Yay!! I am so excited for this awesome Gluten-free Carrot Cake with a Vegan Buttercream Frosting!! It is the perfect cake really at any time but could be eaten on Easter, which is the reason why I am providing it to you just in time 😉🐰.
I love a good carrot cake and they were one of my favorite cakes when I lived in the UK. It certainly was the one cake I would always get – next to possibly a Lemon Drizzle Cake. So I had the idea that I wanted to create a version for us and the blog that is entirely gluten-free. Off I was into the kitchen to get recipe testing. After quite a few carrot cakes that we have consumed in the last few weeks, I am so happy with the final results. In this instance, both when eaten and how the pictures turned out 😂.
For the frosting, I first experienced with coconut oil in order to get it to firm up, but I was not keen on the overwhelming coconutty taste. Do not get me wrong, I love coconut, but not in my carrot cake. Then I found my new, trusted friend “locust bean gum”. If you have not come across this one before, it is a fine powder, similar in its qualities to agar agar or gelatine. But, it is completely vegan, gluten-free, and renders a slightly creamier consistency than either of the two mentioned ones. In short, it is awesome for a Vegan Buttercream Cheese Filling and it totally did the trick! Creamy, but not too creamy. Thick but spreadable. I also made a lot of frosting for this recipe because the one consistent feedback was “more frosting” 🤣🥰.
Why is this Gluten-free Carrot Cake with a Vegan Buttercream Frosting good for you?
Carrots
Give that this is a Gluten-free Carrot Cake recipe, it feels appropriate to start with Carrots 😉. Carrots come in a range of different colors, but predominantly, we tend to get the orange variety. Carrots are most known for both their high vitamin A and K content, along with their excellent antioxidant properties. Probably the most predominant antioxidant found in (orange) carrots is carotenoids. This type of antioxidant has been linked to a reduced risk for certain types of cancer. It also protects your eyes from age-related degeneration. There is also research that indicates that daily intake of Carrots can significantly lower your risk for cardiovascular diseases. Fun fact – have you ever noticed that when you peel a carrot there is a whiteish layer forming? This layer appears to be at the same time a sign of dehydration of the carrot, as well as a protection mechanism against outer circumstances. If you submerge the Carrot in water, it will simply re-hydrate and that whitish-looking layer goes away.
Walnuts
Walnuts belong to the tree nut family that, amongst others, also includes Brazil nuts, cashews, and hazelnuts. They are high in omega 3 fatty acids, as well as both copper and manganese. Walnuts have both strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which may protect against certain types of cancer. These nuts are awesome for your heart health through a combination of a few different factors. They lower your “bad” cholesterol levels, along with also lowering your total cholesterol levels. At the same time, they decrease inflammation and potential risks of excessive blood clotting. There is also a special type of Vitamin E found in Walnuts that appears to protect men specifically against heart problems. In addition, Walnuts also have a positive effect on our blood pressure levels. This effect is mainly linked to the minerals potassium, calcium, and magnesium that can be found in Walnuts.
Eggs
I am an absolute fan of eggs! They are not only delicious, but they also provide you with high-quality protein, along with quite an additional range of vitamins and minerals. Eggs contain vitamin A, D, K, E, along with all of the B-Vitamins. They are also high in selenium, iodine, phosphorus, calcium, and zink. The nutrients found in eggs are evenly distributed across both the egg yolk and the egg white. This is a pretty common characteristic for a “whole-food” food. It also means that in order to amp up the full benefits of eggs – you should be sure to consume the entire thing.
There have been many, many years where eggs were given a bad rep for their cholesterol levels. Recent research shows that eggs do not adversely appear to affect your risk of heart attacks or stroke when you consume between 1 – 6 eggs a week unless you fall into a “risk category”. The risk category in this research were people with type 2 diabetes who had heart problems associated with egg intake. Eggs appear to be raising your “good” cholesterol levels whilst also improving the molecule’s composition, and allowing them to function more optimally. So unless you know your hyper-respond to eggs, please start enjoying them (if it fits into your dietary lifestyle, of course).
How can I adjust this Gluten-free Carrot Cake with a Vegan Buttercream Frosting to my dietary requirements?
