It is the season for those lovely red carrots! Which means lots of carrot desserts 🙂 I usually end up baking a classic carrot cake or simple carrot muffins, but this time I decided to switch things up by trying a gluten free version, loaded with walnuts and chocolate chips. And oh my god! It is so good!
I used almond flour because I love the texture and the nuttiness it adds to cakes. It is light, healthy and compliments the carrot really well.
The batter looks like a gloopy mess, but don’t worry. It turns out beautifully!
Each bite is loaded with the sweetness of the carrots, toastiness of the coconut, the crunch of walnuts and the melty goodness of chocolate chips. The almond flour binds it all together in a light, moist crumb. YUM!
I ate quite a few slices of this, I must admit. Finished half the loaf in half a day.
I baked this for my friend T when she came over for dinner and she loved it. I tend to send across a lot of my bakes to her to get feedback since she loves desserts, but not the uber sweet kind and is also health conscious being a footballer (yes she is a star!). The fact that she liked this made it even more special. So much so that I sent off half of the loaf with her to eat at home 🙂
This recipe is super easy to make and kinda healthy too. Win! Try it and let me know what you think 🙂
Loaded Carrot Cake (gluten free)
Ingredients
1.5 cups (180g) almond flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/8 tsp clove powder
1 cup finely grated carrots
1/3 cup shredded coconut
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup (50ml) vegetable oil
1/3 cup (40g) brown sugar
1/6 cup (45ml) honey
1/4 cup chocolate chips + extra to top
1/3 cup toasted walnuts + extra to top – chopped roughly
Directions
- Pre heat the oven to 175C and line a 9 inch loaf pan
- Peel and grate the carrots and keep aside
- Mix the almond flour, salt, baking powder , baking soda and spices in a small bowl
- In a large bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar and honey together, for 1 minute till combined
- Whisk in the eggs, one by one, mixing well after each addition. Then mix in the vanilla extract
- Mix in the carrots and coconut till combined
- Gently add the flour mix, in 2-3 installments, mixing till just combined
- Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips
- Transfer the batter into the pan and top with a few more walnuts and chocolate chips. Tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake at 175C for 35-40 mins till a tester comes out clean
- Let the loaf cool to room temperature and then remove from the pan, slice and serve
My Tuck Box 
Delicious looking carrot cake (intrigued by the loaf pan as never seen one as long as that – not sure if it is just the camera angle but how long is it?)
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Thanks! It’s a regular 9 inch pan 🙂
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Great recipe to serve to my ever growing gluten free friends
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Thanks! Hope you try it and like it 🙂
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