Favorite Gluten Free Maple Sugar Carrot Cake

Favorite Gluten Free Maple Sugar Carrot Cake

PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 40 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME: 50 MINUTES 

SERVINGS: 12 

CALORIES: 256KCAL 

Original AUTHOR: Megan Gilmore “Healthy Carrot Cake”

Recipe ADJUSTED BY: Sharon Mattingly -see extra notes

This healthy Carrot Cake is high in protein, and made with gluten-free coconut flour. I love that it’s grain-free and naturally sweetened!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup coconut flour
  • 1 cup maple syrup (for a less sweet cake, you can use 3/4 cup)
  • 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
  • 8 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 cups shredded carrots (about 4 carrots) 
  • 1/3 cup diced pineapple (optional)
  • 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and generously grease a 9-inch pan, a bundt pan, or two 6-inch pans. (Tip: Add a square of parchment paper on the bottom for easier removal later.)
  2. To prepare the cake, combine the coconut flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, lemon juice, and baking soda, and whisk well to create a uniform batter. If any of your ingredients are cold the mixture will be thicker than traditional cake batter, but don’t worry, it will still bake just fine! Once the batter is uniform, stir in the shredded carrots, pineapple, and raisins (if using them).
  3. Pour the batter into your prepared pan(s) and bake at 350 until the center is firm about 40 to 50 minutes. (If using a deep bundt pan, it takes about 50 to 60 minutes.)
  4. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. For best shelf-life, store the cake covered in the fridge for up to one week.

Sharon’s NOTES I doubled the recipe and used two 8 inch pans  There was enough batter left over to make about 12 cupcakes

Megan’s NOTES

  • I have tried lowering the number of eggs in this recipe, by replacing 1 egg with 1/4 cup of mashed banana instead. The result is a slightly drier cake that doesn’t hold together as well. You can get away with this swap if you need to reduce the recipe by 1 egg, but I don’t recommend trying to lower it by much more or the cake won’t hold together.
  • You can also reduce the maple syrup to 3/4 cup if you want a less-sweet cake. I assume honey would work similarly if that’s what you have on hand. (In fact, for honey I wouldn’t use more than 3/4 cup because the flavor is stronger than maple syrup.)

NUTRITION

Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 268mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 3737IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

By Aysegul Sanford – adjusted by Sharon Mattingly

Yields: 6 servings (3 cups)

Prep Time: 10 minsTotal Time: 14 mins

Recipe for Maple Cream Cheese Frosting made without the use of refined sugars. Instead, this frosting is sweetened with maple syrup. Perfect for cupcakes, cakes, and cinnamon rolls. 

Ingredients

  • ▢ 4 Tablespoons (56g) Butter, room temperature
  • ▢ 2 cups (454g) Full-Fat Cream Cheese, room temperature
  • ▢ ½ cup(168g) Pure Maple Syrup
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • ▢  A Squeeze of Lemon/Orange Juice/Pineapple juice- about 1 teaspoon,

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment or with a large bowl and handheld mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until very smooth, about 2 minutes. 
  2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt, and lemon/orange juice. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through. 
  3. If needed, chill for 10 minutes in the fridge to stiffen slightly to a spreadable consistency.