One of my favorite things to do is bake and decorate cakes. There is just something about a classic layer cake with rustic frosting and some flowers on top that I love. I think that’s what watching Ina Garten on Barefoot Contessa does to you!

Since I choose to eat a nutrient dense diet that is full of real, whole foods, I try to avoid a lot of desserts and sweets that are made with refined flours, refined oils and have questionable additives and dyes. That doesn’t mean that I don’t like to enjoy dessert from time to time. Holidays and birthdays are usually when I indulge in a sweet treat and I try not to stress myself out over it. Enjoying good food and time with family is what I focus on. Not obsessing over food or binging on sugary candy until I’m sick. That’s why I love that there are so many cake recipes out there that have real ingredients in them that won’t send you into a sugar coma.

Easter was the perfect opportunity to bake a carrot cake and of course I scoured the internet to find a grain free version to try. It took a while to find the perfect recipe because most grain free baked goods call for almond flour and I’ve been avoiding almonds for the past month (I’ll update you on that in a different post). But, finally, I landed on this recipe from Primal Palate.

This carrot cake is made with a combination of coconut and arrowroot flour for a soft, cakey texture. Cinnamon, ginger, and allspice give it the right amount of spice which is a match made in heaven for cream cheese frosting.

 

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Grain Free Carrot Cake

Grain free, refined sugar free and primal carrot cake. A spin on a traditional that is anything but boring! 

Recipe credit: Primal Palate

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 6 eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups carrots, grated
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease two 6 inch cake pans with parchment paper.

  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, arrowroot flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice.

  3. Add the softened butter to the bowl, and set aside.

  4. In a medium sized mixing bowl, blend together the eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract using a stand mixer or hand mixer. 

  5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix again until smooth.

  6. Fold in the grated carrots and chopped pecans.

  7. Pour the batter equally into each cake pan and smooth out the top.

  8. Place the cakes on the middle rack, in the center of the oven, and bake for 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

  9. Allow the cakes to cool for about 5 minutes before removing from the pans to cool completely.

  10. Frost the cake with cream cheese buttercream or dairy free frosting. 

Recipe Notes

** I chose to omit the pecans and used a traditional cream cheese buttercream. Use your favorite dairy free frosting recipe to make this paleo.