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Carrot Cake

January 23, 2014 By Jessica

I was craving some carrot cake, but I didn’t want to bake a huge multi-tiered cake for our drive out to Palm Springs for the weekend. Imagine that in the trunk on a 3 hour car ride! Being a family with food allergies, I cook and bake everything. We always stay at a hotel with a kitchen, when available, or stow our food in the hotel kitchen (yep, lots of planning). So I thought a simple carrot cake, still in it’s pan, and frosting on the side should be just fine. And it was the perfect traveler. I don’t know if I can say that about my kids, well I guess they were for 2 out of the 3 hour car ride.

After dinner we had some of this delightful cake, frosted as thick as can be. This frosting beats any bottled stuff, thanks to Daiya cream cheese! When you try this stuff you will pile it on too. This cake is as moist as it gets.
Who the heck said gluten free, dairy free, and egg free can’t taste this good?? I challenge them to a carrot cake duel. 
Serves about 12 large squares

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 cups evaporated cane sugar
1 1/2 cups plus 2 teaspoons sunflower or vegetable oil
1/4 cup coconut oil
3 tablespoons ground flax meal
2 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons aluminum free baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 pound carrots, grated (4 heaping cups)
1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple or canned crushed pineapple, drained
Flour Blend:

1 1/2 cups gluten free oat flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill for all)
3/4 cup white rice flour PLUS 1 tablespoon, divided
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal

Frosting:

8 ounces Daiya cream cheese
2 tablespoons palm shortening (I use Spectrum), at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

 

Preparation:

For the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. Line with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pans. I use Earth Balance Soy Free Spread. Coconut oil or palm shortening work well too.

In a medium bowl, sift together 3 1/4 cups gluten free flour blend, 1/4 cup flaxseed meal, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In another small bowl toss the pecans with the 1 tablespoon white rice flour.

Beat the sugar and oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 2-3 minutes. It will appear shiny and sugar granules have been well incorporated into the oil. In a small bowl combine 3 tablespoons of the flaxseed meal with 2 tablespoons of hot water and 2 teaspoons of the oil. Stir well. It will appear like a thick gooey paste. Add the the mixer and continue to mix. Add the vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Fold in the carrots and pineapple. Add to the batter and mix well. Reduce the mixer to low and add the floured pecans, mix until combined.

Transfer batter into the baking dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the baking dish for 15-20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

 

Here it is before baking…

And here it is out of the oven, do you see those lovely specks of pineapple and carrot? Yum!

For the frosting:

Mix the cream cheese, shortening and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium high speed fitted with the paddle attachment until just combined. Reduce to low, add sifted powdered sugar. When combined increase speed to medium, and mix until smooth.

With an offset spatula or knife, spread the cake with frosting. Cake can be made up to 2 days in advance sealed in plastic wrap and refrigerated, frost before serving. Frosting will refrigerate well for 2 weeks in an airtight container.

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Filed Under: cakes, dessert, entertaining, vegan Tagged With: cakes, dairy-free, dessert, entertaining, gluten-free, soy-free, vegan

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Comments

  1. ruthie says

    September 24, 2014 at 11:09 am

    THIS LOOKS IMPOSSIBLE. How can gf / df come out looking so freaking delish?? This is a keeper, and SOOOOO yummy. Came here from your old site, and I have to tell you, you really did something great with the new look. LOVE IT. And this recipe is a favorite with us. :)
    Reply
  2. Janet says

    October 1, 2014 at 3:50 pm

    This looks divine with all the carrots you added. I need to make this, thank you for your detailed recipe.
    Reply
  3. Trudy says

    October 16, 2014 at 12:02 am

    This looks so yummy! I cannot have pineapple, any substitutes you recommend? I want to make this on the weekend.
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      October 17, 2014 at 4:25 pm

      Hi Trudy, Mango! I have made it with mango and it is just as good!
      Reply
  4. Rob says

