ºF until the center is firm, about 40 to 45 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. For best shelf-life, store the cake covered in the fridge for up to one week.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More Recipes To Try
- Coconut Flour Pancakes
- Brownies with Coconut Flour
- Vanilla Coconut Flour Cake
- Coconut Flour Cookies
- Banana Bread with Coconut Flour
If you try this carrot cake recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how you like it.
I finally decided to try this after finding the recipe 6-1/2 years ago. I cannot eat my old carrot cake recipe anymore because I can’t digest oat flour let alone other grains. I still had to modify it a lot because I can’t take the taste of eggs in baked recipes. So I use chia to replace the eggs. It came out great and I am so happy! It’s been about 30 years since I was able to eat carrot cake!
I discovered this recipe and have been making it for a few years, sometimes with pineapple and sometimes without. Either way, it is super moist! Usually I will add some frosting I have left over frozen, but this time I made the Maple Pecan Glaze in the bullet. Super easy! I substituted cashews for the pecans and add coconut milk in place of the water. Thank you!
Can I substitute melted butter in place of coconut oil?
Yes, that should work similarly!
Do you think I could use almond flour instead of coconut flour?
Dang, this is my first 1-star rating. Sorry, Megan! I didn’t use quite a full cup of maple syrup and it wasn’t sweet enough. I think if I had also added diced pineapple, that would have helped sweeten it. I think you should remove the part about only doing 3/4 cup of maple syrup for less sugar. That made me think I shouldn’t use as much because it would be too sweet otherwise. The vegan frosting also wasn’t a hit with my family.Alas! But thanks for always giving us new recipes to try.
I disagree! I used 3/4 cup maple syrup and it was plenty sweet. Sweet is very relative. If you eat a lot of sweet things, it will be harder to notice sweetness.
Good feedback. Did you use anything for the frosting/icing? Maybe the Vegan frosting didn’t work for us. I thought I made this before and liked it. But I think the frosting was the difference.
Rachel,
Back when I used to make my carrot cake with oat flour, I was too poor to afford honey which is what I normally use for sweetener. So I used to soak a container of raisins in a quart jar in just enough water to cover them. I’d measure the raisins separate then add the soak water to replace honey. My best friend used to devour them and say they were the best carrot muffins he ever ate. Asked me what did I sweeten them with. I didn’t reveal my secret until a few batches in after he let the whole church know how much he loved my carrot muffins. He was shocked, but he never stopped eating them!
We are living in our boat this summer so ingredients are often “different!!”
Even with the few changes I had to make, double recipe, only five eggs, olive oil, 1Tblsp cinnamon, 1tsp fresh ginger, not doubled carrots, no nuts, baked in a fairly tall, 9″, white Corning Wear baking dish…it turned out moist & tasty & fairly tall. I was praying for not mushy in the middle to be honest & this recipe delivered. If I make it again I will try to add the right number of eggs so it’s not crumbly. Still very taste tho!