It takes about 2 hours to make this cake, and the leftovers are excellent - just as good as the freshly baked cake. I knew that this recipe was a keeper when my toughest tester, my teenage daughter, reluctantly tried it, finished it all, and said she was “pleasantly surprised.” I made this cake for the first time last year and have made it a few times since, but never got around to photographing it. Today I finally did. I’m so glad I can share this very tasty cake with you!
Ingredients
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this keto carrot cake. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need:
Eggs: I use large eggs in most of my recipes, this one included.Avocado oil: I love using this neutral-tasting oil. Sometimes I use macadamia nut oil instead.Sweetener: I use stevia. You can use a granulated sweetener instead.Almond flour: An excellent flour substitute that baked exceptionally well. I use blanched finely ground flour in this recipe and don’t recommend using a coarse almond meal.Cinnamon and allspice: Make sure they are fresh. A stale spice can easily ruin a dish.Kosher salt: If using fine salt, you should use less of it.Baking powder: Make sure it’s fresh. And if needed, also verify it’s gluten-free.Fresh carrots: It’s best to use finely grated carrots. 🥕For the frosting: Cream cheese, sweetener, and vanilla.
Instructions
I’m a very lazy cook, and almost always make simple, one-layer cakes such as this almond flour chocolate cake or this keto pound cake. I only make layer cakes on birthdays. So this keto birthday cake is a rare occurrence in our household! So I knew that I wanted this cake to be a simple one-layer cake, made in a square 8-inch pan. I also knew that I wanted to frost this particular cake. It’s excellent without frosting, and when you don’t frost it you can serve it for breakfast. But there’s something about carrot cake and cream cheese frosting - it’s such a classic combination. So I settled on a very simple and easy cake that you mix in one bowl and bake in a square 8-inch pan. The frosting is very simple too - it’s just cream cheese, vanilla, and a sweetener.
Expert tip
For the best texture, the carrots should be finely grated, so it’s best to grate them by yourself rather than using pre-shredded bagged carrots. Mix the ingredients. Use a hand whisk to whisk the ingredients together in the order listed, starting with the liquid ingredients. Add the carrots. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the carrots, then transfer the mixture to a well-greased pan. Bake the cake for about 25 minutes in a 325°F oven. Cool it completely, then frost. You can mix the frosting by hand. Having said that, since we’ve already established that I’m lazy in the kitchen, I often use bagged pre-shredded carrots - you can see their coarse texture in the photos. The cake is still excellent!
Frequently asked questions
Variations
You can use soft or melted and slightly cooled unsalted butter instead of oil. Butter is very tasty, but I feel that the oil helps keep the cake extra moist. However, butter should work too. You can also add a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to the batter. It won’t make a huge difference, but it will add an extra layer of flavor.
Frosting the cake
I use the simplest frosting in this keto carrot cake - cream cheese, vanilla, and stevia. Lacking butter or powdered sugar, the frosting is on the soft side, but it’s very tasty and it’s sturdy enough that you can certainly keep the frosted cake at room temperature for a couple of hours. For a sturdier frosting and a milder flavor with less tang from the cream cheese, you can use half cream cheese (4 oz) and half unsalted butter (4 oz). I usually prefer to cut the cake into squares and then frost each square. I feel that this makes it easier to remove the cake from the pan. But you can line the pan with parchment paper with an overhang so that you can pull the cake from the pan when it’s cool, place it on a platter or on a cutting board and frost it. Then you can cut the frosted cake into squares. It’s really up to you.
Storing leftovers
Related recipes
👩🏻🍳 I typically publish a new or an updated recipe once a week. Want these recipes in your inbox? Subscribe! You can unsubscribe at any time. Just like any other spice cake, this cake actually improves with time. It’s moister and more flavorful the day after you bake it. You can also freeze this cake provided it is not frosted. Once frosted, I don’t recommend freezing it.
Recipe card
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