Paleo Carrot Cake

Prep: 15

Cook: 40

Total: 55

Servings: 9 slices

Not only is this Paleo Carrot Cake gluten free, grain free, and dairy free, but it is also the most MOIST & FLUFFY cake you'll ever try! This cake is kept moist thanks to the coconut oil, and only lightly sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar. It's also loaded with the best carrot cake add-ins like shredded carrots, coconut flakes, walnuts, and warming spices to give it the traditional carrot cake flavor you're used to. Topped with a super creamy, homemade vanilla bean cashew cream frosting and you have yourself the perfect better-for-you carrot cake!

Ingredients

Paleo Carrot Cake

3 cups fine almond flour
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
3 tbsp coconut flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 ea large eggs
½ cup coconut sugar packed
½ cup coconut oil melted & cooled
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup shredded carrot packed, (~1 medium carrot)
⅓ cup raisins
½ cup walnuts rough chopped (or sub pecans)

Vanilla Bean Cashew Cream Frosting

1½ cups raw cashews soaked overnight
½ cup coconut cream ⠀ from refrigerated can of coconut milk
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp vanilla bean paste leave out and sub additional vanilla extract if you don’t have
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Paleo Carrot Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8"x8" pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together almond flour, unsweetened shredded coconut flakes, coconut flour, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, coconut sugar, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and blend until just combined.
To the batter, add the shredded carrot, raisins, and walnuts. Stir until evenly combined - batter will be very thick.
Spread the batter on the bottom of the parchment lined 8” x 8” pan. Bake 38 - 45 minutes (mine took 38 minutes) or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Once the cake has cooled, top with frosting and sprinkle with cinnamon. Enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Cashew Cream Frosting

Prepare your frosting. In a high speed blender, add soaked raw cashews, coconut cream, and lemon juice. Process for ~5 minutes on low to medium low until you have reached a smooth consistency and no small pieces of cashew remain.
Add remaining ingredients (lemon zest, vanilla bean pasta, vanilla extract, pinch salt, powdered sugar) and blend for an additional 30 seconds - 1 minute on low/medium until evenly combined.
For a thinner consistency, move to the freezer for 1 hour and then move to the fridge. For a thicker consistency, move to the freezer for 3-4 hours. Remove and stir with a spoon, then move to the fridge to store.