Description

This gluten-free spiced carrot cake is moist, fragrant, and packed with wholesome ingredients like fresh carrots, apples, tart cranberries, toasted pecans, and warm spices. Made with almond and hazelnut flour instead of wheat, it has a tender crumb and rich, nutty flavor while being naturally lower in carbohydrates than a traditional carrot cake. Serve it plain with a cup of coffee, or top it with a light mascarpone and yogurt cream for an elegant dessert that’s perfect during cranberry season.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

1 cup (packed) blanched almond flour
1 cup coarse hazelnut flour
2 tablespoons coconut flour
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Wet Ingredients

2 pasture-raised eggs
2/3 cup full-fat coconut milk
1/3 cup avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons granulated monk fruit sweetener or granulated Swerve
Zest of 1 organic lemon or orange (or a combination of both)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Add-ins (not optional)

1 heaping cup grated carrots
1 heaping tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 grated apple
1 cup fresh cranberries, washed and thoroughly dried
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped

Optional Mascarpone Cream

3 parts mascarpone
1 part goat yogurt
Sweetener to taste

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Line an 8 x 6-inch (20 x 15 cm) baking dish, or a similar-sized pan, with parchment paper. This recipe also works in a round cake pan or as muffins; baking time will vary accordingly.
Wash and thoroughly dry the cranberries.
Toast the pecans for about 8 minutes, then roughly chop.
If using whole hazelnuts to make flour, pulse them in a food processor until you have a coarse flour. A slightly uneven texture adds character to the finished cake.
In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
Grate the carrots, apple, and fresh ginger.
In a food processor or mixing bowl, combine all the wet ingredients.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Fold in the grated carrots, apple, ginger, shredded coconut, cranberries, and toasted pecans.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or longer if using a deeper or round pan. The cake is ready when the center is set, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean. It should also feel lightly firm when gently pressed.
Let the cake cool completely before removing it from the pan. For the best flavor and texture, refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
To prepare the optional cream, simply stir together the mascarpone and goat yogurt until smooth. Sweeten to taste, if desired, and serve alongside the cake.

Notes

Fresh cranberries should be well-dried before adding them to the batter. Frozen cranberries can be used straight from the freezer. Wild blueberries, black currants, or red currants make excellent substitutes.

I don’t recommend buying hazelnut flour, as it tends to be very fine and requires different liquid ratios. Just grind hazelnuts in a food processor until you get a coarse flour (the nuts can be raw or toasted, but if you toast them, remove the skins first).

Pumpkin pie spice or a warming spice blend can replace the individual spices.

The mascarpone cream is optional but highly recommended; the cake is still delicious served plain, if dairy is a problem. Alternatively, use coconut yogurt as frosting or for serving alongside the cake.

Baking time will vary depending on the size and shape of your baking pan. Begin checking for doneness after about 30 minutes.

This cake tastes even better the next day after resting in the refrigerator, when the flavors have had time to develop.