The ultimate gluten free carrot cake is loaded with fresh carrots and topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Plus, you can even bake it into cupcakes. Make it days ahead unfrosted, wrap tightly and freeze it, and defrost early Easter morning!
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Why this is the best gluten free carrot cake recipe
This batter makes cake or cupcakes that are light and fluffy, moist and tender, and never ever oily. Cakes made with oil instead of butter can be very moist but can also become oily if the ingredients are in just the proper balance, as they are here.
Carrots are perfect for cake because, when shredded and folded into a cinnamon-sugar cake batter, they bake up sweet and tender. They give off just enough moisture to help tenderize the cake, but they don't make the cake soggy.
This recipe uses a ton of shredded carrots (3 whole cups, in fact), unlike some recipes that are carrot cake in name only. They soften during baking, but mostly hold their color and don't bleed into the rest of the cake.
Recipe ingredients
- Gluten free flour: Be sure to choose one of my recommended blends of all purpose gluten free flour, which is a blend of individual flours that together behave like wheat flour. If your blend doesn't already have xanthan gum, be sure to add it. This provides the structure for the cake.
- Baking powder/baking soda: Aid in rising and browning in the oven.
- Salt: Enhances the natural flavors of the cake and balances sweetness.
- Cinnamon: This warm spice adds depth of flavor.
- White sugar: Adds sweetness and tenderness.
- Brown sugar: Adds sweetness, tenderness and moisture to this cake.
- Eggs: Provide structure and provide a lot of rise in this moist cake.
- Oil: Makes for an even more tender cake than butter would without adding any flavor to compete with the carrots and cinnamon.
- Milk: Adds moisture and richness.
- Apple cider vinegar: Helps the cake rise by reacting with baking soda and helps tenderize the crumb. Can be replaced with regular white vinegar or fresh lemon juice.
- Carrots: Add sweetness, tenderness, and natural flavor that complements the cinnamon.
- White chocolate chips: I like just a few white chocolate chips in carrot cake since they add richness and some texture without the prominent flavor of regular chocolate chips. You can use a mixture of chopped pecans and white chocolate chips, all chips, or even chopped walnuts or raisins.
How to make gluten free carrot cake
The batter for this carrot cake is made simply and easily in one bowl. It's thick, but not at all stiff and doesn't require you to sift any dry ingredients or even melt anything at all. Here are the steps to make 2 8-inch round cakes that together we'll use to make a carrot layer cake:
Make the raw cake batter
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the gluten free flour blend (including xanthan gum), baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and granulated sugar.
- Add the brown sugar, and whisk, but be sure to break up the clumps by pressing them into the side of the mixing bowl with the back of your spoon.
- Mix in oil, 4 beaten eggs, apple cider vinegar, and some milk, all at room temperature, so everything combines well.
- Add 3 cups of peeled and grated carrots, and white chocolate chips (or whatever combination of dry mix-in ingredients you like best in carrot cake), and mix to combine.
Transfer to cake pans and bake at 350°F
- Divide the cake batter evenly among 2 greased 8-inch round cake pans, and smooth it into an even layer in each pan using a knife, spatula, or offset spatula. You can also shake the pans back and forth a bit to help the batter settle evenly.
- Bake the cakes at 350°F for about 35 minutes, rotating the pans back to front/side to side in the oven once after about 25 minutes. The cakes are done when they’re evenly brown, and starting to pull away from the sides of the pans.
- Remove the cakes from the oven, let cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto wire racks to let them cool completely.
Frost the cake with the best cream cheese frosting
It wouldn't be a classic carrot cake without the tangy sweetness of smooth and creamy cream cheese frosting. The cream cheese frosting here isn't super stiff, since to make it very stiff would require adding way too much confectioners' sugar.
When you frost the cake as a layer cake, keep in mind that the frosting is a bit softer than a classic buttercream. That means that the cake itself is more likely to peek out from the layers of frosting.
You can frost a “naked” cake by just filling in between the layers and frosting right on top. For cupcakes, try frosting them right before serving.
