Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe for gluten-free carrot cake is a “dessert” entry in the So Delicious Dairy Free 3-Course Recipe Contest, submitted by reader Fiona Verdon (Age 17!). For the cake, she uses Coconut Milk Beverage from So Delicious.

Fiona says, “I thoroughly enjoyed making this gluten-free carrot cake recipe for the SO Delicious contest and would like to give a special thanks to everyone involved. I had a little SO Delicious cooking party with my friends and we really loved all the products, you’ve definitely got some new fans! I totally see coconut in a new light now!”

For more details and to enter the recipe contest, see this post: https://www.godairyfree.org/news/so-delicious-dairy-free-3-course-recipe-contest

Special Diet Notes & Options: Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, gluten-free, peanut-free, and vegetarian. It’s also optionally egg-free, vegan, and soy-free.

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Author: Fiona Verdon

Serves: 1 2-layer cake

Ingredients

Carrot cake

• 2 cups coconut sugar
• 4 eggs or egg replacers
• 1 cup oil (leave out if you prefer it to be more like a snack energy bar)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Cups gluten-free baking flour
• 1-1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ cup So Delicious Dairy Free Coconut Milk Beverage
• 3 cups shredded carrots
• ⅔ cup chopped walnuts
• ⅓ cup mixed nuts
• Handful of raisins

Dairy-free cream cheese icing

• 1 container of vegan cream cheese
• ⅔ cup dairy-free margarine
• 1-1/5 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Toppings (as desired)

• 1 cup honey roasted almonds
• ¼ cup shredded coconut
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• Grated carrot
• Herb for decoration
• Extra small decorations I added: a few goji berries, blueberry, pomegranate seed, a few pumpkin seeds

Instructions

For the carrot cake

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease pans and place a circle of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan.
2. Cream sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add oil and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the sugar and eggs. Combine well. Add in milk. Stir in carrots, nuts, and raisins. Pour into pans. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
4. Remove cake layers and let cool completely on wire racks.

For the dairy-free cream cheese icing

1. Combine margarine and cream cheese, begin whipping on medium. Add the sugar gradually. Add vanilla and whip until icing is smooth and creamy.
2. Once the cake is completely cool, frost and top as desired.

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