Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

This Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting is soft, moist, and perfectly spiced, with plenty of freshly grated carrots and toasted walnuts in every bite. It’s finished with smooth, tangy cream cheese frosting that complements the cake’s sweetness.

Simple carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

This easy Gluten-Free Carrot Cake is wonderfully moist, soft, and tender, with a rich, flavorful crumb and plenty of crunchy walnuts throughout. It’s finished with a smooth, creamy cream cheese frosting that perfectly complements the spices and sweetness of the cake. If you love carrot cake, be sure to try these Carrot cake cookies or carrot cake muffins for two more delicious gluten-free takes on this classic favorite.

This cake is simple enough for everyday baking but special enough for Easter dessert, birthday cake, or holiday treat. It’s a true crowd-pleaser and a recipe you’ll want to make again and again. For a more impressive dessert, double the recipe and bake it in two 9-inch pans, then layer them with cream cheese frosting for a beautiful bakery-style carrot cake.

What goes in: ingredient notes

Some NOTES about the main ingredients of this recipe are:

• Carrots: fresh, grated carrots. Add moisture, natural sweetness, and classic carrot cake flavor.
• Flour: gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
• Eggs: room-temperature eggs are better.
• Oil: natural oil, like sunflower oil.
• Walnuts: chopped toasted walnuts. Add a nutty flavor and a little crunch. You can also leave them out.
• Spices: ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg that complement the carrots.

How to make Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper if desired.

Whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Mix well.

Add sifted dry ingredients: gluten-free all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and spices (ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg). Mix until well incorporated, but don’t overmix the batter.

Add the grated carrots and the chopped toasted walnuts, and incorporate well.

Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Because every oven is different, start checking the cake a few minutes before the suggested baking time.

Let the cake cool before removing it from the pan. Allow it to cool completely before adding the frosting.

Spread the cream cheese frosting over the completely cooled carrot cake and finish with a sprinkling of chopped toasted walnuts.

For the cream cheese frosting:

Beat the softened cream cheese, softened butter, sifted powdered sugar, and lemon juice with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate the frosting for at least 20 minutes before spreading it over the cooled cake.

Because this cake is topped with cream cheese frosting, leftovers should be stored covered in the refrigerator. You can freeze it in an air-tight container or freezer bag.

Good to know: baking 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 so.
• Don’t overmix the batter. Once you add the gluten-free flour, mix only until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing can make the cake heavier.
• Toasting the walnuts before adding them to the batter brings out their flavor and gives the cake a more pronounced nutty taste. Let them cool before chopping.
• Cool the cake completely before frosting. The cream cheese frosting can soften and slide off the cake if the cake is still warm.

Make it your own: variations

• Raisins: add raisins for natural sweetness.
• Baking pan: Place the batter into a loaf pan for a twist in the shape.
• Spiced cake: increase all the spices for a strong flavor.
• Layer Cake: Double the recipe and bake in two 9-inch pans for a bakery-style carrot cake with cream cheese frosting between the layers.

You might wonder: FAQ

Can I make this gluten-free carrot cake ahead of time?
Yes, you can bake the cake ahead of time and store it covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Once frosted, store the cake in the refrigerator.

Can I make this gluten-free carrot cake without walnuts? Yes, you can omit the walnuts completely.

Can I make this carrot cake into cupcakes? Yes, you can make gluten-free carrot cake cupcakes with this recipe batter. The baking time will be much shorter than for a whole cake.

For more gluten-free sweet vegetable-based recipes

• Carrot Cake Muffins
• Carrot Cake Cookies
• Carrot Loaf Cake
• Zucchini Muffins
• Sweet Potato Cake

Easy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (Gluten-Free)

Josefina Almond Yes

This Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting is soft, moist, and perfectly spiced, with plenty of freshly grated carrots and toasted walnuts in every bite. It's finished with smooth, tangy cream cheese frosting that complements the cake's sweetness.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Cakes

Cuisine International

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  

For the cake:

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup sunflower oil
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and ⅔ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups grated carrots (200g)
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 7 ounces cream cheese (200g), softened at room temperature
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter (80g), softened
• ½ cup and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (100g)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

 

For the cake:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper if desired.
• Whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Mix well.
• Add sifted dry ingredients: gluten-free all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and spices (ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg). Mix until well incorporated, but don't overmix the batter.
• Add the grated carrots and the chopped toasted walnuts, and incorporate well.
• Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Because every oven is different, start checking the cake a few minutes before the suggested baking time.
• Let the cake cool before removing it from the pan. Allow it to cool completely before adding the frosting.
• Spread the cream cheese frosting over the cooled carrot cake, and finish with a sprinkling of chopped toasted walnuts.

For the cream cheese frosting:

• Beat the softened cream cheese, softened butter, sifted powdered sugar, and lemon juice with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate the frosting for at least 20 minutes before spreading it over the cooled cake.

Notes

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 so.

 

Storing: Because this cake is topped with cream cheese frosting, leftovers should be stored covered in the refrigerator. You can freeze it in an air-tight container or freezer bag.