Cooking and Serving: 60 minutes | 8 slices layer cake
Ingredients
How to make gluten free carrot cake | Ingredient substitutions
Description
Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 60 minutes | Servings: 8 slices layer cake
Ingredients
How to make gluten free carrot cake
Ingredient substitutions
Expert tips
Instructions
CAKE INGREDIENTS
ingredients for gluten free carrot cake in small bowls with names of ingredients.
This gluten free carrot cake comes together with everyday pantry and fridge.
ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:.
Gluten free flour: Use one of my recommended all purpose gluten free blends.
for the right structure and texture. Avoid anything with a coarse rice flour.
or overly starchy blends, which are the usual reasons that people think.
gluten free baked goods are gritty or dry.
Baking powder/baking soda: A combination of these leaveners helps the cake.
rise evenly and brown perfectly in the oven.
Cinnamon: Adds warm, aromatic depth that pairs perfectly with the carrots.
White & brown sugars: A balanced mix of sugars brings sweetness and keeps the.
Eggs: Essential for structure and a light, fluffy texture.
Neutral oil: Creates a moist, tender cake competing flavor.
Milk: Adds moisture and brings the cake together; be sure to use something.
with fat for richness.
Apple cider vinegar: Helps the cake rise create bubbles that lift the cake.
Carrots: Freshly grated carrots add color, moisture, and a natural sweetness.
that pairs really well with cinnamon.
White chocolate chips + pecans (optional): These add richness and texture in.
the background, unlike regular chocolate chips which would add a prominent.
competing flavor. You can easily swap or skip them to suit your taste.
FROSTING INGREDIENTS
This simple cream cheese frosting is tangy, smooth, and perfectly sweet—not too.
stiff, and easy to spread or pipe. Here’s what you’ll need:.
Cream cheese: Adds tangy flavor and a soft texture which pair perfectly with.
the sweetness and soft crumb of the cake. Bring it to cool room temperature.
so it blends smoothly with the butter.
Butter: Adds richness and mild flavor, and helps the frosting holds its.
Confectioners’ sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting so it spreads easily.
and stays stable at room temperature.
Closeup of slice of carrot layer cake being taken from whole cake on platter.
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE CARROT CAKE
This batter comes together in one bowl and bakes into two fluffy layers—or a.
batch of cupcakes with a quick flour adjustment.
Mix the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend (with xanthan gum if.
needed), baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, granulated sugar, and brown.
sugar, breaking up any lumps so they don’t become hard in the oven. If you’re.
planning to make cupcakes, reduce the flour amount from 2 1/4 cups to 2 cups, to.
maintain a tender crumb.
Add the wet ingredients.
Create a well in the center and add the oil, eggs, vinegar, and milk. Mix to.
form a thick, soft batter. It will come together easily because of the oil as.
long as your eggs and milk are at room temperature.
Fold in carrots and mix-ins.
Stir in the grated carrots, white chocolate chips, and pecans—or your favorite.
mix-in combo. We add the carrots last so we only need to fold them in and they.
won’t bleed color all over the batter or start to break apart.
Large round metal mixing bowl with white powders and some brown cinnamon powder.
same bowl with whisked very light brown powder with light brown sugar on top.
Same mixing bowl with thick, soft wet light brown batter after eggs, oil, and.
milk mixed in with metal mixing spoon.
Same mixing bowl with light brown batter underneath and shredded orange carrots.
and white chocolate chips on top with metal mixing spoon.
Divide the batter evenly between two greased and lined 8-inch round pans. Bake.
at 350°F for about 35 minutes, rotating once, until the tops are set and the.
edges pull away from the pan.
two round 8-inch metal cake pans with wet raw gluten free carrot cake batter.
with visible carrot shreds and white chocolate chips.
same 2 round cake pans with baked browned carrot cake on wire rack.
Or bake as cupcakes.
To make 24 cupcakes, you would have reduced the flour haven’t remembered to reduce the flour, the cupcakes will just be a little less.
tender. Fill the wells of two 12-cup muffin tins ¾ full and bake for about 20.
Raw and baked carrot cake cupcakes in muffin tins.
Let the cakes or cupcakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a.
wire rack to cool fully before frosting.
To make a cream cheese frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until light and.
fluffy, then beat in confectioners’ sugar until you reach a scoopable but soft.
