Gluten Free Carrot Cake (Low Carb)

Grab your fork, the perfect gluten free carrot cake is here! No one will ever think this incredible carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is actually low carb.

Looking for more delicious desserts? Check out my Devil’s Food Cake recipe!

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Low Carb Carrot Cake

Just because you want to eat healthy or are gluten free, does not mean you can’t enjoy the perfect treat ever now and then!

Now, some of you die-hard KETO dieters are probably wondering, “are carrots keto?“

The carb count on this recipe is far lower than your traditional carrot cake. However, carrots themselves are up for debate on truly “how keto” carrots really are. That said, this recipe I consider strictly low-carb and gluten-free.

This recipe came about when my mom came was in town for a visit. While she was here I asked her what her favorite dessert was; she said carrot cake was her #1 favorite dessert.

So you all know me … I set out to make the most incredible (and impressive) low-carb version of carrot cake I could for her. Admittedly, my mom is not keto, so this was a slightly selfish endeavor because I really wanted to enjoy some cake with her!

The results from a non-keto eater: She loved it! … and had 3 slices while she was here! 

Carrot Cake Ingredients

This incredibly delicious low carb carrot cake comes together with a handful of key ingredients … it might even make you question if it’s even gluten free and low carb (yes, it is that good)!

Carrot Cake:

Dry Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups almond flour, 3/4 cup Lakanto Sweetener, 1/2 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup vanilla whey protein powder, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/4 tsp salt, and 2 cups grated carrots.

Wet Ingredients: 4 large eggs, 1/4 cup butter, melted, 3 tbsp coconut milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp Pineapple extract (optional), 1 tsp Coconut extract (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Dry Ingredients: 1/2 cup powdered Lakanto Sweetener

Wet Ingredients: 5 ounces cream cheese, 2 tbsp butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup heavy cream.

Pro-Tips:
1) If your frosting is too thick and you need to thin it out, slowly add more heavy cream until you reach the consistency you are looking for!
2) If you are like my husband and LOVE frosting, double the recipe to get a nice thick layer!

How to make Gluten Free Carrot Cake

Like most cakes, gluten-free carrot cake comes together pretty easily; in less than 10 steps you will be on your way to dessert heaven.

Carrot Cake:

Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease the pans. Grease and line two 9-inch cake pans.

Combine dry ingridents. Once you have prepped the oven and the pans, grab a large bowl! In your large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, protein powder, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

Add wet ingredients. Once your dry ingredients are well incorporated, stir in the shredded carrots, eggs, melted butter, coconut milk and all the extracts until well combined.

Fill your cake pans. Now that you have made the perfect batter, transfer the it into the two cake pans, and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cake cool. Let your cake cool for 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Cream ingredients. In a medium or small sized bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter with powdered sweetener until smooth. 

Add vanilla. Once the frosting it smooth, add and beat in vanilla extract and cream until well combined and smooth. 

Frost the cake. Once the cakes have cooled, place the one layer on a plate or cake stand and frost. Then, add the second layer on top and frost again.

Pro-Tip: Although you will be tempted, DO NOT frost your cake until it has completely cooled! If you frost your cake too early, you will rip your cake.

Can this Gluten Free Carrot Cake be made Dairy Free?

Yes! If you are looking to also make this cake dairy free, instead of using melted butter, you can use more oil.

The frosting recipe can be made dairy-free too. Use dairy-free cream cheese, a butter alternative like Earth Balance, and your favorite dairy-free milk or dairy-free creamer alternative for the cream.

Cake Prep and Storage Tips!

Make-Ahead. If you are looking to prep your cake in advance, the cake layers can be baked 1 day in advance. Once your cake layers have completely cooled, wrap them in plastic and store them at room temperature. Your frosting can also be made a day in advance; store in the refrigerator, then frost the cake a few hours before serving.

Storage. In the off chance you have left overs, cover the cake and store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Freezing. If you are looking to freeze your cake, I recommend cutting the cake into slices and individually freeze each slice in an airtight freezer-safe storage container. The cake will stay good in the freezer for up to 2 months. Remove and thaw slices as desired in the refrigerator.