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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.
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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 am curious about freezing this prepared, baked cake. Do coconut flour/carrot cakes freeze well? I prepared the cake 1 1/2 weeks before needed.
Thank you
In my experience cake freezes well as long as it’s tightly sealed in an airtight container or wrapped well. Hope this one is a hit!
I’ve made this cake twice now. The first time I split it between 2 pans but felt they were a bit flat albeit very tasty. I made it again yesterday in one pan and it rose very well. I didn’t put the pineapple in but instead chopped up 1/3 cup of walnuts. I also added 1 cup of grated carrot and 1 cup of grated apple so I reduced the maple syrup to just over half a cup which for me was just the right level of sweetness. It’s delicately coconut but not overpowering and the spices come through really well. I’ve been having it as a quick breakfast or occasional afternoon treat. For a healthy gluten free low carb cake this one is hard to beat!
Hello,
Are all these beautiful dessert recipes on your website in the cookbook?
Hi Joe! My website and cookbooks tend to have different recipes, with only a little bit of overlap for the most crowd-pleasing options. You can check my books out at the library or your favorite book store if you want to see what the dessert section looks like!
Can I make it with entirely oat flour ?
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! For me though, it didn’t make 24 cupcakes but rather 12 – and I’m not mad! The first time I made it, it was for someone with a nut allergy and I followed it to a “T” adding pineapple and raisins as well. And I added 3/4 maple syrup which made it perfectly sweet. The following week, I made another batch this time adding chopped pecans, 1/8 tsp cloves and allspice and that was amazing too. Thank you for sharing such an incredibly decadent and delicious recipe using coconut flour and maple syrup as the sweetener – IT WAS PERFECT!!!
I do hope you come up with a Red Velvet Cake too using coconut flour and natural sweeteners such as maple syrup. I am currently looking for one out there 🙂
I made this with the vegan cream cheese frosting. The frosting is made with sweet potatoes and the orange hue looks amazing with the carrot cake. I ended up using Oat Flour Instead of coconut and it was so runny. I added extra flour to help. Is the batter super runny with the coconut flour? Once it baked, it turned out amazing! I will make this again for sure!
Made this one w/ the white sweet potato frosting. Was a hit! BTW, if you want a White frosting look, use Stevia instead of maple syrup, otherwise it comes out off-white.
This cake recipe is really quick and easy. I used vegetable oil instead of coconut oil to lessen the overpowering flavor of coconut. It would have tasted better with some added nuts. Thank you.
Great cake and easy to make Keto. I substituted Lacanto sugar-free maple syrup for the syrup. I used homemade sugar-free peach jam between the layers and iced the top and sides. Very yummy.
Hi I am trying to make a coconut flour carrot cake for someone who is allergic to most fruits, sugar and flours. Could I substitute the syrup for a xylotol/fructose mix or would that make the mixture too dry?
Hi this recipe looks amazing. Thanks for sharing it. Can I replace the maple syrup with monk fruit sweetener or erythritol to make it keto friendly?