You can also help firm up the frosting a bit by chilling it in the refrigerator before using it to decorate your cake. I wouldn't let it chill for more than an hour, though, so it doesn't become too firm to spread.
Choosing the right gluten free flour for carrot cake
I've made this cake so many times that I've made it with Better Batter classic gluten free flour blend, Cup4Cup gluten free flour blend, and my Better Than Cup4Cup blend. They all work beautifully.
It's a relatively forgiving recipe, unlike for example our perfect gluten free vanilla cake, which is so simple that it must be made with just the right gluten free flour blend, sifted. Steer clear entirely of gf flour blends with very gritty rice flour, like Bob's Red Mill, but you might even be able to make this cake successfully with King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure.
As always, please consult our comprehensive guide to all purpose gluten free flour blends, which is linked in every recipe, like this one, that calls for an all purpose gluten free flour blend.
Can I use almond flour for this gluten free carrot cake recipe? Coconut flour? Oat flour?
I'm afraid this cake can't be made without a rice flour-based all purpose gluten free flour, no. You'd need a completely different recipe. Our superfood muffins come close!
Recommended pans for this recipe
This recipe is designed to be made either in 2 8-inch round cake pans, or the standard wells of a 12-cup muffin tin. I always recommend baking in cast aluminum, which conducts heat well but not too well, and is light in color so it doesn't burn the outside by attracting too much heat in the oven.
Since the recipe calls for 4 eggs, you can easily cut the ingredients in half, right down the middle, and make either 1 cake or just 12 cupcakes. The cupcakes do freeze really well, though, if you make the whole recipe but don't have a need for all 24.
If your pan is 9-inches in diameter, rather than 8-inches, it will make shorter cakes that bake faster. Begin checking at 25 minutes.
Keep in mind that there's no truly standard size well in a “standard” 12-cup muffin tin. So you may get more or fewer cupcakes than the recipe states.
Recipe tips & tricks
Measuring just the right amount of gluten free flour
Always measure your dry ingredients, especially your gluten free flour blend, by weight, not volume. It's impossible to avoid human error when measuring by volume, no matter your level of baking experience.
Use a food processor to quickly grate your carrots
You should always grate your carrots fresh, rather than used a prepared bag of grated carrots, for carrot cake. The prepared grated carrots are almost always quite thick, and they're too dry.
That doesn't mean you necessarily have to grate your carrots by hand, though, on a box grater. Try making quick work of the job by grating them in your food processor with the grater plate or blade.
If you'd like to try some mix-ins
There are so many options for mix-ins in your carrot cake. In this recipe, there's a total of about 5 or 6 ounces of mix-ins.
You can use any combination of dry mix-ins that hold their shape in your cake. Here are some suggestions:
- Soft nuts, like pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped
- Raisins (I like white raisins here, but Thompson seedless raisins are also an excellent choice)
- White, dark, or milk chocolate chips
If you'd like to mix pineapple into your carrot cake, you'll get nothing but encouragement from me—but you'll need our Entenmann's style gluten free carrot pineapple cake recipe. Don't try adding pineapple to this recipe, as it adds a ton of moisture and needs its own recipe.
Use parchment paper to keep your cake from sticking
Whether you're using nonstick round cake pans or muffin tins or not, it's a good idea to line your pan with a round of parchment paper, or to line your muffin tins with greaseproof liners.
Lining your pans helps the cake and cupcakes release from the pan, and also helps them bake more evenly, too.
How to test the cake for doneness
Since this is a really moist cake, you may find that using a toothpick or other cake tester to determine if there is still any wet batter in your cake isn't that reliable. I prefer to wait until the cake is uniformly light brown on top, and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Popular ingredient substitution suggestions
Dairy free cake
Making carrot cake with oil instead of butter makes these carrot cake cupcakes quite easy to convert to dairy free as well as gluten free. Just use a nondairy milk, like almond milk.
You can either replace the white chocolate chips with more nuts, make your own vegan white chocolate and chop it up, or use nondairy semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Dairy free frosting
I've successfully made cream cheese-style frosting dairy free by using 4 ounces Daiya nondairy cream cheese, 8 tablespoons (96 g) nonhydrogenated shortening, and 6 tablespoons (84 g) Earth Balance nondairy butter in place of the butter and cream cheese.
