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.
Keywords: gluten-free carrot cake
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!
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55 Comments
Heather @ Run Like a G!
May 26, 2014 at 10:00 pmBeautiful post! I hope your boyfriend had a great birthday!!!!
kimmythevegan
May 25, 2014 at 9:08 pmAw this is the cutest post ever =) You guys are so lucky to have found each other.
This is actually the first post I’m reading on your blog. Suzanne (Hello, Veggy) highly recommended it – I’m glad she did =)
Helen @ Scrummy Lane
May 24, 2014 at 2:59 amAwww, you sound (and look!) like such a cute couple. So so true as well that you have to risk to find true love!
This carrot cake looks divine, too. I bet this is one of those cakes that you can’t tell is gluten-free. Have a great, fun-filled weekend with that wonderful other half of yours!
Kim
May 23, 2014 at 10:43 pmWhat a super sweet post!!!
Happy birthday to C! I’m sure you made it an incredible day for him!
rika@vm
May 23, 2014 at 6:02 pmFunny, my partner’s birthday was last week! Happy Birthday!
Kelly @ Nosh and Nourish
May 23, 2014 at 1:03 pmThe cuteness in this post is tooooooooooooo much for me to handle!!!!!! 🙂 I loved the note you wrote on his quesadilla. #classic
Lee
May 23, 2014 at 9:41 amThose muscles though. CURTLE you sexy man.
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner
May 23, 2014 at 9:24 amLove carrot cake and this looks delicious! You guys are an adorable couple. 🙂
Brittany
May 23, 2014 at 9:18 amMy GOD I love this so much. I think blogger that talk ONLY about their babies, or boyfriends, or husbands are annoying, BUTTT I think that incorporating them INTO life with the posts is great. This is YOUR life after all, well and kinda sorta a super rad awesome food blog. BUT STILL, I think your C talk is perfect, and you really don’t even do it that much!! SO DO IT MORE CAUSE YOU TWO ARE FAACCKKING adorable. Happy Birthday to your adorable other half, and I would like to smash my face into his cake. YUM!
Chelsea @ Chelsea's Healthy Kitchen
May 23, 2014 at 6:42 amHappy birthday to C! This is such a sweet post. 🙂 I would have to thank JZ for helping me loosen up a bit (even though he’s a bigger workaholic than I am – go figure haha).
It’s funny because carrot cake is always my birthday cake of choice! My mom/sister have made me carrot cake for my birthday for the past 4-5 years! I hope they’re making me one again for my birthday on Sunday…
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness
May 23, 2014 at 12:24 amYou are so cute and I love this post! I also love you for saying things like “genetically gifted man” and other hilarious things on the daily. You’re so entertaining!
Cassie
May 22, 2014 at 10:28 pmHappppppy birthday C. Love you both so so much – potentially my favorite couple, but don’t tell anyone else that 🙂 I told you this over text this a.m., but I seriously hope that when I’ve met my person I’m as head over heels in love as you two. xoxoxo C.