Gluten Free Carrot Cake is rich and moist, made with crushed pineapple, coconut flakes, shredded carrots, and walnuts topped with a rich cream cheese frosting, perfect for springtime!
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a measuring cup, combine the lemon juice and milk, stirring together.
Whisk in the vegetable oil, eggs, milk, pineapple, and vanilla extract, mixing until well-combined. Stir the coconut flakes, walnuts, and shredded carrots into the cake batter. You can also use an electric mixer for this.
Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter. Pour cake batter evenly into the two prepared baking pans and place onto the middle rack of the preheated oven.
Bake cake for 35-40 minutes, or until cakes are golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting. Placing the pans on a wire rack will help them cool more quickly.
In a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, combine cream cheese and butter on medium mixing speed. Mix until there are no lumps and the cream cheese is smooth, but don't over-mix.
Add vanilla extract and salt to the mixing bowl. Still mixing, slowly add confectioners sugar, a little at a time until all sugar is completely mixed in. At this point, test your frosting to make sure you like the consistency. You can add some powdered sugar to thicken it more if desired.
Stop the stand mixer and use to decorate the carrot cake. Keep anything you didn't use (or if you made the frosting in advance) refrigerated in an airtight container. This recipe should give you enough for a layer cake.
Notes
Click on the time in the instructions to start a timer!StorageRefrigerate for about a week in an air-tight container or wrapped in plastic wrap. The frosting for this cake is dairy based, so it will need to be refrigerated. Freeze for 2-3 months in a freezer-safe container. If you've already frosted the cake, freeze the cake carefully first before wrapping it in plastic wrap. Once the frosting is frozen, it won't be messed up. Cooking Tips
I use a food processor with a shredding attachment to shred the carrots. If you don't have this, you can also shred the carrots by hand.
Place your cake on the rack in the center of oven for even cooking.
The baking time can vary if you live at a higher elevation.