I find that nondairy cream cheese has a strong taste that can become unpleasant if used in large amounts, so I don't use a whole 8 ounces of it in place of 8 ounces of conventional cream cheese.
An easy gluten free dairy free alternative to making your own frosting is to buy a can of Pillsbury brand cream cheese frosting. It's gluten free, and contains no dairy ingredients (but does contain soy).
Egg free?
I don't believe that this recipe can be made egg-free, I'm afraid. It just calls for too many eggs. Sorry!
Nut free
Just use 2 more ounces of the white chocolate chips in place of the chopped pecans, and eliminate the pecans as decoration. Easy!
Storage instructions
If you don't plan to serve this gf carrot cake right away, I recommend wrapping the unfrosted cake layers tightly in freezer-safe wrap and freezing them. Defrost them at room temperature before frosting and serving.
If you have already frosted the cake and have any slices leftover, it will still freeze really well. Just wrap each slice tightly in freezer safe wrap, then freeze. Defrost at room temperature.
FAQs
No! Unless you're using a gluten free carrot cake recipe like this one, you should never assume that carrot cake is gluten free.
Yes, but you must reduce the amount of flour called for in the recipe by 1/4 cup (36 grams), for a total of 2 cups (280 grams). Although it's often assumed that a recipe for a cake can be used to make cupcakes, and vice versa, it isn't always the case. Since each cupcake is its own portion, there's a much larger surface area that is exposed to the heat of the oven.
If you use only 2 cups of flour to make the cake, like you do for cupcakes, the cake is too fragile. It tastes great, but the cake will crack when you frost and layer it. Adding 1/4 cup more flour to the recipe before baking it as a layer cake was the perfect fix.
Given the choice, I generally prefer to make cupcakes rather than a full cake. Cupcakes are easier to store, easier to force just a few on friends and neighbors (and my husband's coworkers), and easier to have on hand at a moment's notice (birthday in school tomorrow!).
As described above, you can make the carrot cake layers even weeks ahead of time by wrapping them tightly and freezing them. Defrost in the refrigerator before frosting and serving.
The cake is moist enough, in fact, that you can even store it at room temperature, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, up to 1 whole day in advance. Don't refrigerate it, though, as the refrigerator tends to dry out baked goods.
The frosting can also be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for a few days. It will be solid, though, once fully chilled, so you'll need to let it warm up for about an hour, and then mix it again with your mixer until you reach the proper consistency for spreading or piping it.
You can definitely assemble the dry ingredients, up to and including the brown sugar, whisk them together, and store them in a sealed container. I would store them at room temperature, though, in a dark pantry, since the refrigerator will cause the brown sugar to clump.
You can absolutely leave out the nuts entirely. I recommend replacing them with more chocolate chips, but you can probably replace them with any other sort of ingredient that fills space and doesn't blend into the batter, like raisins or other dried fruit.
If your cake is crumbly, you may have overmeasured your gluten free flour blend, or used a blend with a gritty rice flour. Pay careful attention to your flour blend, and to measuring everything possible by weight, not volume, as volume measurements for dry ingredients are unreliable because human error in measurement is unavoidable. Plus, dry ingredient measures like cups and half-cups have no universal standard, so your cup may not be quite the same as mine. Weight is consistent, and always reliable.
Gluten Free Carrot Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 ¼ cups (315 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I like Cup4Cup here best; Better Batter also works well; click thru for appropriate blends) (See Recipe Notes re: cupcakes)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (112 g) neutral oil (like sunflower or grapeseed oil)
- 4 (200 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) milk at room temperature
- ½ cup (55 g) chopped pecans plus more for decorating (optional)
- ½ cup (3 ounces) white chocolate chips (See Recipe Notes if omitting pecans)
- 3 cups (270 g) peeled and grated carrots (from about 3 large carrots)
For the cream cheese frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups (460 g) confectioners’ sugar plus more as necessary
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round baking pans and set them aside. If making cupcakes, grease or line two standard 12-cup muffin tins, and set them aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and granulated sugar. Whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar, and whisk again to combine, working to break up any lumps in the brown sugar.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the oil, eggs, vinegar, and milk, and mix to combine. Add the (optional) pecans and white chocolate chips, and mix until evenly distributed throughout.
