Perfectly soft and bursting with flavor, this gluten free Italian carrot cake is also vegan, free from dairy and eggs, making it an inclusive treat for everyone. Infused with the rich traditions of Italian baking, this carrot cake combines the sweetness of carrots and the subtle tang of citrus, creating a delicious blend.
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I've been wanting to bring a gluten free vegan carrot cake recipe to the blog for quite some time. It took a few experiments, before finally get the perfectly soft and moist texture I wanted, but I finally got there!
I also wanted to make it as easy and quick to make, without having to grate carrots for ages. Italian carrot cake is also inspired to an old snack called "Camille", storebought small "half dome" cakes that pretty much everyone here has had, at least in their childhood.
This gluten free carrot cake is:
- dairy free and eggless
- soft and moist
- made with almond flour and few simple ingredients
- without xanthan gum
- without apple sauce
Ingredients
- Fresh carrots, but worry not, we are going to blend them, no need for endless grating!
- Almond flour, you can buy it or easily make it at home by finely grinding peeled almond in a food processor or blender
- Brown rice flour and potato starch as the flour base
- Baking powder and sugar
- Seed or coconut oil, I have used both and I have to say coconut oil gives a better texture to this gf carrot cake
- Orange juice, best if fresh. I have tried both fresh and storebought, and first one definitely gives the right flavor to this cake
- Almond and orange extracts, they are optional, but I tested this cake with and without them and they definitely add the right layer for flavor to make it taste like traditional Italian carrot cake.
Instructions
- In a blender cup add chopped carrots, oil and orange juice and blend until creamy
- In a bowl mix rice flour, almond flour, potato starch, baking powder and sugar
- Add the carrot orange mix and mix with a spoon, carefully incorporating all the dry ingredients
- Add the almond and orange extracts and mix again
- The cake mix should not be liquid or runny, but airy and kind of fluffy
- Pour the cake mix into the baking pan and spread evenly with a spatula
- Bake in preheated oven
- Once baked, let cool down and dust with powdered sugar
- Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge, especially in the warm season
Tips and Substitutions
You could replace almond flour with brown rice flour. Alternatively you could use quinoa or buckwheat flour, the flavor will change though. And they might absorb liquids differently.
This carrot cake mix has to be fluffy and airy. In my several experiments with this cake I too have been tempted to add more liquid (juice or plant based milk) and the end result was never good. The baked cake came out too moist and not good.
Stick to the recipe and add a couple tablespoons of plantbased milk at best.
Cakes, especially gluten free ones, are best kept in airtight containers.
This cake can keep well and soft a couple days, but since it contains fresh carrots and juice, it's best kept in the fridge, or it might turn sour, especially in the warm season.
If it dries out in the fridge, reheat it your slice of cake in the microwave for a few seconds and it will be as good as freshly baked.
Baking in grams
I cook and bake in grams as they are more accurate (than cups) when measuring ingredients. This is especially important when it comes to gluten free and vegan recipes.
Also, I weigh both dry and wet ingredients in grams and most of the time I share one- or two-bowl recipes, to make everything easier for you.
A simple affordable kitchen scale is definitely a useful and worthy investment for your gluten free cooking.
So you will simply need to place the bowl on the scale and weigh ingredients as you go!
More gluten free fruity cakes
If you make this recipe or have questions, leave me a comment down here! And a 5 star rating if you have loved it would help me grow the blog 😉
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Ciao!
Sonia
📖 Full Recipe
Gluten free Italian Carrot Cake (Dairy free, Eggless)
Equipment
- kitchen scale
- Blender
- bowl
- 8 or 9 inch baking pan
Ingredients
- 230 grams of fresh carrots (weigh after peeling and removing ends) (ca 3 medium carrots)
- 100 grams orange juice, best if freshly squeezed (for flavor)
- 50 grams light seed or melted coconut oil
- 100 grams gluten free almond flour (or finely ground almonds)
- 100 grams gluten free brown rice flour
- 100 grams gluten free potato starch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (can be replaced with 1 teaspoon baking soda + 2 teaspoons lemon juice)
- 60 grams caster sugar (or brown sugar)
- 4-5 drops almond extract
- 4-5 drops orange extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven at 180C/360F
- In a blender cup add chopped carrots, oil and orange juice and blend until creamy
- In a bowl mix rice flour, almond flour, potato starch, baking powder and sugar
- Add the carrot orange mix to the flours and mix with a spoon, carefully incorporating all the dry ingredients
- Add the almond and orange extracts and mix again
- The cake mix should not be liquid or runny, but airy and kind of fluffy
- Pour the cake mix into the non stick baking pan and spread evenly with a spatula
- Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes (poke the center of the cake with a toothpick, cake's ready when it comes out clean)
- Once baked, let cool down and dust with powdered sugar before serving, if desired
- Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge, especially in the warm season
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