THE BEST GLUTEN-FREE CARROT CAKE
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THE BEST GLUTEN-FREE CARROT CAKE
When my friend Candis told me years ago that her favorite cake was carrot cake and that she was at the time, gluten-free, I searched high and low for the perfect gluten-free carrot cake to make for her birthday. After reading tons of reviews on a handful of recipes, I decided to use this recipe taken from The Spruce Eats.
Initially, I was taken aback by how much olive oil went into the recipe and was concerned that it might have an olive oil taste. However, this recipe uses light olive oil, mainly used for baking and it turned out amazingly moist! The only thing I tweaked was the recipe called for two cups of granulated sugar and I used one cup of sugar and one cup of brown sugar.
THE HISTORY OF CARROT CAKE
If you’ve read my blog for a minute, you know by now, that the origins of any dish are extremely hard to date back. One can only put pieces together and conjecture. Carrot cake is believed to have originated from a Middle Age savory carrot pudding.
The Annals of the Caliphs’ Kitchens is the earliest known cookbook in Arabic and T’Khabis al-jazar to describe carrot pudding, which was made from carrots, honey, and nut oils. Similar carrot puddings were made in Western Europe later but were made into a cake and eaten as a dessert.
In 1827, carrot cake appeared for the first time in a French cookbook. During WWII, England was forced to ration sugar. The government started promoting carrots as a substitute to use in cakes and puddings. A recipe for Dr. Carrot’s Health Cake was published in the British Ministry of Food’s “War Cookery Leaflet No. 4” and is still available today. That recipe did not contain cream cheese frosting that we know today.
It wasn’t until the 60s that carrot cake was frosted with cream cheese icing. The delicious dessert became an instant hit stateside and now it is ubiquitous with Holidays like Easter and Thanksgiving.
Ingredients for Gluten-free Carrot Cake
THE RECIPE
Just because you can’t have gluten, doesn’t mean you have to miss out on your favorite desserts. Spring is normally associated with carrot cake, but I say have this all year round. I make this for Thanksgiving dinner as well. Your guests will truly wonder if this is truly gluten-free.
Using light olive oil is the key to making this cake moist and airy. You can also use any nuts you want. I use walnuts here but feel free to replace them with pecans or even almonds. I did not put raisins in this, but you can certainly add them if you like. You can even experiment with pineapples and coconut.
Wash and peel your carrots before grating. I do recommend grating your own, but if you are short on time, pre-grated will work fine too. A food processor or food chopper is the ideal equipment to use. If you do not have either, use a grater like this one.
I highly recommend Bob’s Gluten-Free flour as it is the best. Really, anything from Bob’s is great. To ensure your cake is airy, make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. You can also use cupcake pans, but adjust baking time to 30-25 minutes. This cake also freezes well and can be made in advance. Just take it out on the day you serve, let it defrost, and add frosting.
The cream cheese buttercream frosting is the perfect mix of tangy and sweetness. This is a pretty stiff frosting, so if you want to thin it out, add a bit of milk or heavy whipping cream. Below is the recipe for the best gluten-free carrot cake.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
The Cake
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups light olive oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups carrots, grated
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened (113g)
8 oz cream cheese, softened (226g)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups powdered sugar (500g)
THE CAKE
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Step 2:
Lightly grease two round 9-inch cake pans and place a circle of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. A 13-inch sheet cake pan can also be used or 36 cupcake pan.
Step 3:
In a stand mixer, cream the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy.
Step 4:
Add oil and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
Add oil and vanilla extract
Step 5:
In a separate bowl, combine gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk to combine.
Mix dry ingredients
Step 6:
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat just until blended. Do not overmix.
Stir in grated carrots and walnuts
Step 7:
With a spatula or wooden spoon, stir in grated carrots and nuts. Pour the batter into prepared pans.
Ready for the oven
Step 8:
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. For cupcakes, reduce baking time to 30-35 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. Cool on a wire rack.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Step 1:
Combine butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until creamy, well-combined, and lump-free.
Step 2:
Add vanilla extract and salt and stir mix well to combine.
Step 3:
With the mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined
