Gluten Free Carrot Cake

If there’s one cake I’m always gazing at enviously in the coffee shop cabinet, it’s gluten free carrot cake.

So I was really excited to finally nail a recipe for not only a gluten free carrot cake, but a dairy free carrot cake too!

I first posted this in October 2017, but I decided to make it again and re-photograph it now in 2021.

Four years later and I can confirm it is still one of my favourite gluten free cakes!

Carrot cake is always the sweet treat I jealously watch my friends eat when we meet for coffee, and wish it was gluten free.

So I was pleased when, after I made my gluten free millionaire’s shortbread last week, I asked what people wanted next – and gluten free carrot cake was one of the options.

I was initially going to make this just a gluten free carrot cake, but after realising the recipe would be dairy free anyway, it seemed only right to make a dairy free cream cheese frosting to go on top.

I haven’t experimented much with dairy free cheese, but I know a lot of my readers cannot eat dairy and I was really pleased with how this turned out.

The best gluten free carrot cake recipe

I wanted to include walnuts in my gluten free carrot cake, to add a bit of a crunch to the texture, but you could substitute these for pecans if you prefer.

Personally, pecans are my favourite nut, but I love the woody flavour the walnuts bring to this recipe.

I’ve also tested it with a combinations of pecans and walnuts and it was absolutely delicious.

Paired with the flecks of vibrant orange carrot, it makes this gluten free carrot cake a delight to look at, as well as devour!

Using oil in the cake mixture makes it a dairy free carrot cake, and also ensures the sponge stays nice and moist.

Often gluten free cakes can be dry and crumbly, but not this one!

Is there fruit in carrot cake?

My next dilemma was dried fruit – to add it, or not?

I have previously seen some carrot cakes with sultanas or raisins, and some without, and a quick Google search didn’t really help me come to a conclusion.

So I took to Twitter for an answer. It was a close call, but it seemed most people preferred the ‘no dried fruit’ option in a gluten free carrot cake.

If you really wanted, you could add a handful of dried fruit to this recipe.

But on reflection, I was pleased with my decision to omit it – I think it has a nice enough texture with the nuts and carrot flecks alone.

Adding too much fruit might cause it to crumble, which would ruin the texture!

What ingredients do you need for carrot cake?

There’s a printable recipe card below with the method, but for the shopping list you’ll need:

• 250ml sunflower oil
• 4 large eggs
• 225g light brown sugar
• 200g carrots, coarsely grated
• 300g gluten free plain white flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 80 g walnuts, chopped or ground into chunks in a pestle and mortar

The use of sunflower oil makes this dairy free – you can also use vegetable oil which works just as well.

The spices give a lovely delicate flavour which is warming but not overpowering.

I have used both the FREEE and Asda plain gluten free flours to make this cake before and they both work well.

If you’re in the US, you’ll want to use an All Purpose Gluten Free Flour with no raising agents.

The best dairy free cream cheese frosting

Making dairy free cream cheese frosting is actually really simple and it tastes just as good as the real deal!

To make the cream cheese frosting for this cake I used:

• 220g dairy free cream cheese (I used a combination of Violife and Sainsbury’s)
• 50g dairy free spread (I used Flora)
• 55g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

If you’re not dairy free, you can use a normal full fat cream cheese and unsalted butter.

Just use these in the same quantities and it will work just as well.

Making my gluten and dairy free carrot cake

I created this gluten and dairy free carrot cake as a traditional sandwich cake.

I used two 20cm tins for the sponge and made enough cream cheese frosting for a thick layer in the middle and on top.

However, you could make this recipe with one-and-a-half-times the measurements for the icing, and you’d be able to coat it completely.

Because you’re using dairy free spread in place of butter, the icing can be a bit soft, so once coated it helps to put the cake in the fridge for half an hour-or-so, to firm it up a little.

If you’re not dairy free, then you could substitute the spread for unsalted butter, and use normal, full-fat cream cheese instead.

I was so pleased with how this gluten free carrot cake turned out, and it’s super simple to make.

It would be perfect for a coffee morning, or paired with a nice cuppa for afternoon tea.

It’s definitely one to share with your friends and family, so get baking and share the love.

My gluten free carrot cake recipe

So whether you’re looking for a gluten free, or a gluten and dairy free carrot cake recipe, this is for you.

It’s a really simple method to follow and you’ll be blown away by the dreamy frosting!

And if you like this, you can also make my gluten free carrot cake cupcakes too!

This recipe makes a 20cm, two-tier for sharing, perfect as a gluten free birthday or celebration cake.

I’ve also got a handy video tutorial here to help guide you through the process:

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!

And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me. 

Need some more gluten and dairy free baking inspiration?

Want to have a go at some of the other gluten free baking recipes on the blog?

Give some of these other gluten free bakes a try and see what you think!

There are plenty to choose from – here are a couple of easy baking ideas to get you going:

• Vegan and gluten free tea loaf
• Focaccia bread
• Banana and chocolate loaf cake

If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram. 

And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!

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