- Add the grated carrots to the mixture, and stir until evenly distributed throughout the batter. The batter will be thick, but relatively soft.
To make a cake.
- Divide the batter evenly among the two prepared baking pans, and spread into an even layer in each.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the cake is uniformly light brown on top, and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan rotating the pans once during baking (35 to 40 minutes).
- Remove the pans from the oven from the oven and allow the cakes to cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make cupcakes.
- Fill the wells of the prepared muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full with batter, and shake the pan back and forth to distribute the batter evenly in each well.
- One at a time, place the muffin tins in the center of the preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out with no more than a few moist crumbs attached (about 20 minutes).
- Remove the tin from the oven from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining muffin tin.
Make the frosting.
- While the cakes or cupcakes are cooling, in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a handheld mixer), place the cream cheese and butter.
- Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the salt, and 3 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Mix on low speed until the sugar is absorbed. Turn the mixer to high speed and beat until the frosting is thickened and fluffy.
- Add more confectioners’ sugar as necessary to thicken the frosting enough to hold its shape when scooped with a spoon.
To frost a layer cake.
- Turn one of the cooled cakes, top down, onto a serving platter. Spoon about half of the frosting onto the top of the cake and spread into an even layer.
- Top with the second cake, top-down and press to adhere. Spread the remaining frosting on top of the cake and top with more chopped pecans, if desired. To make the cake easier to slice, chill for about an hour in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.
To frost cupcakes.
- Spoon or pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.
Notes
- Reduce the flour blend by 1/4 cup (35 g) to 2 cups (280 g). The rest of the recipe remains the same.
- You may want to halve the frosting recipe, as you need less frosting. Unless you really want to pile it on (which I heartily recommend).
If you're not using pecans in the cake, use double the amount of white chocolate chips, raising the amount to 6 ounces. Nutritional information is an estimate per slice of layer cake with frosting, assuming the cake is sliced into 8 equal slices. It is created using an online nutritional calculator as a courtesy and should not be relied upon.
Nutrition
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Holly says
Nicole, how do you store this when you make the cake not cupcakes? According to America’s Test Kitchen cream cheese frosting should be refrigerated after two hours. I know from experience gluten-free cakes really dry out from being refrigerated. So I feel it’s a catch 22 with it being gluten free but with the cream cheese frosting. Help! Thanks in advance.
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Holly, if you make my recipes with the ingredients I specify, including xanthan gum in your flour blend, the cakes won’t dry out any more quickly than a conventional cake. And I don’t generally recommend refrigerating, but rather freezing, as the refrigerator is drying—and it has nothing to do with the fact that the baked goods are gluten free. If you plan to make this cake far ahead of time, I’d recommend wrapping the individual baked cake layers tightly and freezing them, then defrosting at room temperature, and frosting before serving. Dairy doesn’t spoil nearly as quickly as 2 hours, and it doesn’t keep spoilage secret. Dairy that has spoiled will smell spoiled.
Geneviève says
Put it in your microwave without starting it.
Denise M. Mares says
Hi Nicole,
I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and we are high altitude at over 7000. I printed the recipe for carrot cake, but is there an adjustment that I need to make for the cake because of our altitude? Any help is appreciated.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid I don’t know, Denise, since I don’t live at high altitude and can’t replicate the condition. I recommend you make whatever adjustments you would normally make for high altitude. There isn’t anything peculiar about my gluten free recipes that should cause them to behave differently!
Denise M. Mares says
Thank you Nicole I will make it with high altitude adjustments and let you know how it comes out.
Holly says
What can I substitute for the white chocolate chips? Or are they even necessary?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Holly, please see the ingredients and substitutions section! I cover that in there.
William says
Can you keep the frosting in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days?
Nicole Hunn says
Definitely, William. You’ll need to let it warm up a bit at room temperature before you can use it, though.
wanda says
The cupcakes were excellent. Great flavor, great texture. Everyone, even the gluten consumers loved them.
