carrot cake. with cream cheese frosting.

One of The Lab’s male counterparts recently made a request for carrot cake. We’re not gonna lie: Gluten free baking can be an undertaking when working from scratch and sometimes even we want to just whip something up on the fly. So we searched for a quick and easy carrot cake online and found one on the Gluten Free Goddess‘s blog. We did not change anything in Karina’s original recipe beyond omitting raisins and coconut from the batter, and rather than making her coconut icing we topped it with a basic, barely-sweet cream cheese frosting. Then we ate if for dessert. And breakfast. And lunch. It’s got veggies in it! It’s healthy right?!

We especially love that this recipe calls for Pamela’s Baking Mix. Pamela’s makes such quality mixes that pulling together a little gluten-free something is a breeze. Pamela deserves some sort of a medal for the pioneering she’s done in the gluten-free mix world. If you’ve never used it, run — don’t walk — to the store and get some.

This carrot cake is light and spongy, but also very mild in spice and sweetness, which we happen to prefer. If you’re looking for something with a bit more kick or spice, consider adding a touch more cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, and a bit more sweetener. Without the addition of the pile of cream cheese frosting, the recipe almost seems more like a breakfast bread…that you can’t stop eating.

Enjoy!

. . .

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Recipe with Coconut and Cream Cheese Icing 
from the Gluten Free Goddess

Serves 8-10

Please note: This recipe has no added leavening because it is using a leavened baking and pancake mix.

3 large organic free-range eggs

1/2 cup light vegetable oil orSpectrum Organic Shortening

1 cup organic light brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup plain yogurt or coconut yogurt

2 teaspoons gluten free vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey or agave (for added moisture)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice, or Apple Pie Spice [or a mix of nutmeg, clove, ginger, allspice]

2 cups Pamela’s Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix *see notes

3/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut

1 1/2 cups processed or finely grated carrots (about 4 medium carrots)

1/2 cup golden raisins or currants

1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch Springform cake pan.

In a mixing bowl beat the eggs; add the oil and beat; add the brown sugar and beat till smooth. Beat in the yogurt, vanilla, honey, cinnamon and spice. Add in the baking mix and beat till combined. The batter should be a bit thicker than wheat flour batter. Add in the coconut, carrots, raisins and nuts; stir with a wooden spoon to combine.

Spread the batter evenly in the cake pan; and place the pan in the center of a preheated oven. Bake until the cake is firm, and a wooden pick inserted into the center emerges clean, about 40 to 45 minutes or longer if necessary – I baked mine at high altitude. Cool on a wire rack.

Frost with your favorite cream cheese icing and sprinkle with coconut, if desired.

Cream Cheese Icing

4 oz. softened cream cheese

2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter

1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract, to taste

3 cups powdered cane sugar- or more, if needed

A squeeze or two of fresh citrus, to taste- lemon, lime or orange

In a mixing bowl beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the vanilla. Add in the powdered sugar a cup at a time; squeeze a little lemon or other citrus juice into the frosting and beat till smooth. Taste test. Add more sugar, if needed, to thicken; add more juice to thin.

Karina’s Notes:

GF/CF Folks: Use canned pumpkin or applesauce in place of the yogurt, and your own leavened dairy-free gluten-free baking and pancake mix.

Forgo the cream cheese icing and frost with a simple confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice frosting.

For replacing Pamela’s Baking Mix, try another leavened  mix such as Gluten-Free Pantry Pancake Mix or Arrowhead Mills Pancake Mix.

Gluten free cakes dry out quickly. If you are not serving this cake the day you bake it, I’d advise chilling it to firm up the icing; wrap well and chill. For more than a day ahead, I would wrap and freeze it; thaw the day of serving (remove the wrap so the icing doesn’t stick!).

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