Gluten Free Carrot Cake sweetened with pineapple, raisins, and a little honey is a satisfying family favourite of ours. Depending on the frosting, it can even be dairy-free!
Editor's Note: Since being published, this recipe has become one of the most popular recipes on the blog!
My First Blogging Heroine
Elana Amsterdam was my first blogging heroine. I discovered her site, Elana’s Pantry, in my very early days of eating gluten free. Hers is the first blog I followed regularly and still do to this day. I purchased two of her cookbooks, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook and Paleo Cooking from Elana's Pantry. Her almond flour recipes are simple and delicious! (Elana has recently developed a new carrot cake recipe using coconut flour.)
Evolution of a Gluten Free Carrot Cake
I still break out the almond flour for special occasions such as those that call for a frosted carrot cake! At first, I used to simply follow the Classic Carrot Cake recipe in The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. However, my family began to ask for the pineapple that I had put into carrot cake in pre-gluten free days. Gradually over the years, I’ve made other changes. Our old recipe contained coconut, so that made it’s way into the new one. Some of our family prefer not to have nuts in cake, so they disappeared. I’ve made other changes too, so eventually it became a completely different cake. However, I will always be grateful to Elana for the inspiration!
Cream Cheese Frosting
Sometimes, I have frosted this gluten free almond flour carrot cake with Elana’s Cream Cheese Frosting made of cream cheese, cream, maple syrup, and vanilla. I like that it’s not loaded with icing sugar as my old recipe was. It’s soft and delicious, so a great one to use if you’re okay with dairy.
For the cake in these photos, I used Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting (dairy-free, naturally sweetened) from Erin at Texanerin.com and sprinkled coconut flakes on top.
I’ve also used Elana Amsterdam’s Creamy Coconut Frosting from her book The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. This recipe calls for a cup of agave nectar. I use honey instead. I have noticed Elana transitioning away from agave nectar since the printing of this book.
Not sure whether you should have dairy or not? or gluten? Maybe another food is causing you issues. Discover improved health with the Elimination Diet Meal Plan. Read about my experience with the Meal Plan here.
If you make this gluten free carrot cake, I’d love to hear which frosting you choose.
If you haven't already done so, be sure that your kitchen is set up for safe gluten free food preparation. You have a few options for going about this.
More Gluten Free Cake Recipes
- Gluten Free Vanilla Cake
- Fruit Cocktail Cake
- Cheesecake with Pumpkin
- Applesauce Spice Cake with Raisins
- Fruitcake
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
More Carrot Recipes
- Carrot Cake Baked Overnight Oatmeal
- Carrot Slaw with Quinoa
- Gluten Free Carrot Christmas Pudding
- Maple Glazed Carrots with Pecans
- Roasted Beets and Carrots
Equipment and Supplies for This Recipe
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Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
Wet Ingredients
- 5 eggs separated
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/2 cup honey
Fruit, etc.
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 14 oz. 398 mL can crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup finely shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Oil two 9-inch cake pans with avocado oil. (I use a pastry brush to spread it around.) Then, dust the pans generously with almond flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, whisk or beat the egg yolks. Then whisk in the oil and honey. Stir this wet mixture into the dry mixture.
- Stir in the carrots, pineapple, raisins, and coconut.
- With clean beaters, beat egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff.
- Gently stir about one-fourth of the beaten egg whites into the batter. Then very carefully fold in the remaining whites.
- Pour batter into the two prepared pans. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in pans for one hour before removing. Frost as desired.
Caitlin says
LOVE Elana's Pantry, and this cake has me drooling - so pretty!
Cathy says
Yes, I must credit Elana Amsterdam with showing me how easy gluten free baking can be.
Mary. Munson says
Couldn't find avocado oil or tapioca flour today. Bought sunflower oil and coconut flour instead. Will this work? Thank you.
Cathy says
I'm sorry to hear about your difficulty sourcing ingredients. The sunflower oil should be fine.
However, I would not recommend replacing tapioca flour with coconut flour. Coconut flour is nice, but should only be used in recipes developed for coconut flour. It acts very differently from other flours. A better replacement for tapioca flour would be arrowroot flour. You could even try cornstarch if you have some on hand. Another option would be to replace the tapioca flour with another cup of
coconutalmond flour.I hope this helps!
Mary. Munson says
Thanks so much. Just realized that I have minute tapioca. Could I grind that in the food processor to make a flour? The ingredients say tapioca starch and soybean lecithin. Sorry to be such a bother.
mm
Cathy says
No problem! I'm happy to try to help.
Minute tapioca is processed from tapioca starch (or flour.) I don't think you would reverse the process by grinding it.
