Coconut Flour Carrot Cake (Gluten-Free!)

healthy carrot cake with sweet potato frosting

Coconut Flour Carrot Cake (Gluten-Free!)

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake, paleo

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 50

Servings:

Calories: 256kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

If you love carrot cake as much as I do, but you need a gluten-free or grain-free recipe, you're going to love this coconut flour carrot cake. It has the classic flavor you love and is naturally sweetened with maple syrup. It took me several tries to get this cake "just right," so I don't recommend making substitutions on your first try. Coconut flour is super tricky to work with, so experiment at your own risk!

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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 information is for 1 of 12 slices. This is automatically calculated using an online ingredient database, so it's just an estimate and not a guarantee.

Egg Note: I have tried reducing the number of eggs in this recipe by replacing 1 egg with 1/4 cup mashed banana. The result is a slightly drier cake that doesn't hold together as well. You can get away with this swap if you need to reduce the recipe by 1 egg, but I don't recommend reducing it by much more, or the cake won't hold together.

Sweetener Note: You can also reduce the maple syrup to 3/4 cup if you want a less-sweet cake. I assume honey would work similarly, if that's what you have on hand. (In fact, for honey I wouldn't use more than 3/4 cup because the flavor is stronger than maple syrup.)

Bundt Cake: If you want to bake this in a bundt pan, it takes about 50-60 minutes. I find it difficult to guarantee removal from these pans, so I prefer to use the other shapes and put a piece of parchment down to prevent sticking.

Cupcakes: This recipe should make 12 cupcakes, if you prefer individual portions. In my experience, coconut flour cupcakes need to bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Nutrition