This Gluten-Free Carrot Cake will become a go-to recipe when you’re in need of a quickly and easily prepared cake which people will love. This is a simple, one-layer cake, perfect for many occasions. Grated carrots are, of course, the star ingredient. As well as providing beautiful colour and natural sweetness, they make this cake deliciously moist and tender.
Cut some non-stick baking paper to line the base of a 21cm/8 ¼ inch ring tin or 19 cm/7 ½ inch springform tin and grease the sides.
Ensure that you have all your ingredients measured and ready to use.
Place oil, sugar & vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or into a bowl, to use hand-held electric beaters.Beat until they are well combined.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, and continue to beat until light & creamy, about 2 minutes. Do not overbeat. The eggs will emulsify with the oil.
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, (if using) stir through the grated carrot and sultanas.
Gradually sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon over the bowl and fold in gently using a spatula to avoid knocking out the air. Mix until just combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared ring tin or springform tin.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.If using the ring tin, stand for about 10 minutes before turning the cake onto a rack. If using the springform tin, remove the sides and then stand the cake for about 15 minutes. Gently turn onto a cooling rack.
Remove the baking paper and leave the cake to cool completely before frosting.
For the Frosting:
Place cream cheese and vanilla in a small bowl and mix well together until smooth.Sift the icing sugar to remove any lumps. Add to the cream cheese and mix until it forms a smooth, creamy frosting.
Spread the frosting over the cake.
Store the cake in air tight container or well covered in the fridge.
Video
Notes
Use a neutral flavoured oil of your choice. I used grapeseed oil.
For the best flavour, use vanilla which has been extracted from vanilla beans. Avoid synthetically flavoured vanilla.
I used 2 large carrots to get this weight. Ensure you freshly grate your carrot. Pre-grated carrot will be too dry for this cake.
I have used a commercial gluten-free plain/all-purpose flour which is made from a blend of naturally occurring gluten-free flours. However, you can substitute regular plain/all-purpose flour if you don’t need the cake to be gluten-free. Our gluten-free flour blends contain either xanthan or guar gum to stabilise and provide structure to our recipes.
Check the label to ensure that the baking powder is gluten-free.
Use cream cheese from the block available in supermarkets, not the spreadable kind.
The Australian tablespoon is 20ml or 4 teaspoons. In many other countries, the tablespoon is 15 ml or 3 teaspoons. Please adjust your measurement if necessary.
I have used pure icing/confectioners’ sugar as it is naturally gluten-free. Pure icing sugar tends to clump together and needs to be sifted before using. If using icing mixture, ensure that it is gluten-free.
Please note, the nutritional information is based on the cake being sliced into 8 pieces. The nutritional information is an estimate only.