Any carrot cake lovers out there? I sure am.
I will always remember the carrot cake my mom used to make when I was a kid. It was hands down the best carrot cake I had ever tried. I wanted to try and replicate that recipe while keeping the ingredients clean and gluten + dairy free. And…. after quite a few attempts, I did it!! I can finally indulge in an amazing carrot cake recipe that reminds me just of the carrot cake I used to eat as a kid.
This carrot cake checks all the boxes… fluffy, moist and cinnamon-y with a creamy dreamy coconut icing.
Here is what you will need:
- eggs
- coconut oil
- coconut sugar
- vanilla extract
- unsweetened apple sauce
- grated carrot
- almond flour
- coconut flour
- ground cinnamon + ginger
- baking soda + powder
For the icing:
- 2 cans of coconut milk
- vanilla extract
- maple syrup
- raw cashews
- coconut butter
- cinnamon
How to make paleo carrot cake:
Step 1: start by preparing the wet increments. Beat the eggs together in a large bowl. Add in the coconut sugar and melted coconut oil to the beaten eggs. Use a whisk to combine these ingredients until they are well mixed. Now add the vanilla, apple sauce, ground ginger and cinnamon to this mixture.
Step 2: grate the carrots. Start by washing the carrots then peeling them. Use a cheese graters medium sized blade to grate the carrots. When you are measuring the grated carrots, pack then into a measuring cup lightly (you want to press down a little but not squish the grated carrot in too hard). Now add the carrot to the wet mixture and combine.
Step 3: measure the dry ingredients, then combine into the wet mixture (no need to sift, just make sure it is well combined). Once a batter has formed, grease a round baking dish with coconut oil or line it with parchment paper and pour in the batter. Use a spatula to spread the batter around evenly. Place this in the oven to bake.
Note: to make the cake that you see in the photos (2 tiers) I doubled the recipe. The recipe I have listed makes 1 round cake. I used a 9×9 round baking dish. You could also swap it for a square 9×9 baking dish.
How to make the coconut cream frosting:
If you can, grab 2 cans of coconut milk and place them in the fridge overnight. This allows the coconut water to completely separate from the coconut cream, leaving a thick layer of coconut cream at the top of the can. It also helps to soak the cashews overnight or at least for a couple hours if you can. This allows the cashews to blend up easier, making the frosting that much more creamy and velvety.
To make the frosting you will combine all of the ingredients into a high speed blender and pulse until it is completely smooth and creamy. You could also use a food processor if you don’t have a high speed blender. The icing will seem a little on the soft side once it is blended up. You will pour it into a container and to let it set in the fridge for a few hours. This will make for the dreamiest icing consistency.
How to tell when the carrot cake is done?
Start by baking the carrot cake for 40-45 minutes. If your unsure if it is done or not then you can softly touch the middle of the cake with your finger. If it seems springy, it’s done. If it seems too soft in the middle then bake it for another 5-10 minutes and check again. You can also use a toothpick. Insert a dry toothpick into the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean, the cake is done. If the tooth pick comes out with wet crumbs, then the cake needs a little more time.
When you remove the carrot cake from the oven, place it onto a cooling wrack immediately. Let the cake cool for at least an hour before taking it out of the pan.
How to store this cake:
Once you have iced the cake, make sure to keep it in the fridge. Because there is no additives or refined sugars/oils this cake will spoil easily at room temperature. This cake will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Paleo Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting
Ingredients
- PALEO CARROT CAKE:
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 cups grated carrot
- 2 cups almond flour
- 3 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- -
- COCONUT CREAM FROSTING:
- 1 cup coconut cream (top of the can)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup cashews
- 3 tbsp melted coconut butter
Directions
- Step 1 CARROT CAKE: Start by beating the eggs in a med/large sized bowl. Add the coconut sugar and coconut oil to the beaten eggs, whisk together. Now add in the apple sauce, vanilla, cinnamon and ground ginger and mix together until it is well combined.
- Step 2 Make sure to peel the carrots before grating. Add the grated carrots to the wet mixture, fold them into the batter.
- Step 3 Gather the dry ingredients. Mix the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder + baking soda to the wet mixture until a batter has formed and no lumps remain.
- Step 4 Pour the batter into a 9×9 round baking dish lined with parchment paper or greased with coconut oil. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Step 5 COCONUT CREAM FROSTING: chill a can of coconut milk overnight in the fridge. Remove 1 cup from the solidified coconut milk (top of the can) and place it into a blender. Soak the cashews over night in some water, rinsing before using them. Place the cashews and the remaining ingredients for the frosting into a high speed blender, pulsing until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy.
- Step 6 Pour the frosting into a container or bowl and let it set in the fridge for a few hours (to get the desired consistency).
- Step 7 Once the cake has completely cooled and the icing has set, ice the cake and devour. Top with chopped pecans, walnuts or toasted coconut. *NOTE: I doubled this recipe for the carrot cake & frosting to make a 2 tiered cake. This recipe yields 1 cake round with the appropriate amount of icing. Enjoy!