    November 4, 2014 at 9:59 pm

    I would like to make this with eggs. Which ingredients to I omit?
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      November 5, 2014 at 10:29 am

      You can omit the flax and hot water to replace with 2 whole eggs.
      Reply
  5. Zoe says

    November 16, 2014 at 12:09 pm

    Love, love carrot cake this looks simple enough for me to make for Thanksgiving can I freeze it already frosted? Thanks!
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      March 2, 2015 at 7:16 pm

      Zoe, Sorry that your comment slipped through the cracks and just responding now - I haven't froze it this way, only the cake and kept the frosting refrigerated. I suppose you could by putting it into a large cake box (so it doesn't touch the top of the cake) then wrapping it 3-ply with plastic wrap for up to a month. Hope that helps!
      Reply
  6. Taylor says

    November 24, 2014 at 9:46 am

    so funny that my roommate showed me your blog because she's gluten-free and I'm vegan so we're talking about making some of your vegan / gluten-free recipes together and watching GAME OF THRONES each Sunday with another of your recipes! Welcome to our Sunday nights in Berkeley. Thanks Jessica!
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      November 24, 2014 at 10:40 am

      Great collaboration ladies!! And for the kind words :)
      Reply
  7. Lana says

    November 24, 2014 at 7:50 pm

    Not much of a pumpkin fan but carrot cake is my weakness. Yours looks outrageously moist for a gluten free vegan recipe. Everyone I find is dry. I look forward to trying your recipe. Daiya cream cheese is to stay chilled? Not sure, thanks.
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      November 24, 2014 at 8:42 pm

      It can remain chilled since it doesn't contain animal proteins that would make say a dairy filled cream cheese rock hard. I think you will love this one as it is not dry. Let me know how you liked it. Enjoy!
      Reply
  8. Francesca says

    December 1, 2014 at 9:14 am

    Looks amazing! I can't eat oats. Do you have another floor suggestion? Would sorghum work? Or more rice flour? Thanks!
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      December 1, 2014 at 12:27 pm

      I suggest replacing the oat for sorghum flour. Enjoy!
      Reply
  9. Claire says

    December 3, 2014 at 8:48 am

    What a beautiful carrot cake and it looks SO moist! I am super excited to make this as a sheet cake for my son's bake sale at school for all the allergen free kids :)
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      December 3, 2014 at 1:25 pm

      What a great idea, and a thoughtful one at that!
      Reply
  10. Linney says

    June 6, 2015 at 9:16 am

    Jessica, I would love to try your recipe and want to know if this will be enough for a 2-layer 6 inch cake? I think my daughter will love it.
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      June 6, 2015 at 1:40 pm

      The batter amount will make two 6-inch rounds but they may be thicker. I would keep an eye on the baking time to see if you need a few extra minutes if they do fill up higher than the sheet pan. Cheers!
      Reply
  11. Erasmo Wadley says

    December 2, 2019 at 6:42 am

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    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (gluten free, grain free, egg free, soy free, vegan) | From Jessica's Kitchen says:
    April 5, 2017 at 1:33 pm
    […] original carrot cake (posted ages ago, see here if you like) contains grains and was more about sweetened carrots than anything else. Here I wanted to create a […]
    Reply

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Welcome!

Hi! I'm Jessica, welcome to my blog! I'm a wife and mother of four (all boys, including twins. Did not see that coming!) who loves to eat. Discovering food intolerances in my family and myself had me think about cooking differently with an emphasis on nutrition, but not any less deliciously. No, won't settle for that, neither will my kids! Here you will find simple, healthy, seasonal recipes we love that are gluten, dairy, and soy free. Many are also egg free, nut free, plant-based and/or grain free, given our evolving dietary lifestyle. Even though we live a life of dietary restrictions, my passion for food keeps me on a constant quest to create tasty recipes or adapt our favorite recipes from my stack of cookbooks to bring back the joy of eating again, without sacrificing flavor. Hope you find some inspiration and recipes to enjoy ... thanks for stopping by!

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