Gluten-Free Carrot Cake – Fully Loaded
This carrot cake has all the additions – coconut, and nuts! It’s a delicious version I’ve made for years for when you’re feeling a little nutty. But sometimes you don’t feel like a nut and that’s when you check out my Gluten Free Classic Carrot Cake.
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 ¼ Cups GF flour (Cup 4 Cup or Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour)
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 cups carrots, finely chopped and tightly packed
- 1 cup drained crushed pineapple
- 1 cup chopped nuts, pecans or walnuts
- 1 cup sweetened GF coconut
- 3 eggs
- 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
- 2 cups sugar
Cream Cheese Frosting*
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter (1 stick)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
*For a fluffier, lighter version frosting, see my Whipped Cream Cheese frosting from my GF pumpkin cake
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F (or 325°F convection)
- Spray the bottom of a 9″ x13″ cake pan with GF oil spray – I like olive oil.
- Combine GF flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
- Combine carrots, pineapple, nuts (I like pecans), and coconut in a separate bowl; set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and oil. Mix until blended; add sugar and mix well.
- Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Blend on low speed or mix by hand until blended.
- Add carrot-pineapple mix and blend until well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until browned and done in the center.
Frosting
- Blend cream cheese and butter together, then add vanilla.
- Gradually add powdered sugar.
- Frost the cake after it has cooled.