One-bowl gluten-free carrot cake is very soft and moist and has a cream cheese frosting that combines perfectly and adds richness. It is super easy to make and it comes together very quickly!
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About this recipe
Super moist and flavorful carrot cake, with a hint of orange flavor and a perfect cream cheese frosting! It´s a very easy recipe and it comes together very quickly. If you love carrots I leave you the link for delicious carrot cake muffins.
The main flour of the cake is cornstarch and it takes oil and no butter. It’s spiced with ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg, but feel free to play with the spices you desire.
It’s topped with cream cheese frosting but you can leave it as it is and is delicious too. Optional, you can add walnuts or raisins, highly recommended.
Ingredients
The main ingredients of the recipe are:
- Corn starch: makes the cake fluffy.
- Grated carrot: this recipe calls for fresh carrot, not canned.
- Brown sugar: you can also use white sugar but you should check the amount.
- Oil: sunflower oil, but coconut oil should work well.
- Eggs: is better room temperature eggs.
- Spices: ground cinnamon and nutmeg but feel free to mix it up a little if you like.
- Orange: zest only.
- Walnuts or pecans: chopped toasted walnuts (optional).
- Butter: softened butter.
- Cream cheese: full-fat cream cheese chilled, softened at room temperature.
How to make easy carrot cake
For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a loaf pan or line with parchment paper. I used a loaf pan 9×5-inch. Set aside.
In a large bowl mix oil with sugar and orange zest. Add the eggs, one by one, mixing well after each addition, and the grated carrot.
Add the cornstarch, GF flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Fold in the walnuts (optional). Mix well.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked. Keep in mind that all ovens are different. To know if it’s ready insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, it should come out clean, with no streaks of batter.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then lift out by the parchment paper.
For the cream cheese frosting
Beat the softened cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and sifted icing sugar and mix until the icing is smooth and thick.
When the cake is completely cooled spread the cream cheese frosting on the top and sprinkle with orange zest.
Top Tips
- Carrots: they need to be grated and I found that a large-holed grater is better. Grate them at the last minute so they don’t release much liquid. If they do release liquid when you’re about to add them, squeeze it before doing it.
Storing
Store the cake in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If the cake is iced, it must be stored in the refrigerator. You can freeze the loaf cake for 3 months.
Variations
- Dried fruits: you can add toasted walnuts or pecans, and raisins as taste. It’s more rich with more dried fruits.
- Spices: feel free to play with spices as taste.
For more related recipes
- Carrot cake muffins
- Zucchini muffins
- Chocolate and beetroot cake
- Chocolate beet muffins
- Pumpkin bread
- Pumpkin muffins
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 Orange Zest
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup corn starch
- 2 tbsp GF flour ( like buckwheat flour or brown rice flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)
For the cream cheese frosting
- 1/2 cup full-fat cream cheese softened at room temperature (110gr)
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter (28gr)
- 1 teasponn vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons icing sugar (25gr)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a loaf pan or line with parchment paper. I used a loaf pan 9×5-inch. Set aside.
- In a large bowl mix oil with sugar and orange zest. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition, and the grated carrot.
- Add the corn starch, GF flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Fold in the toasted walnuts. Mix well.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked. Keep in mind that all ovens are different. To know if it's ready insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, it should come out clean, with no streaks of batter.
- Remove from the oven and let cool, then lift out by the parchment paper.
For the cream cheese frosting
- Beat the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and sifted icing sugar and mix until smooth and thick.
- When the cake is completely cooled spread the cream cheese frosting on top and finish it with orange zest.
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