One of my favorite ways to encourage other people is to cook for them. Making this Paleo Carrot Cake for those with restricted diets is one way I can include them in the food part of any gathering. I have been making this gluten free, paleo, vegetarian recipe for several years. Usually, I have one particular friend in mind, and she is a joy to bless. One of her favorite expressions when parting ways is, “Be blessed!” I delivered one to her several months ago when she was quarantined due to exposure to Covid-19. I can just picture her sitting alone in her basement, far from her husband battling cancer, feeling blessed with her carrot cake.
Paleo Carrot Cake is a ’10’!
After making this recipe a few times, the long ingredient list becomes easy to tackle. You can do some pre-assembly prep to make stirring up the ingredients go more quickly. At the very beginning, I tackle two things: preparing my flax or chia eggs, and grating the carrots. If these two things are done, there is no detour when stirring everything together.
Flax Seed or Chia Egg Preparation
When baking, you can replace eggs with ground flax seed, flax seed meal, or chia seeds combined with water to provide an egg-like binding agent. Four tablespoons flax seed in 3/4 cup water or 4 tablespoons chia seeds in 2/3 cup water replaces your eggs in this recipe. Be sure to start this first and allow it to set up for 20 minutes before using in the recipe.
Grate the Carrots
You can use your preferred method to grate, but I recommend a food processor to finely chop 2-3 carrots, depending on size, to acquire 3/4 cup.
Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients, separately
In a medium-sized bowl, combine your dry ingredients:
- coconut flour
- almond flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- cinnamons
- salt
In a microwave -safe dish, combine:
- melted coconut oil
- maple syrup
- vanilla
- apple cider vinegar
- flax or chia eggs after they have set up
Another oil option is to use canola oil. The lesser amount to use is in the recipe.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Once everything is mixed, add in the carrots, coconut, and raisins. Spread into a sprayed or oiled 8″ square pan or loaf pan and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Add 5-10 minutes if an inserted toothpick doesn’t come clean at that time.
Paleo Moist Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- 4 T chia seeds or ground flax seeds
- 3/4 c water for flax seeds - reduce to 2/3 c for chia seeds
- 1/2 c coconut flour
- 3/4 c almond flour
- 1/2 t baking soda
- 3/4 t baking powder
- 1 t cinnamon
- 1/4 t salt
- 1/2 c maple syrup
- 2 T canola oil or 1/3 c coconut oil, for paleo option
- 1/2 T vanilla flavoring
- 1 T apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 c carrots grated or finely chopped
- 1/3 c coconut
- 1/3 c raisins or dried cranberries
- 1/3 c pecans
Instructions
- Prepare your flax or chia eggs by combining seeds in water
- Grate or finely chop carrots to measure 3/4 cup
- Preheat oven to 350° and prepare an 8" square pan by spraying or oiling the bottom and sides
- Combine dry ingredients
- Melt coconut oil and combine all wet ingredients, then add in flax or chia egg mixture
- Combine wet and dry, stirring thoroughly
- Stir in carrots, raisins, coconut, and pecans
- Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 60-70 minutes until top is completely set and the edges are getting crusty
More gluten free recipes here
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