This Low Carb Keto Carrot Cake has amazing texture and is perfectly spiced! Made with healthy fats, great flavor and without sugar or gluten!
Awwww ya….it’s carrot cake season!
Just warning you. I don’t think all the carrot cake recipes we already have, like gluten free carrot cake cupcakes and paleo carrot cake, are enough…
SO, we have A LOT more carrot-cakery in the next weeks but something tells me that you are not depressed about getting your veggies in cake form, right?
last year I made gluten free sugar free carrot cake and it almost broke the internet, you guys are still making it throughout the year!
BUT, I did get many asking how they could make it even lower carb….and because I am a carrot cake genie, your wish is my command.
Why this is the BEST Keto Carrot Cake
If you are no stranger to my blog, you will know that I don’t just have one or two recipes that revolve around carrot cake, I’m the CARROT CAKE QUEEN. I’ve got carrot cake overnight oats, gluten free carrot cake baked donuts, and even vegan carrot cake dip to keep your carrot cake craving satisfied! So, I thought to myself, I NEED to make a low carb keto sugar free carrot cake recipe and here you have it! This carrot cake is just as tender and moist, just as flavorful, just as carrot-cakey, BUT does not contain sugar AND is low in carbs! Both keto and non-keto eaters alike will FLOCK to this cake because it’s just THAT good!
Are carrots low carb?
When sticking to a keto eating plan, the idea is to select foods and recipes that are low in carbs, very low in sugar, and high in healthy fat! Carrots, while not as low in carbs as some leafy green vegetables, are still relatively low, making them a good option for keto. One cup of carrots has only 9 grams of carbohydrates.
Ingredients Needed for Low Carb Keto Carrot Cake
If you’re wondering how on earth to make a carrot cake that is low carb, protein packed, and sugar free, you’ll be surprised by this recipe! The texture, flavor, and sweetness do NOT have to be sacrificed when making a low carb cake. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
- Almond Flour
- Coconut Flour
- Cinnamon
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Ground Nutmeg
- Large Eggs
- Coconut Oil
- Erythritol Sweetener (I like Swerve)
- Vanilla Extract
- Carrot
- Pecans
- Full Fat Cream Cheese
- Unsalted Butter
- Vanilla Extract
- Powdered Erythritol
Best Sweetener for Low Carb Carrot Cake Keto
There are a variety of sweeteners on the market these days, for those avoiding regular, refined sugar. Coconut sugar is less refined, but is still sugar. Monk Fruit is a fantastic sweetener that i love to use as well, however for baking this carrot cake, I decided to use erythritol sweetener. It is completely sugar free but still adds the perfect amount of sweetness to this cake recipe. My brand of choice to use is Swerve!
How to make Low Carb Keto Carrot Cake
Prepare
Turn on the oven to heat up while you work. Line the bottoms of 2 cake pans with parchment paper and rub the sides with oil.
Mix
With a wire whisk in a medium bowl, stir together the flours, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt to combine. In a larger bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat together the eggs, oil, sweetener and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
Fold In
At this point, you will want to add the carrots, pecans and coconut flakes and use a rubber spatula to gently fold them into the batter.
Bake
Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared cake pans and place them in the preheated oven. Bake the cakes until they are golden brown on the outside and a toothpick comes out clean.
DEVOUR
Once the cakes have cooled in the pans, frost them as desired and enjoy!
Top Tips for Making Carrot Cake
- Don’t overmix: Your cake will be the MOST tender and fluffy inside if you mix until everything is JUST combined. Be sure to carefully fold in the carrots too, instead of mixing vigorously.
- Cool COMPLETELY: Since this cake is made with almond flour, you will want to make sure you let the cakes sit until they are completely cooled to room temperature. This will prevent them from falling apart if removed from the pans too soon!
more low carb desserts
Keto Carrot Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 1/2 Cups Almond Flour (264g)*
- 2 Tbsp Coconut flour (12g)
- 5 tsp Cinnamon
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 4 Large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 Cup Coconut oil, melted
- 1 Cup Erythritol Sweetener (I used swerve) **
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 3 Cups Carrot, grated and loosely packed
- 1/2 Cup Pecans, diced (85g) *** + additional for garnish (optional)
- 1/2 Cup Unsweetened coconut flakes (27g)
For the frosting:
- 8 Oz Full fat cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 Cups Powdered Erythritol Sweetener (I used swerve)
Instructions
For the cake:
-
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper, spraying the exposed sides with cooking spray. Set aside.
-
In a medium bowl, stir together the flours, cinnamon, baking soda and powder, salt and nutmeg.
-
In a separate, large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs, oil, sweetener and vanilla until well combined. Stir in the coconut flour mixture and stir until combined.
-
Gently fold in the carrots, pecans and coconut flakes until well combined. Your batter will be very thick, this is normal.
-
Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans, spreading out smoothly. Bake until the sides are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool COMPLETELY before frosting.
To make the frosting:
-
In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter on high speed until fluffy. Add in the vanilla and beat until combined.
-
Set the mixer on low speed and gradually add in the powdered sweetener, until you’ve added all of it and it’s well combined. Return to high speed and beat for 2-3 minutes until the frosting is fluffy.
To frost:
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Place one layer bottom side up on a cake stand. Spread 3/4 cup of the frosting all over it evenly. Then, place the other cake bottom side up gently on top.
-
Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake to make the crumb coat. It doesn’t have to be pretty, it’s just to seal in the crumbs. Chill for at least an hour, up to overnight. Put the remaining frosting in the fridge too, so it starts to firm up.
-
Once chilled, frost the entire cake. I find an offset spatula really helps! Garnish with extra pecans, if desired.
-
DEVOUR!
Notes
**You can PROBABLY use whatever sugar free sweetener you prefer. However, only Swerve has been tested with this recipe. You could also use regular sugar, but will obviously change the nutritional information.
***Make sure you cut the pecans very small or it makes it hard to cut the cake as they make it break in areas.
Total time includes does not include chilling the crumb coat or letting the baked cake cool.
Nutrition
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