Paleo Carrot Cake
This Paleo Carrot Cake with almond flour is moist, fluffy and perfectly spiced! This homemade grain free cake is a showstopper. It is filled with healthy ingredients and warm flavors but tastes rich and indulgent!
I make this carrot cake every Easter (and several times throughout the year) and it is always a huge hit!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This Paleo Carrot cake is absolutely stunning! Here is why I make it for many occasions:
- This cake is extremely moist and fluffy.
- A serving of vegetables in cake? Yes please!
- Carrot cake is great for so many different occasions. Birthday parties, Easter and rainy days are some of my favorites!
- For a version with gluten free flour, try this Gluten Free Carrot Cake.
- The carrots add a great moist texture and nutritional benefits.
- This cake is equally stunning and delicious.
- Almond flour is a great Paleo flour to bake with. Check out these Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies!
- The Vegan vanilla frosting is smooth, creamy and tasty.
- This cake is Paleo, grain free, gluten free, and naturally sweetened.
How to Make
Step 1
First, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut a circle of parchment paper and line the bottoms of three 6 inch cake pans.
Step 2
Next, sift together all dry cake ingredients.
Step 3
Once sifted, add in all wet cake ingredients except grated carrots. Stir to combine.
Step 4
Fold in grated carrots. Be sure to squeeze out all excess liquid from grated carrots before folding in.
Step 5
Divide cake batter evenly between cake pans.
Step 6
Bake for 30 to 33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven to cool completely.
Step 7
Once cooled completely, make frosting. Add frosting ingredients to a stand mixer. Then, whip until fluffy.
Step 8
Finally, assemble cake. Add layer of frosting between each cake layer and on top. Frost sides of cake. Serve Paleo carrot cake!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I make Vegan vanilla frosting?
See my Vegan vanilla frosting recipe for more helpful tips and tricks!
Do you peel carrots for carrot cake?
Peeling carrots for carrot cake is not necessary. I never peel the carrots before grating. Doing so will not change the outcome of this batter so feel free!
What makes this carrot cake Paleo?
This carrot cake is Paleo because it is grain free, gluten free, and naturally sweetened. For a dairy free option, substitute coconut oil or ghee for the butter.
How do I store carrot cake?
Store leftover carrot cake in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 3 days.
What flavors go well with carrot cake? Can I add in nuts or raisins?
Fresh fruit (pineapple and banana) go well with carrot cake. This cake is made without nuts and raisins. If desired, add nuts and raisins to batter before baking.
Baking with Grain Free Flours
This Paleo carrot cake is made with almond flour, tapioca flour and coconut flour. Here is a little breakdown of these grain free flours:
Almond flour is a flour made from ground up almonds. It is light in density and adds a slight nutty flavor to baked goods.
Tapioca flour (or arrowroot starch) is the Paleo version of cornstarch. In this case, it adds the perfect texture to this cake.
Coconut flour is an extremely dense and absorbent grain free flour. In addition, this flour is best used in small quantities. This gluten free carrot cake with coconut flour is moist and fluffy!
Homemade Frosting
Carrot cake is commonly frosted with a cream cheese frosting. Since cream cheese is not Paleo, that can be tricky.
The frosting on this cake leans more towards vanilla than cream cheese. If looking for a Paleo cream cheese frosting, swap the coconut milk for dairy free cream cheese. You may need to add a little more maple syrup for added sweetness.
The reason I chose a vanilla frosting over a Paleo cream cheese icing is because this cake is the star! This cake is perfectly spiced. The Paleo carrot cake icing is simple and straightforward to not detract from the cake.
Expert Tips & Tricks
Squeeze out all moisture from grated carrots. To do this, place grated carrots on paper towels. Wring out all liquid. Then, add grated carrots to cake batter.
Line bottoms of cake pans with parchment paper. This makes removing cake from pans super easy.
This recipe calls for three 6 inch cake pans.
I have not tried this recipe with 8 inch or 9 inch cake pans, but I imagine it would only make two layers and each layer would take slightly less time to bake. The layers would be much thinner.
To test doneness, insert toothpick into the cake. If it comes out clean, remove cake layers from oven.
Only frost cake once it is completely cooled. Frosting a warm cake will yield runny frosting.
