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Leonore's Healthy Carrot Cake (Gluten-free)

Healthy Carrot Cake (Gluten-Free)

This recipe is moist and has 75% less fat than traditional carrot cake.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 15 servings
Calories 424 kcal

Ingredients
  

Equipment

  • 2 large mixing bowls
  • 2 9-inch cake pans
  • food processor
  • parchment paper
  • hand-held mixer or stand mixer with a whip attachment
  • rubber spatula

for the Cake

  • 1 cup dates organic (200g)
  • 4 cups carrots shredded (500g)
  • 1 cup applesauce organic (326 g)
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil organic
  • 2 cups gluten-free flour
  • 1/4 cup almond meal
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp all spice
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cups coconut sugar organic
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup walnuts or pecans chopped (optional)

for the Frosting

  • 2 cups cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 2 cups dates
  • 4 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions
 

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350° F.
  • Grease cake pans with coconut oil and parchment paper.
  • Using a food processor or a hand grater, grate 4-5 carrots to get 4 cups of grated carrots. (No need to pack the carrots. If you do, 3 cups would be enough.)
  • In a food processor, blend dates until sticky paste forms. Add applesauce, vanilla, salt, and melted coconut oil and process until well combined.
  • In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, beat eggs until double in size and slowly beat in coconut sugar.
  • Add date mixture to eggs and stir well.
  • Add dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
  • Fold in grated carrots and walnuts.
  • Pour batter evenly between the two pans.
  • Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Frosting

  • In your food processor, blend the dates until smooth paste forms. Add in 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and processor until well combined.
  • With an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add in date mixture and blend. Adjust texture and sweetness with more maple syrup.
  • Once the cakes have cooled, frost the first layer of cake and add the second layer on top. Add the rest of the frosting and cover the whole cake.
  • Serve right away or keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Notes

  1. This recipe works well with gluten-free and regular flour. For regular flour use 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour. For a gluten-free option, I used Bob's red mill gluten all-purpose flour.
  2. Feel free to adjust the amount of spices in your carrot cake. I like 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of allspice (or combine nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon) but by all means, add more! You can also add ginger if you like!
  3. You can use pecans instead of walnuts. And if you don't like nuts or are allergic, you can just leave them out.
  4. It was hard to find but I got organic cream cheese at my local store. I really recommend looking for one without modified milk ingredients and other additives.

Nutrition

Calories: 424kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 7gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 323mgPotassium: 492mgFiber: 5gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 6180IUVitamin C: 2.6mgCalcium: 120mgIron: 1.7mg
Keyword carrot, gluten-free
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