We’re not even pretending to wait til an appropriate autumn date to bust out this carrot cake recipe! We know spice and carrot cakes seem more apropos for late fall, but, this little cupcake was burning a hole in our proverbial pocket.
Gluten-free girl crush and Purely Elizabeth founder, Elizabeth Stein has finally written a book. If you’ve never picked up her granola at your local Whole Foods, make this cake recipe your formal introduction to Elizabeth and swipe up a copy of Eating Purely: More Than 100 All-Natural, Organic, Gluten-Free Recipes for a Healthy Life
. This lady boss knows her stuff: even the vanilla frosting is sinless and made from soaked cashews. Go ahead and have seconds of this one…
I have always had a huge sweet tooth. This was one of the reasons I started Purely Elizabeth, after all. I came up empty handed when searching for a better-for-you gluten-free sweet treat. When I realized what was in vanilla frosting, I knew there had to be an alternative. Cashews are actually the perfect solution for a creamy sweet topping. Be sure to soak the cashews for at least four hours to get them smooth and creamy in the Vitamix.
Gluten-free carrot cake with cashew cream frosting
Ingredients:
¾ cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup almond flour
¼ cup garbanzo fava flour
¼ cup arrowroot starch
1 tsp Himalayan sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
½ cup coconut sugar
3 eggs
¼ cup maple syrup
½ cup olive oil
1½ cups carrots, grated
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup walnuts
For the cashew cream frosting:
2 cups cashews, preferably soaked for a couple hours
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine flours, arrowroot, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and coconut sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup,and oil. Pour wet ingredients into dry along with carrots, raisins and walnuts. Stir to combine evenly.
Pour into greased muffin tin or cake pans. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Meanwhile, in a high-speed blender, combine cashew cream frosting ingredients. Blend until smooth. Add water as needed until smooth frosting consistency is achieved.
Allow to cool before spreading with cashew cream frosting.
