Carrot Cake (Gluten free & dairy free)
My 2 layer gluten & dairy free carrot cake is sandwiched together with a dairy free buttercream and filled with warm spices, walnuts and raisins. It’s the perfect cake to have with a cup of tea or coffee and tastes delicious! If you do make this recipe I’d love to see, don’t forget to tag me in your photos over on social media!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which butter do you use for the the buttercream?
I use the Stork ‘perfect for baking’ 250g gold packet butter which is naturally dairy free and available in most major UK supermarkets. If you can’t get hold of this butter, it’s always best to use a hard dairy free butter block instead of a soft spread for a dairy free buttercream as soft spreads can sometimes cause the mixture to curdle.
Why do you use vegetable oil instead of butter in the cake mix?
In this particular recipe, using vegetable oil instead of butter helps the cake to last longer and provides a lovely moist texture. If you don’t have vegetable oil you could also use sunflower oil.
How long will this cake last?
It will last in an airtight container for around 5 days.
Which gluten free flour do you use for the cake?
For this recipe, and the majority of my bakes, I use the FREEE Gluten Free Plain Flour which works really well in gluten free baking.
Carrot Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 225 g gluten free plain flour
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend already contains this)
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
- 225 g light brown sugar
- 50 g raisins
- 50 g walnuts (finely chopped)
- 150 g grated carrot
- 3 medium eggs
- 175 ml vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the buttercream/topping
- 160 g dairy free butter block
- 320 g icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon dairy free milk
- Handful of walnuts or carrot decorations for topping
Instructions
Make the cake
- Preheat your oven to 180°C and line two 8" round springform cake tins with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, mix plain flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and mixed spice. Add light brown sugar, raisins, walnuts, and carrot and mix until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract, then add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture. Stir until fully combined.
- Divide the mixture equally between the 2 prepared cake tins and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool for 1 hour.
Make the buttercream and assemble
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on a medium speed until soft. Gradually add icing sugar, continuing to beat for up to 5 minutes until combined and creamy. Add vanilla and dairy free milk and whisk again.
- Sandwich the cakes together with buttercream and spread a layer on top. Decorate as you please and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
I absolutely love seeing what you’ve created, so if you do make this recipe (or any other recipe from my website) don’t forget to tag me over on my social media pages @glutenfreealice and use the hashtag #glutenfreealice
Made this for Hubby’s birthday last month. Family said it was the best carrot cake they had ever tasted. It’s dark and full of spice, I’m not a fan of “lighter” versions elsewhere on the web. My only critique would be that it was a bit crumbly but not sure if that was due to an error my end. Making it again this weekend for Father’s Day 🙂
Hi Nixie,
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. Gluten free baking does tend to be a little more crumbly but the xanthan gum should help with that.
Alice x