Paleo Carrot Cake with "Cream Cheese" Frosting (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

Slice of paleo carrot cake on a white plate resting on a light pink cloth napkin.

Paleo Carrot Cake with "Cream Cheese" Frosting (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

This moist, decadent carrot cake with perfectly sweet "cream cheese" frosting is the perfect spring treat, whether you're paleo/gluten free or not!

Prep: 15

Cook: 25

Cool 30

Total: 1 10

Yield:16 slices

Equipment

Oven
3 round metal cake pans 8-inch diameter
Cooking spray or ghee, or refined coconut oil
parchment paper
Scissors
large mixing bowl
whisk
Silicone spatula
toothpicks
medium mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl
Hand mixer or stand mixer
offset spatula or butter knife
decorating turntable or large plate, or cake stand
Wax paper optional

Ingredients

For the Carrot Cake

5 large organic brown eggs at room temperature
1 ½ cups coconut sugar
1 cup refined coconut oil melted but not hot
1 ½ tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 8-ounce cans organic crushed pineapple drained well, see Notes
3 cups grated carrots see Notes
3 cups fine almond flour
6 tablespoons coconut flour
6 tablespoons tapioca flour
1 tablespoon fresh baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 ¼ cups finely chopped pecans see Notes
1 pinc salt

For the "Cream Cheese" Frosting

16 ounces dairy-free cream cheese softened
½ cup refined coconut oil softened; or 4 ounces ghee, softened
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup pure maple syrup

Suggested Toppings (Optional)

finely chopped pecans

Instructions

For the Carrot Cake

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Adjust oven racks as needed so cake pans will sit in center of oven.
Cut parchment paper to fit inside cake pans (see Notes below), then grease bottom and sides of each cake pan with cooking spray, ghee, or coconut oil. Fit parchment paper circle in bottom of each cake pan and set pans aside.
Crack eggs directly into large mixing bowl. Whisk eggs well until just combined, being careful not to over-whisk.
Add coconut sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla extract to egg mixture. Whisk until ingredients are just combined.
Add crushed pineapple, grated carrots, almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger to bowl. Continue whisking until ingredients are well combined and batter is thick and mostly smooth. Be careful not to over-mix.
When batter ingredients are fully incorporated, add chopped pecans to mixture. Gently fold in pecans until just distributed.
Transfer cake batter into prepared cake pans, making sure to fill cake pans evenly.
Place filled cake pans in preheated oven. Bake cake layers 20 minutes. Note: if 3 cake pans won't fit on one oven rack, split pans between 2 racks. Bake 10 minutes, then rotate pans and bake 10 minutes more.
After 20 minutes, begin testing doneness of cake layers. Insert toothpick into center of each cake layer, then quickly remove toothpick. If toothpick does not come out of cake with very few crumbs, continue baking cake layers, checking doneness every 1 to 2 minutes.
Once toothpick can be removed from cake covered in few crumbs, remove cake pans from oven and set aside. Allow cake layers to rest in cake pans until layers are completely cool.

For the "Cream Cheese" Frosting

Add softened cream cheese, softened coconut oil, vanilla extract, and maple syrup to medium mixing bowl. Use hand mixer on medium-high speed to beat ingredients together until smooth, fluffy frosting forms.

To Frost the Carrot Cake

Run offset spatula or butter knife around inner edge of cake pans to loosen cake. Carefully flip one cake pan over and remove cake layer, tapping or shaking pan as needed.
Place first cake layer right-side up on decorating turntable, plate, or cake stand. Use offset spatula to dollop frosting onto top of cake layer, then spread frosting out evenly to edges of cake.
Remove second cake layer from pan and stack on top of first layer. Frost top of second layer with equal amount of frosting as used on first layer.
Remove third layer of cake from cake pan and place on top of second layer. Use remaining frosting to frost top of cake, spreading excess frosting down sides of cake to cover layers completely. Make sure to spread frosting uniformly around entire cake.
If desired, immediately sprinkle chopped pecans on top of carrot cake. Alternately, use wax paper to apply chopped pecans to sides of frosted cake, pressing pecans into frosting gently to stick.
Serve carrot cake immediately, or place cake in refrigerator, uncovered, until ready to serve.

Notes

Pineapple: Make sure to use organic pineapple in organic pineapple juice, with no added sugars or sugar alternatives. If you don't like or can't have pineapple, you can substitute it with unsweetened applesauce.
Carrots: To avoid large slivers of carrots in your cake, grate the carrots and then chop them well with a sharp knife. You can also pulse the grated carrots in a food processor 1-2 times. Just don't overdo it - you want them smaller, not juiced or mashed.
Pecans: You can omit the pecans entirely if desired, or replace them with raisins or finely chopped walnuts.
Parchment Paper: The easiest way to get an accurately-sized circle is to place your cake pan on top of a sheet of parchment paper. Trace around the pan with a pen, then set the pan aside. Cut the parchment paper following the line you drew, cutting just inside of the pen mark. Once the circle's cut out, place it in the bottom of the cake pan and press it flat against the bottom and into the edges of the pan.
Toothpick Trick: Carrot cake is super moist, so waiting until the toothpick comes out completely clean may mean you've got an overbaked caked on your hands. Instead, aim for just a few crumbs on the toothpick - not completely clean, but also not completely raw batter.
Storage: If preparing ahead of time, the fully-frosted carrot cake can be refrigerated, uncovered, up to 5 days. Once sliced, the leftover carrot cake needs to be refrigerated, either in an airtight container or completely covered with plastic wrap. Leftovers can keep up to 4 days if stored properly.

Nutrition

Recipe By:Cheryl Malik