This moist and delicious carrot cake with coconut flour is grain free, paleo diet friendly, gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free. It’s warmly spiced and loaded with carrot flavor. This grain-free carrot cake is perfect for a nutritious dessert or snack but also works for breakfast or brunch.
What to serve with this carrot cake with coconut flour
If you’re serving this cake at a party and would like to add another baked treat for your guests to choose from, try this delicious chocolate buckwheat cake. It’s vegan, refined sugar free, and gluten free.
Ingredients and substitutions
This recipe calls for cooked carrots instead of raw, grated carrots like most carrot cake recipes do. You can bake, boil, or steam the carrots until they’re fork tender. Using cooked carrots as opposed to raw, grated carrots results in a soft, plush texture.
This grain-free carrot cake recipe calls for coconut flour. Coconut flour has a subtle coconut flavor that doesn’t compete with the flavors of the carrots and spices in this recipe. Coconut flour is a nutritious alternative to conventional flours as it’s high in both fiber and protein. It’s perfect for paleo baking and adds a slight sweetness that works well in cakes, muffins, and cookies.
This cake is sweetened with maple syrup but you can substitute honey if you prefer. Either sweetener works well in this recipe.
Almond butter gives this cake richness and structure. If you need to avoid nuts, you can substitute pumpkin seed butter instead. Regardless, choose a nut or seed butter that is smooth/creamy and doesn’t contain added sugar or salt.
This recipe calls for five eggs which may seem like a lot, but they’re necessary in order to achieve the right texture when combined with coconut flour.
How to make it
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then add the eggs, cooked carrots, maple syrup, almond butter, vinegar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves to a food processor or high powered blender. Blend until smooth.
Add the coconut flour and baking soda and blend some more to combine.
Transfer the cake batter to a parchment paper lined, medium sized loaf pan (mine is 9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75 inches). Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to smooth the batter evenly in the pan.
Bake the cake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake looks clean upon removal. Then let the cake cool to room temperature before removing from the pan and serving.
Optional additions
To add an extra layer of flavor and texture to this grain-free carrot cake, stir in 1/2 cup each of chopped pecans and/or raisins to the batter.
Storage and freezing
Store this carrot cake with coconut flour in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days or freeze it for up to six months, then thaw at room temperature before serving. I like to slice it up before serving so it’s easy to defrost the exact amount I want.
More coconut flour recipes
- These coconut oil cookies taste like shortbread but they’re dairy free and gluten free.
- This gluten-free fruit cake is nutritious dessert that’s perfect for the holidays.
- These coconut flour crepes are paleo diet friendly, grain free, and refined sugar free.
- This gluten-free, vegan black bean chocolate cake is nutrient dense yet totally decadent.
Carrot Cake with Coconut Flour (Paleo and Gluten Free)
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
- Parchment paper
- Medium sized loaf pan
Ingredients
- 5 eggs
- 2 cups peeled and chopped cooked carrots (baked, steamed, or boiled until fork tender)
- 3/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (or substitute honey)
- 1/2 cup almond butter (smooth)
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar (or substitute apple cider vinegar or lemon juice)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the eggs, cooked carrots, maple syrup, smooth almond butter, vinegar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves to a food processor or high powered blender, then blend until smooth.
- Add the coconut flour and baking soda and blend to combine.
- Transfer the cake batter to a medium sized loaf pan (mine is 9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75 inches), lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake looks clean upon removal.
- Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before removing from the pan and serving.
Notes
- Optional additions to the batter include 1/2 cup each of chopped pecans and/or raisins.
- Store this carrot cake with coconut flour in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days or freeze it for up to six months.