The Carrot Cake is both gluten-free and refined sugar-free, and entirely vegetarian. The Vegan Buttercream Frosting is entirely vegan (but be aware that the cake is not as it contains eggs). Unfortunately, due to the grains and nuts being used this recipe it is neither suitable for the paleo lifestyle and also not nut-free.
And there you have it for this week. A beautiful, delicious cake that I hope you will fall as much in love with as we did over here 🥰. Thank you for the initial recipe inspiration from Joy of Baking’s Carrot Cake. If you love carrots as much as I do, be sure to try my Carrot Cake Overnight Oats (no baking required 😉) or my Baked Carrots with a Curry Dip. As always, I love to hear your feedback on the recipe! Leave me a comment below, rate the recipe, or chat with me over on Instagram. Happy Baking 🥕🍰!!
Gluten-free Carrot Cake with a Vegan Buttercream Frosting
Course: Cake, dessertCuisine: Gluten-free bakingDifficulty: Medium12
servings25
minutes30
minutesThis Gluten-free Carrot Cake with a Vegan Buttercream Frosting is so easy, delicious, and healthy! Enjoy this delicious treat!
Ingredients
- For the Vegan Buttercream Frosting
1 cup 1 (160 gr.) cashews, soaked for 6 – 8 hours or 2 in boiling water
¾ cup ¾ (180 gr.) coconut yogurt
2 2 lemons, both juice, and zest
¼ cup ¼ (60 ml.) non-dairy milk
2 tbsp 2 maple syrup
1 tsp 1 carob bean gum (also called locust bean gum)
- Wet ingredients for the Gluten-free Carrot Cake
3/4 cup 3/4 (ca. 110 gr.) coconut sugar
¼ cup ¼ (60 ml.) maple syrup
4 4 eggs
½ cup ½ (120 ml.) olive oil
½ cup ½ (120 ml.) pineapple juice
- Dry ingredients for the Gluten-free Carrot Cake
2 cups 2 (270 gr.) sorghum flour
2 tsp 2 baking powder
1 + ½ tsp 1 + ½ cinnamon
1 cup 1 (ca. 100 gr.) walnuts
340 gr. 340 of carrots
- Additional ingredients
Oil of choice for greasing the baking forms
How to
- For the Vegan Buttercream Frosting
- Start by soaking the cashews for 6 – 8 hours. You could also cover them with boiling water, which will reduce the soaking time to 2 about 2 hours
- Once the cashews are soaked, add to a high-speed blender, along with the coconut yogurt, lemon zest and juice, non-dairy milk, maple syrup, and carob bean gum. Blend on high until super smooth. Put into the fridge or freezer for a short while in order to firm up
- Start by preparing two small, 9 inches (or 22 cm) baking forms by laying parchment paper on the bottom and greasing the sides with a tiny bit of oil of choice (I used coconut oil for the convenience factor). Set aside
- For the Gluten-free Carrot Cake
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees (350 Fahrenheit) on top and bottom heat. Put the walnuts into a small oven-proof baking dish and put them into the oven whilst the oven is heating up for about 10 – 12 minutes, or until the walnut start to smell fragrant. When done, set aside whilst you are continuing with preparing the rest of the cake
- In a small blender or coffee grinder, blend the coconut sugar (this is so that the consistency is smooth as I sometimes find it can be a tad grainy). Add all the other wet ingredients, along with the coconut sugar, to a bowl and mix either with a spatula or a mixer
- Add the sorghum flour, baking powder, and cinnamon and mix well. You will find the cake batter still to be very wet
- Wash the carrots and peel them (if desired, we buy organic carrots and I do not bother peeling them). Grate them on a fine setting (tip: I used my food processer for the grinding process). Last, chop the now-roasted walnuts. You can either do this by hand or by pulsing it a few times with your food processor as well. Add the grated carrots and walnut to the cake batter and mix well. You will find the batter to be a lot less wet now
- Fill in the prepared baking dishes evenly and pop into the oven for 30 minutes or until golden at the top and a toothpick coming out clean when being inserted. Take out of the oven and let cool completely
- When cooled and the frosting thickened, simply assemble by starting with one layer, adding loads of frosting on top before adding the second layer, and covering that in the frosting as well. You can decorate the cake with Walnuts, grated carrots, or whatever else you desire or you leave it simple. Enjoy this delicious Gluten-free Carrot Cake with a Buttercream Frosting!!
