Paleo Carrot Cake with "Cream Cheese" Frosting

A slice of gluten-free carrot cake on a white plate with a fork.

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Paleo Carrot Cake with "Cream Cheese" Frosting

This Paleo Carrot Cake has fluffy, moist cake layers full of shredded carrots and spices. Then they're coated in a creamy, tangy "cream cheese" frosting! And it's all grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free.

Prep Time55

Cook Time32

cooling time for cakes1

Total Time2 27

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 574kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

For the cake:

cooking oil spray, such as coconut or avocado
approx. ½ pound carrots (about 4-5 medium/large)
3 cups superfine blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
½ cup arrowroot flour/starch
¼ cup coconut flour
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 large eggs, room temperature
1½ cups coconut sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
optional garnish: finely chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, almonds or hazelnuts (if pressing onto the sides of the cake, you'll want about 1.5 cups chopped nuts); shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted

For the frosting:

1½ cups cashews (unroasted, unsalted)
⅔ cup coconut cream (from a can of full-fat unsweetened coconut milk that's chilled in the fridge for at least 8 hours)
7 tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons coconut oil, solid
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

For the cake:

Heat the oven to 350°.
Line two 8" cake pans with parchment paper. Spray the inner sides with cooking spray.
Peel and trim the carrots. Using the large holes on a box grater, grate the carrots. Measure out 1½ cups.
Optional but recommended step: gather up the grated carrot in cheesecloth or a thin flour sack towel, twist the cloth/towel to secure it and squeeze all the moisture out over a sink. This will help prevent excess moisture in the cake.
Set the carrots aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the almond flour, arrowroot, coconut flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, cardamom and nutmeg.
In a medium bowl, whisk the room temperature eggs, coconut sugar, lemon juice and vanilla.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. The batter will be thick.
Stir the grated carrots into the batter until evenly distributed.
Split the batter evenly in half between the two cake pans. Use your spatula to spread the batter out to an even layer.
Bake the cakes for 28-32 minutes, until a toothpick comes out completely clean (I find 30 minutes is perfect).
Let cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. Run a thin knife or offset spatula between the cake and pan to loosen the sides. Then spread your hand out on top of the cake and flip your hand and cake pan so the cake gently releases onto your hand. Peel off the parchment paper if necessary. Flip right-side up and place on the rack.
Repeat with the second cake. Let cool completely.

Make the frosting:

To soften the cashews, either soak them in water for at least 4 hours or add them to boiling water and boil for 15 minutes. Either way, drain, rinse and pat dry.
Add the soaked cashews to the bowl of a food processor. Blend until it forms a fairly smooth paste (it might start rolling into a large clump at this point). Occasionally scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl as it blends.
Add the coconut cream, maple syrup, lemon juice, coconut oil, vanilla and salt. Blend until smooth, about 3-5 minutes.
Occasionally stop the processor and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and where the sides and bottom meet. This will make sure the frosting is as smooth as possible.
Scrape the frosting (it will be somewhat runny) into a container and chill for at least 1 hour to set. Then bring to room temperature (about 30 minutes) so it's not too stiff to spread.

Assemble the cake:

Carefully place one cake in the middle of a cake stand or platter. Dollop about ⅓ of the frosting (approx. ⅓ cup + ¼ cup) onto the cake and use an offset spatula or spoon to spread in an even layer. You want to get pretty close to the edges of the cake without getting all the way to the edge.
Gently add the second cake on top, making sure it's centered. Add another ⅓ of the frosting (another ⅓ cup + ¼ cup) on top and spread to an even layer in the same way.
Then use the remaining frosting on the sides of the cake, spreading it back and forth as you make your way around the cake. This layer will be somewhat thin but not so thin that you see the cake beneath it.
If adding chopped nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut to the side, scoop some into the palm of your hand and gently press them into the sides of the cake, going from bottom to top.
You can also sprinkle the nuts or coconut on top of the cake.
Slice and serve!

Notes

*Note: prep/cooking time does not include time to soak/boil the cashews, nor the chilling time for the frosting.

Substitutions

You can try using sunflower seed flour in place of the almond flour. I haven't tried this myself so I can't guarantee the results but I've heard that this works for people.

You can use tapioca flour/starch in place of the arrowroot.

Please do NOT substitute anything for the coconut flour - it is a very unique ingredient that behaves differently than any other flour. There is no substitute for it.

You can use apple cider vinegar in place of the lemon juice - no matter which one you use, you can't taste it. But you need it as an acid to react with the baking soda to help the cakes rise.

The spices in the cake aren't too strong, especially once it's been frosted, but you can reduce the amounts without it changing the texture.

For the frosting, the only substitution that might work is using macadamia nuts instead of cashews. They would still need to be soaked, drained, rinsed and dried. I haven't tried this myself so if you try it, please let me know how it goes.

Make ahead

The cake can be made up to 3 days in advance. Wrap both layers separately in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. If serving the next day, you can leave it out at room temperature. If making 2-3 days in advance, store in the fridge.

The frosting can be made up to 5 days in advance and kept in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before using.

Freeze

You can freeze the cake and frosting separately.

Wrap the cake layers separately in plastic wrap, then freeze in an airtight container for up to one month.

Place the frosting in an airtight baggie or container and freeze for up to one month.

Thaw the cake and frosting in the fridge overnight.

Bring the frosting to room temperature before using.

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