Carrot Cake | Gluten-free, Dairy-free

I spent an entire afternoon making this cake — mostly because I enjoy taking my time doing things I really enjoy. I’d have to say I stepped out of my comfort zone a little bit with this one. It’s a rare occasion when I crave something that’s not chocolate. I bake according to my cravings.

I don’t think I’ve ever made a carrot cake before. Not even a non-gluten-free one. So I used a guide for this one. I based this recipe on mycakeschool.com carrot cake recipe. It’s not gluten-free so basically I had to adjust it a little bit. Naturally, a gluten-free cake can become dense and dry, but I’ve discovered that adding boiling water to pretty much any cake recipe helps prevent a cake from becoming too dense. This also applies to pancakes. I knew right away I would have to add this to the recipe because the dough was very thick and sticky.

Another key factor in making a fluffy cake is the type of gluten-free flour you use. I avoid using any starch-based flours when making cakes. So your first ingredients should include some type of rice flour or tapioca or both. Leavening agents should also be included somewhere secondary. If you have a flour that has corn starch or potato starch listed first in the ingredients, this will create a dense cake. However, this flour is good for making cookies. Fun fact. I don’t know if there’s any ~scientific proof~ of this theory but I seem to find this to be true for gluten-free flours. Here is a good example of a gluten-free flour that is good for cakes.

The cake itself is also dairy-free but the frosting isn’t. You can use your favorite dairy-free cream cheese frosting or I will link you to the recipe I used if you here.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups gluten-free self-raising flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, large
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups carrots, grated, fresh
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
3/4 cup coconut, shredded, unsweetened
1 8oz (227g) can crushed pineapple, drained

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two round 9″ pans and grease.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla until well combined and a light color.
Slowly incorporate flour into sugar mixture. Mix slowly until all the flour is combined.
Add a cup of boiling water and slowly combine.
Use a spoon to stir in carrots, pineapple, walnuts, and coconut.
Pour mixture into pans evenly. Bake for 35 minutes or until center is set.
Allow to cool completely before frosting. (Here is a link to the frosting I used)