Feel free to frost this cake with your favorite frosting! The one written here is more vanilla flavored rather than the classic cream cheese frosting.
How to Serve & Store
Serve Paleo carrot cake once completely cooled and frosted. It goes well with a tall glass of almond milk, mug of coffee, or even hot chocolate!
Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If making ahead of time, make cake layers and refrigerate. Then, whip up frosting just before serving cake.
You May Also Like
If you make this Paleo carrot cake recipe, I would love to see it! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. I would love for you to follow along! For more ideas, check out these Paleo Recipes.
Get the Recipe: Paleo Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- pinch nutmeg
- 1/4 cup dairy free milk
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup butter, or ghee or coconut oil, softened
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 cups grated carrots, about 4 to 5 large carrots
Vegan Vanilla Frosting
- 2 cans coconut milk, chilled
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- First, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line three 6 inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift all dry ingredients.
- Once combined, add in all wet ingredients except grated carrots. (Note: squeeze out excess liquid from grated carrots).
- Next, fold in grated carrots. Be sure to squeeze out all excess moisture from grated carrots.
- Pour batter equally into lined cake pans.
- Then, bake for 30 to 33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove cakes from oven and cool completely.
- Once cakes have completely cooled, make frosting.
- Add hardened parts of coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract to a stand mixer. Whip for 1 to 2 minutes or until fluffy.
- To assemble: place one layer of cake on stand. Add frosting on top. Place a second layer of cake on top. Then, frost that cake. Finally, add top layer. Spread remaining frosting all over cake.
Notes
- Squeeze out all excess liquid from grated carrots.
- See photos above for how to line cake pans with parchment paper.
- Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Frost cake once it has cooled completely.
- See my Vegan vanilla frosting recipe for tips and tricks!
- This cake can be made in two 8 inch cake pans. Follow the same exact recipe, but bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
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52 Comments on “Paleo Carrot Cake”
The cake tastes great. I made JT for my wife’s birthday but there are green slivers in it. Kinda the size of the carrots. Is that normal!?? Thanks
Hi Jason! What a nice idea for your wife’s birthday. I do not know why there are green slivers in it. Sorry!
Great recipe. I also added a bit lemon zest and juice, plus doubles all the spices! Thinking about adding a handful of walnuts next time. Thank you!
So glad to hear that, Maria! The bit of lemon sounds amazing. Thank you for trying my recipe!
For those who can do goat diary and ghee, this cream cheese frosting I whipped up was perfect for the cheese cake. I did a frosting with 2 parts goat cheese 1 part very very think skyr goat yogurt, could try greek, 2 tablespoons liquid ghee , 2 tablespoons honey, pinch of pink salt whipped up with hand beater.
I think I messed up the cake by overcooking a bit, also I didn’t have coconut flour so used casava. I think I will try this recipe with also adding in some yogurt next time. And I will cut the maple syrup in half, I added raisins which are sweet.
I mean melted ghee.
And by mess up I mean my cake was a little dry and flat, I think from messing with the flours in the recipe, I am curious if adding yogurt would make it more moist and help it rise more.
Hi Jennifer! Thank you for trying my recipe! I haven’t tried using cassava flour but that could be why it came out different. The frosting sounds delicious!
This cake is delicious and so easy to make! Highly recommend for all carrot cake lovers like myself!
Hi Laura! I’m so glad you enjoyed this cake. Thank you for the glowing review!
Can I make this a 9×13 cake instead of layers??
Hi Marian! That should work. Just keep checking the cake so it doesn’t over bake. Enjoy!
This paleo carrot cake was AMAZING and I love that it’s much healthier for you. I almost want to eat the whole thing.. but I’ll try to pace myself hahaha
This is my all time favorite dessert. Thank you for being so thoughtful and providing us with the vegan frosting recipe as well.
I never thought of using almond flour in a carrot cake, but I’m glad to hear that it works ok. I thought that the weight and absorbency degree of all the ingredients would be a lot harder to manage. I have to try this recipe very soon!
Wow, I would have thought carrot cake would be super tricky without traditional flour, but you really pulled it off! This one’s a keeper!
Carrot cake is my dad’s favorite and I made this for him this weekend and it was so delicious and wonderful! I love stealthy healthy treats!