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Gluten Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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This carrot cake has long been a family favorite recipe. I decided to give it a makeover so our gluten free family members can enjoy it too. It’s really easy to throw together, especially if you have a food processor to shred the carrots. But even if you grate the carrots by hand, you won’t mind the extra effort!

gluten free carrot cake cupcake

My gluten free carrot cake cake has a wonderfully soft texture with a little hint of spice. But what really sets this apart is the silky blanket of cream cheese frosting.😍

It makes a very special dessert for gluten free guests - and I have a dairy free version too. Food allergy dessert lovers unite!

This is a really popular recipe in the spring, especially around Easter. But it's easy to bake up at any time of the year (Fall carrot cake? sounds perfect to me!) In fact, my son often requests this for his birthday (which is in January), and I'm more than happy to whip it up. It's really easy to make, whether you choose the gluten free or the gluten free + dairy free version.

This was inspired by my favorite carrot cake recipe from my dear sister-in-law Penny, and I've updated it to suit two of the most common food allergies. If you want to see more of my gluten free desserts, you can find a list of them here.

And for more gluten free baking tips, be sure to read "Best Beginner's Tips for Successful Gluten Free Baking".

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What You'll Need

Here's what you'll need to bake the basic gluten free cake.

gluten free carrot cake slice on a plate
  • Gluten free All-in-one flour blend
  • cinnamon
  • Xanthan gum - even though the flour blend has some, a little extra makes this cake just right
  • Sugar
  • Greek yogurt - adding extra protein in the form of dairy works wonders in gluten free cake recipes
  • Eggs
  • Carrots - finely shredded (by hand or in a food processor)
  • Other basic baking ingredients - baking soda, salt

See recipe card ⬇️ for quantities.

🗒Tip: Don’t buy those bags of pre-shredded carrots for this recipe. They will be too dry and the shreds are too thick to work in a cake recipe.

Scroll down to the recipe cards for the dairy free version of the cake and the frosting (it's in the Notes section). You can also find the substitutions in the green box ( just keep scrolling)

See how it's done

Don't miss the video - in it I show you how to make those cute tiny carrot and parsley toppers that you see in the pics.

New to gluten free flour?

First of all, you can find instructions for how to make my All-in-One flour blend in my free little ebook, Gluten Free Baking for Beginners.

And you can learn more about this strange new world here: Guide to Gluten Free Flours.

If you don't want to make the flour yourself, here are a few store bought gluten free blends that would work great for this recipe:

gluten free flour blends I like

Change it up a little!

If you want you can include some finely chopped nuts, like pecans or walnuts. Add in ½ -⅔ cup when you blend up the cake batter.

But what if I can't eat dairy?

If you need a dessert that is both gluten free AND dairy free, you’re in luck! For the cake: Replace the greek yogurt with 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce and ⅓ cup oil. I’ve used both coconut oil and avocado oil with great success. For the frosting: Replace the cream cheese with an equal portion of non-dairy cream cheese. And replace the butter with an equal portion of non-dairy butter substitute that has the same grams of fat per tablespoon as butter. I'll show you my favorites ⬇️

Earth Balance butter substitute
Tofutti cream cheese substitute

Important tip about dairy free frosting: It can have a slight "artificial" flavor to it when you first make it. But you can fix that!

If you chill it for several hours (overnight is even better) it loses that off-putting flavor and tastes every bit as good as its dairy counterpart.

Tools I use

You can use a standard 9 x 13 baking pan for this cake, which is what I usually do.

You can also make this into cupcakes - one recipe makes about 24 standard sized cupcakes. Use either paper or silicone liners in the pan.

I also like to make this recipe into one 8 inch square pan to serve the adults, plus 12 cupcakes to serve kids.

tray of carrot cake cupcakes

Save it for later

Store any leftover cake covered in the refrigerator. Gluten free baked goods can sometimes turn crumbly and a little stiff when cold, so thaw it thoroughly before eating. But this cake usually stays nice and moist, even in the fridge. It must be the carrots!

If the cake is not frosted, you can microwave a slice for around 30 seconds to freshen it up.

If the cake is frosted, just let it thaw at room temperature and it will soften up again.

Top tip

I've said it before in other recipe posts, and I'll say it again (and again!):

Let the batter rest before you bake this cake. In this recipe it works best to chill the batter in the fridge for 30 minutes - 1 hour.

Gluten free flours need extra time to absorb all the liquids and blend together well. It's worth the wait though - your patience will be rewarded with a very moist cake with a higher loft and a fine crumb. Yum!

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gluten free carrot cake slice on a plate

Gluten Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Print Recipe

This tender cake has a wonderfully soft texture with a little hint of spice. But what really sets this apart is the silky blanket of cream cheese frosting! Such a special dessert for gluten free guests - and I have a dairy free version too. Food allergy dessert lovers unite!

  • Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
  • Yield: 24 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups All-in-one flour blend
  • 2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 cups carrots, finely shredded

 

Instructions

  1. Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and xanthan gum into a bowl, or just stir with a whisk until thoroughly blended.
  2. In a mixer, blend together the sugar, eggs, and yogurt. 
  3. Add the shredded carrots and flour mixture.
  4. Blend on medium speed for 1-2 minutes to help the gluten free flours absorb the liquid ingredients.
  5. Cover and let the cake batter chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. This will allow the gluten free flours to get fully hydrated, resulting in a moist and tender cake with high loft.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
  7. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
  8. Pour in the batter, and smooth the top to make it even.
  9. Bake for 35 minutes  until the top springs back when lightly touched, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  10. Let cool thoroughly, and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Notes

This recipe makes 24 cupcakes (which bake for 15 - 20 minutes), or one 8 x 8 inch pan and 12 cupcakes.

Dairy Free version: Replace the Greek yogurt with 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce + ⅓ cup oil - coconut oil or a vegetable oil works well here.

  • Author: beneficialbento
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: bake
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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cream cheese frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting

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This silky smooth frosting is full of buttery, creamy homemade goodness. There's enough to frost the cake or cupcake amounts listed in the Gluten Free Carrot Cake recipe, plus about 1 cup left over (more or less). What to do with the leftovers? Here's a tip: make a batch of my gluten free graham crackers and frost some little cracker sandwiches for a fun treat.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 block cream cheese, softened
  • ⅓ cup butter, softened
  • 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Dash of salt

 

Instructions

  1. Blend the butter and cream cheese in a mixer until well-incorporated.
  2. Add the vanilla and salt.
  3. With the mixer running, add the powdered sugar in batches until it's smooth and creamy.
  4. If the texture is a little stiff, add a small spoonful of milk (like a teaspoon at a time), and continue blending until the texture is to your liking.

Notes

 Dairy Free version:

Replace the 8 ounces of cream cheese with 8 ounces of non-dairy cream cheese (Tofutti is our favorite)

Replace the ⅓ cup butter with ⅓ cup of Earth Balance Buttery Spread, or another non-dairy brand that has as many fat grams as regular butter. Which is 11 grams per tablespoon.

  • Author: beneficialbento
  • Category: dessert

More Family Favorites

In our family we ❤️ good food!

Here are some more family favorite recipes:

Comments

  1. Russell says

    A few carrots and some gluten free flour and BANG! carrot muffins. I can't wait to try this recipe! I'm looking forward to chowing down on yummy little cakes. Perfect snack for football games. Bring it on Baby!