Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
This gluten-free carrot cake is irresistibly moist, made with organic carrots and frosted with a deliciously tangy cream cheese frosting. The textures – soft cake, plump raisins, juicy pineapple, crisp nuts, and rich, creamy frosting all perfectly complement each other in every bite. A flavorful, gluten-free twist on a classic favorite.
Equipment
- 1 Standup Mixer (hand mixer is also fine)
- 1 Fine shredder attachment for mixer (box grater is also fine, finest shredding side)
- 3 8" Cake pans
- 1 Cake leveler (optional)
Ingredients
- Ingredients – Carrot Cake
- 2 1/2 cups peeled and finely grated organic carrots do not buy the shredded carrots, because those are too thick and a little dry
- 2 cups HEB brand all purpose GF flour
- 6 oz of crushed pineapple drained – they sell these in 8 oz cans, so just use about ¾ of it
- 3/4 cup organic raisins
- 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
- 2 tsp baking soda make sure your baking soda is not old, otherwise your cake will come out denser
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp clove if you don’t have ground clove, you can substitute with apple pie or pumpkin pie spice blend
- 1 cup softened room temp salted butter
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup sour cream
Ingredients – Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces full-fat brick cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened to room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Instructions – Assembly/Frosting
- Whip the cream cheese and butter with the paddle attachment on high speed in a standup mixer bowl until completely smooth and creamy.
- Add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time on low speed until more or less incorporated and to avoid sugar exploding everywhere.
- Add vanilla and salt, and switch to beating on high for about 1 minute. Scrape down the edges of the bowl with a soft spatula to ensure the frosting is completely smooth, and beat on high again until the entire bowl is completely smooth and creamy.
- To assemble, level off the tops of each cake using a cake level – if you don’t do this, the cake will slope downward towards the edges and you won’t have that pretty, even shape. Spread a thin and even layer of frosting between each cake.
- Spread a thin layer of frosting around the entire outside of the cake (also known as the crumb coat) and chill for 20-30 minutes.
- Apply a thick layer of frosting around the chilled cake and then spread it evenly.
- With any remaining frosting, you can pipe any decorations you want on top, or just keep it simple and classic without any piped designs.
- Sprinkle with very finely chopped walnuts or pecans and then chill the cake for an hour to set.
- Best enjoyed when taken out from the fridge for about 20-30 minutes so that the cream cheese softens just a bit.
Notes
What kind of gluten-free flour to use:
If you don’t have HEB in your area, use something that is predominantly a rice flour blend, aka NOT almond flour; Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur have good GF options; for non-GF, you can just sub 2 cups AP flour and follow the instructions exactly as-is below
Icing/Assembly Tips:
- Wait until the cake is completely cooled before frosting the cake (not even lukewarm! COMPLETELY cooled – you can speed this up by putting each layer in the fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes).
- Make sure your cream cheese frosting has been kept at room temp, otherwise it won’t be soft enough to spread.
- If you’ve already refrigerated your frosting, you can loosen it up by letting it sit out at room temp for about 45 mins, and if still not loose enough, add 1 tbs of milk at a time, and whipping the icing again.