I'm sorry, I just realized a mistake in my last answer which must have been very confusing! I intended to recommend that you replace the tapioca flour with another cup of ALMOND flour. I think that would be your best option at this point.
Mary. Munson says
I was a little confused so thank you for clarifying. And thank you for answering the 2nd question. Looking forward to baking it.
mm
Mary. Munson says
Found tapioca flower after all. Cake was a big hit! Everybody loved it.
Cathy says
Wonderful! I'm pleased to hear that!
Lindsey Dietz says
My Memaw used to make a very similar cake with pineapple, raisins, and coconut called Hummingbird Cake. She always had it waiting on the table for us when we came to visit. Such a special recipe!
Cathy says
Aw...that must be such a wonderful memory!
Jean says
This is such a gorgeous carrot cake and I love the addition of pineapples. So perfect for Easter!
Cathy says
Thanks, Jean! I'm planning to make it for Easter.
Joni Gomes says
Looks divine! Loving those textures and the coconut..oh em gee!
Cathy says
Thank you, Joni! It is a great treat!
Tessa Simpson says
I still need to convince my kids that carrot cake is where it's at!! This one looks perfect!
Cathy says
Should we give it another name?
Megan Stevens says
Wow, does that look moist and amazing!! I loved reading through your list of ingredients. Everything sounds perfect, and SO pretty too!
Cathy says
Thank you, Megan! Isn't it great to have nutritious cake!
linda spiker says
What a gorgeous cake! I would make short work of that!
Cathy says
Ha, ha! I had to put a lot of it away into the freezer!
Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen says
That looks like the perfect texture for a carrot cake. I often have raisins in mine, but I love the idea of pineapple and coconut!
Cathy says
Thank you, Carrie! We certainly enjoy it!
Molly Kumar says
Such a moist and delicious cake. This would be perfect for the coming Easter parties and for spring parties too.
Cathy says
That's what I'm thinking, too!
Raia Todd says
What a gorgeous cake! I love that it's grain-free, too!
Cathy says
Thank you, Raia! I'm finding that I do better on a grain-free diet.
Donna says
I made this cake actually as shown and it is a hit! Very moist and flavorful. Decided to not put the icing on it this time. I will definitely make this again.
Cathy says
Thank you for sharing this with me, Donna! It makes me happy to hear that people are enjoying my recipes!
Christina Shoemaker says
This cake is absolutely stunning! I love the sweetness of the pineapple in here! It looks so moist!! <3
Cathy says
Thank you, Christina!
Katie Mae @ Nourishing Simplicity says
This looks so tasty! I am always excited to try new gluten-free desserts.
Cathy says
Thanks, Katie Mae! It is fun to try new recipes, isn't it!
Tatiana says
I will absolutely cook this one for Easter! The cake looks so moist and light at the same time
Cathy says
Wonderful! I hope everyone enjoys it!
Meredith says
My husband's birthday almost always falls during Passover... so I am forever looking for delicious (and healthy) cake options that are gluten-free. We both love carrot cake with pineapple and coconut, so yours is sure to be an instant favorite. Also, thank you suggesting a vegan cream cheese frosting... I will definitely be trying that with this delicious cake! Thank you so much for the inspiration!
Cathy says
This makes me so happy!
maria says
I love using vegetables in baking... carrot cake is definitively on the top of my list. I would use the Creamy Coconut Frosting... a wonderful topping for any cake. Thanks for sharing Cathy ♥
Cathy says
Isn't it great to sneak in all the veggies we can!
Elaine says
Of all the gluten-free cake recipes, I think gluten-free carrot cake seems to consistently work the best! Maybe it's all the yumminess from the additions, like pineapple, carrots, and coconut. Your version looks divine!
Cathy says
Yes, I think the carrots and pineapple make it nice and moist.
Lily {Gastro Senses} says
I love the carrot-pineapple-coconut combination Cathy! This would be perfect for Easter brunch or Mother’s Day!
Cathy says
I agree!
Terri @foodmeanderings says
Cathy - this looks great for my gluten-free friends and family! I also love pineapple coconut and carrot, so I will also be enjoying it! Pinning!
Cathy says
How wonderful!
Deanne says
Hi Cathy Just wondered what I could substitute the almond flour for as we have nut free and gf home. Thanks in advance Deanne
Cathy says
I did make this nut free for a family member who is allergic to almonds, and it turned out well. Now I wish I had kept better notes! If I remember correctly, I replaced the 2 cups of almond flour with 1/2 cup coconut flour. I also added an extra egg, because coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture. I hope this works for you! Please let me know how it turns out.
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