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Paleo Carrot Cake with Almond Flour Recipe
5 from 22 votes

Paleo Carrot Cake with Almond Flour Recipe

This Paleo Carrot Cake combines almond flour, grated carrots, and warming spices like cinnamon and cardamom, bound with eggs and sweetened with coconut sugar. It yields a dense, moist cake that can be topped with a vegan cream cheese frosting made from plant-based butter, vegan cream cheese, maple syrup, and citrus juice for added tang.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 40 mins
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 402 kcal
Course: Dessert, Cake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For The Almond Flour Carrot Cake:
  • ¼ cup coconut oil plus 1 teaspoon for greasing the pan, melted + cooled
  • 1 ½ cups almond flour
  • 3 Tbsp Flaxseed aka flax meal, ground
  • 1 tsp baking powder Or Mix 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda with 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar for paleo version
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt or fine sea salt
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp ground cardamom
  • 3 egg at room temperature, large
  • ½ cup coconut sugar plus 2 tablespoons (total of 125 g)
  • 1 teaspoon orange juice freshly squeezed - optional
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 oz carrot about 2 large, scrubbed, grated on the smallest holes of a box grater (1 ¼ cups packed
  • ¼ cup pineapple diced fresh, optional
  • ¼ cup walnuts chopped
  • ¼ cup raisins or golden raisins
  • ¼ cup coconut shredded unsweetened, optional
For The Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • 2 Tablespoons vegan butter unsalted, cool room temperature
  • ½ cup vegan cream cheese cool room temperature
  • 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • lemon juice about ½ teaspoon, squeeze of
  • orange juice about ½ teaspoon, squeeze of

Instructions

To Make The Paleo Carrot Cake:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Grease an 8 or 9-inch cake pan with 1 teaspoon coconut oil and line the bottom with parchment paperIn a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, ground flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, remaining coconut oil, coconut sugar, orange juice and vanilla until well combined, silky smooth and emulsified.Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the walnuts, raisins and coconut (if using).Fold in the carrots, pineapple (if using), and walnuts.
  3. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 1 hour (8-inch) or 50-55 minutes (9-inch), or until lightly brown, a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the center springs back to the touch.
  4. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then gently remove from the pan, discard the parchment paper and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Top with the frosting.
To Make The Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting:
  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment or with a large bowl and hand held mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until very smooth, about 2 minutes.
  2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add maple syrup, vanilla extract, and lemon/orange juice.
  3. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through.
  4. If needed, chill for 10 minutes in the fridge to stiffen slightly to spreadable consistency.

Notes

  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week; freeze after four days to prevent drying out.
  • For muffins or cupcakes, divide batter into a lined 12-cup tin and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350°F.
  • Alternative dairy frosting options include maple cream cheese frosting if dairy is acceptable.
  • Use either baking powder or a paleo mix of baking soda and cream of tartar as leavening agents depending on dietary preference.

Nutrition Information

Calories 402kcal (20%) Carbohydrates 29g (10%) Protein 9g (18%) Fat 31g (48%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Cholesterol 61mg (20%) Sodium 460mg (19%) Potassium 187mg (4%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 14g (28%) Vitamin A 3775IU (76%) Vitamin C 4mg (4%) Calcium 112mg (11%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8 slices

Amount Per Serving

Calories 402

% Daily Value*

Calories 402kcal 20%
Carbohydrates 29g 10%
Protein 9g 18%
Fat 31g 48%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 61mg 20%
Sodium 460mg 19%
Potassium 187mg 4%
Fiber 6g 24%
Sugar 14g 28%
Vitamin A 3775IU 76%
Vitamin C 4mg 4%
Calcium 112mg 11%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.