Healthy Carrot Cake {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free, Oil-Free}
A sugar-free twist on a crowd-pleasing carrot cake recipe. Healthy, sweet, and free of some major allergens, it's the perfect dessert for any spring celebration.
Equipment
- box grater
- Mixing bowls
- Hand beater or stand mixer
- 2 8-inch cake pans
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1½ cups almond flour
- 1½ cups oat flour or other gluten free flour of choice
- ½ cup granulated monk fruit
- ½ cup granulated allulose
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 large eggs beaten
- ¾ cup almond milk
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated carrots from about 3 large or 4-5 medium carrots
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts; plus more for garnish if desired
For the frosting
- 1 cup grass-fed butter or vegan butter room temperature
- ½ cup cream cheese or vegan cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup powdered monk fruit
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, combine the almond flour, oat flour, monk fruit, allulose, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and nutmeg. Stir to blend.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond milk, applesauce, and vanilla extract until creamy.
- Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and beat until a batter is formed. Add the grated carrots and chopped pecans. Beat again. Let the batter rest for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Equally divide the batter between the two cake pans. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If using a food thermometer, the internal temperature of the cakes should be about 180 degrees F. Allow the cakes to fully cool in the cake pans before removing them. They should be completely room temperature before frosting.
- To make the frosting, combine the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat them together until combined and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the powdered monk fruit and vanilla extract and beat again, using a spatula to scrape down the sides as you need to. To frost: spoon about ⅓ of the frosting on top of one of the cakes and spread to all edges. Place the other cake on top, and use the remaining frosting to cover the top of the cake and around the sides. Garnish the more chopped pecans if desired.
Notes
Storage: store the cake in a cake keeper for up to 4-5 days at room temperature. You can also keep leftover slices wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. The frosting will harden will chilled. Set out at room temperature for an hour to soften before eating.