Norma Dowd says
These turned out so good! Thank you
Julie Simmons says
I made these today — yummy! Even the non-GF folks enjoyed these.
Leticia says
Does anyone know how this recipe compares to the Aug. 31 cupcake recipe post ?
gfshoestring says
Leticia, there is a recipe for pumpkin carrot cupcakes on the blog, but these are simply carrot cupcakes. No pumpkin. The recipes are substantially different, but feel free to use whichever you prefer.
Nicole
Carrie says
Do they freeze well with the icing or best to make the icing as you need? Thanks!! Btw what’s the release date for your new cookbook?? Can’t wait to get my hands on it!!!
gfshoestring says
Hi, Carrie,
I would definitely recommend freezing them before frosting them, then making the frosting soon before you serve them.
I just found out that the new book should have a release date right before Thanksgiving! That is a really nice surprise for me, since the original estimate was into December! Thanks so much for your enthusiasm!
xoxo Nicole
Hannah says
Do you have advice on storing cupcakes in the freezer? I have not had great luck with retaining good flavor after they thaw.
gfshoestring says
Hi, Hannah, It is all about sealing them in an airtight container. If you leave any air in the container, they will get freezer-burn. And only freeze and defrost once!
xoxo Nicole
Jenny says
These look wonderful! Can I leave out the macadamias? I am allergic to nuts!
gfshoestring says
Hi, Jenny,
If you want to leave out the nuts, you’ll need something else to take its place. Raisins or another small, dried fruit would work if substituted in equal amount by weight.
Nicole
Susan says
Nicole, do you think these would work using the same amount of butter instead of oil?
gfshoestring says
I haven’t tested the recipe with any substitutions, Susan. Butter contains water, and oil is only fat, so they are not generally 1:1 substitutions. Feel free to experiment!
Nicole
Debi Stangeland says
I’m totally making these for our family dinner tonight! Thank you!!!!
gfshoestring says
Pleasure, Debi. :)
xoxo Nicole
Amber says
What would you recommend to make this tree-nut free?
gfshoestring says
Hi, Amber,
If you want to leave out the nuts, you’ll need something else to take its place. Raisins or another small, dried fruit would work if substituted in equal amount by weight.
Nicole
Jennifer S says
Yes. I am compelled to have GF cupcakes in the freezer at all times. You never know when there is going to be a class treat or a birthday party pop up. I need to make some tomorrow to replenish our stash.
I do have a question for you as I’m having some issues with the cupcakes and cakes. I’ve noticed that they puff up really nicely in the oven and then I take them out and they fall. What is happening here? Any advice you have will be greatly appreciated!
gfshoestring says
Hey, Jennifer, that is usually caused by a too-hot oven. It happens with bread, too. It activates the leavening agents quickly, and creates a baked-looking outside, but there isn’t enough structure inside to support the cupcake as it cools. You are better off with a low and slow approach to baking cupcakes, and make sure you are using your oven thermometer. Most ovens run quite hot (mine is 50°F over temp).
Nicole
Jennifer S. says
I do have an oven thermometer but keep it on the rack under the rack I bake on. Maybe that is the problem. But then I find if I put on the rack I’m baking on it always gets pushed around and sometimes falls when I put the pan/pans in. Oh the problems we have!! :) Thanks for the advice!
gfshoestring says
Every oven has “hot spots,” Jennifer. If you place your oven thermometer in one spot and bake in another, the reading isn’t accurate. I’d check that. If all else fails, try just lowering the oven temp and bake low and slow.
Nicole
Melody White Erez says
On behalf of my dairy intolerant, gluten free husband who loves carrot cake, I thank you! I was going to pin this as soon as I saw it, and then realized that the category “great art” which it defaulted to first, might actually be appropriate! : ) Thanks! I love your humor and your great ideas on this site.
gfshoestring says
You are very welcome, Melody! The cream cheese frosting can definitely be made with a dairy-free cream cheese substitute, I’m sure, but the cupcake itself is in fact all ready for your husband indeed!
xoxo Nicole