My favorite gluten free carrot cake recipe. Wonderfully moist carrot cake, simply spiced, and frosted with a simple yet creamy cream cheese frosting.
Do you like carrot cake all year long? Or only in the Spring?
To me, carrot cake is a classic. It’s always been my cake of choice on my birthday every year, and speaking of which… this three layer carrot cake was what I baked for my birthday a few weeks ago!
Yep, I baked my own birthday bake. When you have Celiac, you get used to baking your own cakes. I don’t mind… I get to make exactly what I want!
This carrot cake is exactly how I love carrot cake to be. Three wonderfully tender cake layers, frosted with a very simple yet creamy cream cheese frosting. It’s basically a spice cake loaded with shredded carrots, sweetened with brown sugar, and flavored with lots of cinnamon (I’m not a nutmeg and ginger person when it comes to carrot cake). You can definitely add shredded coconut or chopped nuts to your cake, but with so many allergies in our family, I always opt for a plain and simple carrot cake.
The recipe for this gluten free carrot cake is actually modified from my other carrot cake recipe that I posted a few years ago. That cake was such a hit, I wanted to make it again with just a few simple modifications. It ended up baking perfectly into three layers instead of two, and I opted for a plain cream cheese frosting instead of the orange cream cheese frosting. I also modified the baking directions a bit.
Can I Bake This in Two Layers Instead of Three?
Yes you can! This cake should bake up in two 8” cake pans just fine, but the baking time will be longer. Start checking your cakes around the 40 minute mark and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
When baked in three 8” pans, these layers turn out on the thin side. I love it that way, it means more frosting… but if it’s not your thing, go ahead and use two pans instead.
You may have extra frosting if baking only two layers. You can store leftover frosting for later use by placing it in an airtight container and into the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Can I Make This Gluten Free Three Layer Carrot Cake Into Cupcakes?
This carrot cake is fairly dense, and I while you probably could bake as cupcakes, I wouldn’t recommend it and I haven’t tested it yet.
Instead, try making my Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting! These cupcakes are light and fluffy, and will make 1 dozen cupcakes.
What’s the Best Way to Shred Carrots?
I personally use a food processor fitted with the shredding disc. It makes shredding so much quicker, and it will save you a lot of time.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can also grate your carrots by hand with a box or handheld grater. Just try to avoid the pre-shredded carrots you find in the grocery store… many tend to be too large in size/aren’t grated thin enough and won’t work well in this recipe. They are also hard and dry.
Do I Need to Use The Flour Listed in the Recipe?
I used 287g of Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free baking flour in this recipe. If you’ve ever wondered why I always list the flour I use, here’s why:
Gluten free flours are not all made the same way. They all consist of different types of flours/starches/gums and in different proportions. This means that some will be denser, some will weigh more per cup, while others might absorb more liquid.
If you’ve ever tried to simply use your own gluten free flour in a recipe you found online, and it didn’t turn out how it was suppose to, the flour you chose might be the culprit. It may have ended up gummy, maybe it fell apart, or maybe it was so dry and crumbly you threw it away.
This is why I always list the flour I use. So that you can be set up for success when baking my recipes. I also measure my flour by weight, as I found it might vary slightly depending on how I measure it that day. ALWAYS spoon flour into your cup when you measure to prevent using too much flour. When in doubt, always go by weight instead of volume.
So, if you try using a different gluten free baking flour for this recipe, I can’t guarantee it will turn out the same. You can certainly try measuring by weight, but the texture of the cake may turn out differently. Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour is the flour I’ve had the most success with, which is why I tend to bake the most with it. If you do test this recipe with a different flour, I’d love to hear how it turned out!
I really hope you enjoy this three layer gluten free carrot cake as much as my family and I did. If it becomes your next birthday cake of choice, let me know in the comments below, or tag @zestandlemons in your photo on Instagram!
Three Layer Gluten Free Carrot Cake
My favorite gluten free carrot cake recipe. Wonderfully moist carrot cake, simply spiced, and frosted with a simple yet creamy cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 2 cups (287g) Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free baking flour
- 1 ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup neutral oil
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups carrots, peeled grated (about 1 pound of carrots before grating)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
- 16oz block style plain cream cheese, cold
- 2 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
- 3 ½ - 4 cups powdered sugar
- Optional: zest of half a lemon
Instructions
Make the Cakes:
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease and flour three 8” round cake pans and line the bottoms with a circle of parchment paper for easy cake removal. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together oil, yogurt, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and eggs until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla, then set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. I like to whisk fast several times to lighten up the flour a bit, as I find it helps make a slightly fluffier cake. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix gently with a rubber spatula just until combined. Stir the the grated carrots.
- Pour the batter evenly between the three cake pans. The cake layers will be fairly thin, and you can use a ½ cup measuring cup to help you measure evenly. Bake the cakes for 26-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10-15 minutes before turning out to a parchment lined cooling rack or baking sheet. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Make the Frosting:
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until it’s fluffy and much paler in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the cold cream cheese for another minute until combined with the butter, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add in the vanilla and lemon zest (if using) and beat just until combined and smooth.
- Add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating on low speed after each addition. You can add more/less powdered sugar to reach your desired consistency.
- Once the sugar has completely mixed in, turn the mixer back up to medium-high speed and beat for about 30 seconds - 1 minute until it’s fluffy and smooth. The frosting should still be very thick. If it’s slightly loose, just place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes before frosting. If it’s too thick, you can continue to beat for another 15-20 seconds at a time or beat in 2-3 tsp of cold heavy cream.
Assemble the Cake:
- Place 1 cake layer on platter or cake stand. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with the second cake layer, another even layer of frosting, then top with remaining cake layer. Using icing spatula, spread remaining frosting over the top and across the sides of the cake.
- This cake can be prepared 1-2 days ahead of time. Cover with a cake dome and refrigerate until ready to serve. Carrot cake can be served cold or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container or covered with a cake dome.
Notes
*Flour:* I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free baking flour, which already contains xanthan gum, so I cannot guarantee that your cake will turn out the same if using a different flour mixture. Not all gluten free flour mixes absorb moisture the same way, and they all have different proportions of ingredients used. If using a gluten free all purpose flour mix, I recommend using a 1:1 mix that contains xanthan gum and measure by weight.
Always spoon and level your flour into your measuring cups! Scooping out your flour with the measuring cup can lead to using too much.
*Carrots:* Grate whole carrots at home or by using a food processor. I don’t recommend store-bought pre-shredded carrots as they aren’t usually the right size, ad can be very hard and dry.
*Frosting:* Use block style cream cheese, not the spreadable kind, to get the right frosting consistency. You can always add more/less powdered sugar or even a few teaspoons of heavy cream to achieve your desired consistency to frost with.
*Add-Ins:* I prefer my carrot cake plain. You can add some raisins or shredded coconut if desired, just stick to only about 1 cup of add-ins for this recipe.
*Two Layer Cake:* You can bake this cake in two 8” round cake pans instead of three. Your baking time will be longer, start watching and testing the cakes at around the 40 minute mark.
*Cupcakes:* This cake recipe is fairly dense and might not bake well as cupcakes. Instead, try my Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe for light and fluffy cupcakes!
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