Frost the cakes or cupcakes.
To frost a layer cake, place one cake upside down on a serving platter so the.
flat bottom creates a smooth surface. Add half the frosting and spread it into.
an even layer. Top with the second cake, also upside down, and press gently to.
Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. A swoopy pattern on top.
looks polished without needing perfect technique.
For cupcakes, pipe a generous swirl of frosting using a large open piping tip—or.
snip the corner off a zip-top bag for a homemade version.
one round light brown carrot cake overturned on four strips of white parchment.
3 scoops of white cream cheese icing in center of overturned baked brown cake.
white frosting spread on top of cake.
3 more scoops of white frosting on top of second cake on top.
finished cake with icing spread and swirled.
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
This cake is already made with oil, not butter, so it’s easy to make dairy free.
Just use an unsweetened non-dairy milk (like almond milk), and replace the white.
chocolate chips with more chopped nuts or a dairy-free alternative.
You can make a dairy free cream cheese-style frosting using:.
4 ounces Daiya non-dairy cream cheese.
8 tablespoons (96 g) nonhydrogenated shortening.
6 tablespoons (84 g) block-style vegan butter (like Miyoko’s or Melt brands).
I don’t recommend using a full 8 ounces of non-dairy cream cheese since the.
flavor can be overpowering.
For a store-bought option, try Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Cream Cheese.
Frosting—it’s gluten free and dairy free (but contains soy).
Replacing all 4 eggs is a challenge, but it may work using:.
4 flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water per egg), or.
JustEgg brand plant-based liquid egg.
Expect a denser, less airy cake, but still flavorful and tender.
Skip the pecans entirely, and increase the white chocolate chips to 6 ounces.
Single layer baked gluten free carrot cake on white cake turner.
EXPERT TIPS
Skip the pre-shredded carrots—they’re dry and too thick. Grate whole carrots.
using a box grater or the grater attachment on a food processor for the best.
texture and moisture balance.
Measure flour Always measure your gluten free flour blend way to avoid dry cake from over-measuring or inconsistent texture from.
Don’t rely on the toothpick test.
This cake is so moist that a toothpick may come out with quite a few crumbs even.
when it’s fully baked. Look for light browning on top and slight pulling away.
from the sides of the pan.
To make a single 8-inch cake layer or 12 cupcakes, reduce the “yield” in the.
recipe card from 8 to 4 slices. All of the ingredients will reduce you’ll still have to scale down the flour blend for cupcakes to 1 cup (from 1.
1/8 cups for cake). Halve the frosting, or keep the full batch if you love extra.
Customize with mix-ins.
Want more texture or flavor? Try chopped pecans, walnuts, raisins, or chocolate.
chips. Be sure to choose something that hold its shape during baking and doesn’t.
GLUTEN FREE CARROT CAKE RECIPE
Prep Time: 25 minutes mins.
Cook Time: 35 minutes mins.
Yield: 8 slices layer cake.
This gluten free carrot cake is impossibly moist and tender, with a fluffy.
crumb, just the right sweetness, and warm cinnamon spice. Frost it with tangy.
cream cheese frosting and serve it as a two-layer cake or as cupcakes!
EQUIPMENT
Stand mixer with paddle attachment or handheld mixer.
FOR THE CAKE OR CUPCAKES
2 ¼ cups (315 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend.
FOR THE CAKE OR CUPCAKES
2 ¼ cups (315 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend.
Notes
* 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
* ½ teaspoon kosher salt
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
* ½ cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
* ½ cup (112 g) neutral oil, (like sunflower or grapeseed oil)
* 4 (200 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature, beaten
* 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
* ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) milk, at room temperature
* ½ cup (55 g) chopped pecans, plus more for decorating (optional)
* 3 cups (270 g) peeled and grated carrots, (from about 3 large carrots)
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
* 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
* 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
* 4 cups (460 g) confectioners’ sugar, plus more as necessary
* Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round baking pans and set them
aside. If making cupcakes, grease or line two standard 12-cup muffin tins,
* In a large bowl, place the flour (2 1/4 cups or 315 g if making cake; 2 cups
or 280 g if making cupcakes), xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt,
cinnamon and granulated sugar. Whisk to combine well.
* Add the brown sugar, and whisk again to combine, working to break up any
lumps in the brown sugar.
* Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the oil, eggs,
vinegar, and milk, and mix to combine.
* Add the grated carrots to the mixture, plus the (optional) pecans and white
chocolate chips, and mix until evenly distributed throughout. The batter will
be thick, but relatively soft.
* Divide the batter evenly among the two prepared baking pans, and spread into
an even layer in each.
* Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the cake is
uniformly light brown on top, and beginning to pull away from the sides of
the pan rotating the pans once during baking (35 to 40 minutes).
* Remove the pans from the oven from the oven and allow the cakes to cool for
at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
* Fill the wells of the prepared muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full with
batter, and shake the pan back and forth to distribute the batter evenly in
* One at a time, place the muffin tins in the center of the preheated oven and
bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out with
no more than a few moist crumbs attached (about 20 minutes).
* Remove the tin from the oven from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool in
the pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool
completely. Repeat with the remaining muffin tin.
* While the cakes or cupcakes are cooling, in the bowl of your stand mixer
fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a handheld mixer),
place the cream cheese and butter.
* Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
* Add the salt, and 3 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Mix on low speed until
the sugar is absorbed. Turn the mixer to high speed and beat until the
frosting is thickened and fluffy.
* Add more confectioners’ sugar as necessary to thicken the frosting enough to
hold its shape when scooped with a spoon.
TO FROST A LAYER CAKE.
* Turn one of the cooled cakes, top down, onto a serving platter.
* Spoon about half of the frosting onto the top of the cake.
* Spread the frosting into an even layer on top of this cake.
* Top with the second cake, top-down and press to adhere.
* Spoon the remaining frosting on top of the cake.
* Spread the frosting on the top and sides of the cake. It’s easiest to create
a swooping pattern on top of the cake so it doesn’t have to be super smooth
* Top with more chopped pecans, if desired. To make the cake easier to slice,
chill for about an hour in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.
* Spoon or pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.
Choosing a flour blend:
Use one of my recommended all purpose gluten free flour blends (like Better
Batter original blend or Nicole’s Best multipurpose). If you use Bob’s Red Mill
1-to-1, add an extra heaping ½ teaspoon xanthan gum to avoid a crumbly cake. I
don’t recommend Cup4Cup anymore—it’s changed and no longer performs reliably. To
make your own blend using one of my “mock” recipes, please see the all purpose
gluten free flour blends
Making cupcakes instead of a layer cake:
Reduce the flour blend unless you love a generous swirl (I do!).
If you leave out the pecans, use 6 ounces of white chocolate chips instead of 3
to make up the difference.
Nutritional information is an estimate per slice of layer cake with frosting,
assuming the cake is sliced into 8 equal slices.
Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 641mg | Potassium: 330mg | Fiber:
4g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 8902IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 166mg | Iron:
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an
Bake the cake layers in advance, wrap them tightly, and freeze for up to 1
month. Defrost at room temperature before frosting.
Storing frosted cake:
Store slices or a whole frosted cake at room temperature, tightly wrapped and/or
covered, for up to 3 days.
Wrap frosted slices in freezer-safe wrap and freeze. Defrost at room temp before
serving (don’t microwave or the frosting will melt).
Make the cream cheese frosting up to 3 days ahead. Store it in the fridge, then
bring to cool room temperature and beat again before using.
Can I refrigerate the dry ingredient mix for later?
You can mix and store the dry ingredients (through the brown sugar) in a sealed
container at room temperature for a few days. Don’t refrigerate the mix, since
brown sugar tends to clump when cold.
Can I use 9-inch pans instead of 8-inch?
Yes—just know that your cakes will be slightly shorter and bake a bit faster.
Begin checking for doneness around 25 minutes.
Can I add pineapple to this cake?
I love a carrot cake with pineapple, but that’s a different recipe because it
adds a ton of extra moisture that this recipe can’t handle. Try our Entenmann’s
style gluten free carrot pineapple cake recipe
Can I make this cake ahead for a holiday?
Yes! You can make the cake layers up to a month ahead, wrap and freeze them,
then defrost and frost the day before serving.
Can I make this cake without nuts?
Absolutely. Just replace the pecans with extra white chocolate chips, or leave
both out. The cake still bakes perfectly.
Can I use this recipe to make cupcakes?
Yes, this recipe makes 24 cupcakes. Reduce the flour best texture, and bake for about 20 minutes.