Dreamiest Carrot Cake
Who DOESN'T love carrot cake? The spices, the textures, the perfect landscape for cream cheese frosting...how can it get better? I'll tell you: when it's HEALTHY! This carrot cake is so easy, full of nutrition and insanely delicious!
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 2 cups chickpea/garbanzo bean flour
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg scant
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
WET INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups pre-grated/shredded carrots packed
- 8 oz container crushed pineapple in juice NOT syrup
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup raisins optional
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 16 ounces full fat cream cheese
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup unsalted room temperature butter 1 stick
Instructions
CAKE INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with nonstick parchment paper. Spray a 10” deep quiche pan (ideally with removable bottom) with oil spray or grease with a thin layer of oil or butter. Add walnuts to baking sheet and roast for 10-12 minutes, or until fragrant and slightly darker in color. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients except coconut. Add grated carrots to a blender and pulse until they are broken into tiny bits but not pureed. Add to a medium mixing bowl, along with remaining wet ingredients. Whisk to thoroughly combine, then add to dry ingredients. Roughly chop walnuts and add 3/4 cup to the batter, along with shredded coconut.
- Add batter to pan and spread in an even layer. Bake for 33-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean with still with some “goo” on it. Allow to cool at least 1 hour before removing from pan and slicing in two discs. I suggest using a large sharp knife and pushing it into the center of the cake (from the side), then gently, moving the knife in a circle. Then I suggest grabbing a thin flat cutting board or plate and pushing the top half onto it. Set halves aside to cool another 30 minutes before frosting.
FROSTING INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer or in a mixing bowl, if using a hand held mixer. Start on the lowest setting and mix until ingredients are mostly incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until soft and fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Set aside until cake is ready for frosting. I don’t suggest refrigerating, or it will harden the frosting and make it difficult to spread.
