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This Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with lightened-up cream cheese frosting is a delicious and healthy alternative for your next birthday cake or party.
When I started this blog I never anticipated that my boyfriend would play any role in it. He didn’t know about it for the first two months after all…I’ll be honest, I judged people who spent their entire blog talking about their significant others and now I’ve officially become that person. Much to C’s dismay.
In all seriousness, I feel incredibly lucky to have found such a kind, giving and genetically blessed man. Even though he only reads my blog when I remind him to, he is my #1 supporter and best friend. Without a doubt I am his stalker and I am certifiably obsessed with him. Since today is the boy’s 24th birthday (yes he’s younger than me!) I thought I would spend this post thanking him for being without a doubt the most awesome human that has ever walked the planet!
Thank you for being equally as goofy as I am and reminding me that dance parties can happen anytime and anywhere.
Thank you for teaching me to dream big. One day on the ranch…
Thank you for saying things like “public spaces are so important” and “I think it’s a reality that one day I will go to space”…amazing.
Thank you for giving the best hugs.
Thank you for not being a picky eater and eating everything I make.
Thank you for being up for every adventure, no matter where it takes us.
Thank you for not judging me when I’m watching the Kardashians while you’re reading Plato.
Thank you for putting up with me taking an excessive number of pictures of you eating food.
Thank you for the pillow fight we just had cause you wouldn’t leave the room while I was writing this…Truce.
Thank you for reminding me to look up.
Thank you for your patience and especially when it comes to cold, partially-eaten food.
Thank you for forgiving me (in advance) for making your birthday cake gluten-free and healthy. I promise it’s good!
Thank you for showing me that you can only find true love if you take the risk.
Now it wouldn’t be a birthday without cake! Of course I had to make C’s favourite, carrot cake. But since I am selfish I made it Gluten-Free Carrot Cake so I could enjoy it too. I celebrated early by eating a piece of it and it has taken every ounce of me not to eat the entire thing. Instead it is sitting safely in the back of the fridge in preparation for tonight’s festivities. That is unless C actually reads my blog today and discovers it before then…
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
This Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with lightened-up cream cheese frosting is a delicious and healthy alternative for your next birthday cake or party.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 pieces 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For The Cake:
- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour*
- 1 cup gluten-free oat flour (1 1/4 cup of rolled oats ground into flour)
- 3/4 cup coconut palm sugar**
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups finely grated carrot
- 1/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup raisins
For The Lightened-Up Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz light cream cheese
- 1/2 cup 0% greek yogurt
- 1 cup icing sugar
- Optional: 1 cup of chopped, toasted walnuts.
Instructions
For The Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine flours, coconut palm sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl combine coconut oil, applesauce, eggs and vanilla extract.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined.
- Add in grated carrot, shredded coconut and raisins.
- Grease two 9 inch round cake pans with coconut oil and place a piece of circular parchment paper on the bottom of each (I just cut the parchment paper).
- Divide batter evenly between two pans.
- Bake for 25-30 mins (mine took 28). Cake is done when a toothpick through the center comes out clean.
- Let cool for 20 mins before removing from pans then cool completely on a wire rack.
For The Lightened-Up Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Using an electric mixer or stand mixer cream together cream cheese and greek yogurt.
- Add in icing sugar and mix until well combined.
- Place icing in refrigerator for 30 mins to thicken.
To Assemble The Cake:
- Place one cake down and coat with frosting. Sprinkle with walnuts if using.
- Place second cake on top and coat with frosting.
- Use remainder of frosting to coat the sides.
- Sprinkle walnuts on top if using.
- Store in refrigerator for several days.
*I recommend namaste perfect flour blend.
**or brown sugar.
Happy birthday to the most wonderful man I know. May 24 bring you only the best and a year full of happy memories and new adventures. Can’t wait to watch it unfold. Love you, darling!
Love this post–Happy birthday C! My cake of choice ummmm white chocolate raspberry perhaps? Or maybe that’s just my current fav. If I could thank Miguel for anything it would be A) thanks for taking all those fashion photos of me and B) thanks for giving me approximately 25 hugs daily. I love them.
This post is so sweet it practically made me cry! I’m such a sucker for a good love story. Happy Birthday to your main squeeze! That cake looks amazing – it’s making me want a baked good asap.
haha omg this post Davida, is the cuuuutest! That note you wrote with a bite taken out of the food, so thoughtful and sweet…even with the bite gone 😉 By the way I spy a Long Champ bag in the hug pic…brown? I’m kinda obsessed myself and have used mine for nearly two years. My sister yell at me all the time that I need a new bag, but I can’t part with it. As for the carrot cake, looks SO wonderful and love the texture….and the thick layers of frosting.Cream cheese frosting with greek yogurt too? This is a must try, pinned. Thanks girl!
How did you know carrot cake was my favorite cake? OMG…you really have no idea how much I love it. I have to make this immediately and it’s not my birthday. Palm sugar? Can I use regular sugar?
Check the notes section, you can replace with brown sugar! Hope you like it!!!
<3 <3 <3 if there was an award for most perfect beings, it would go to you two. It makes my heart melt to see friends so incredibly happy. Happy Birthday Curt!! You're catching up to your old maid in age.
PS I actually lol'd at the pic of him eating that ice cream cone on the bottom left corner. A gem.
He laughed at that one too! I have a whole photoshoot of him buying ice cream from Mr. Softee. The truck used to park outside our building in NYC and I think we went there everyday!
Aw, what a sweet post! Happy Birthday C!
Carrot cake is my absolute favorite kind of cake! In fact, our wedding cake was a carrot cake. I love that it’s gluten free!
Too cute. I never thought I’d be that girl either, but now I find myself mentioning Daniel more and more on the blog. I also took a picture of him (without a shirt on) trying his first grilled cheese. I mean, come on, that had to be documented. I didn’t put it on the blog though…yet. Happy birthday to C and have fun celebrating with that cake!
Awwww!! This post is adorable!!!! I have to thank my banana for his patience, for his support, for loving me through ups and downs, for being my best friend, my partner in crime, my high school love 🙂 aww! I wish he was here with me now!!
Awww, happy birthday C!! You guys are seriously adorable, both online and in person. I hope he has a great day!!
Well if this isn’t the sweetest post I’ve ever seen you write!! Stop playing like C-Money is only with you for the food, because this post proves otherwise! I hope he has the happiest of birthdays. This is one of those posts you need to remind him to read!