This wonderfully moist and flavorful keto carrot cake is made with almond flour. A truly easy recipe, it's a one-layer cake that you quickly mix by hand.
It takes about 2 hours to make this cake, and the leftovers are excellent - just as good as the freshly baked cake.
I love cakes. Who doesn't! I'm so grateful that one can enjoy wonderful cakes even on a low-carb diet. A few of my favorite cakes are keto coconut cake, keto chocolate cake, keto birthday cake, and keto pound cake.
I knew that this keto carrot cake was a keeper when my toughest tester, my teenage daughter, reluctantly tried it, finished it all, and said she was "pleasantly surprised." I nearly fainted.
Jump to:
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: 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: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.
- 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.
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.
Instructions
I almost always make simple, one-layer cakes such as keto gingerbread cake, keto fruit cake, almond flour chocolate cake, or keto pound cake. 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 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 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.
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this cake:
Mix the ingredients. Use a hand whisk to whisk the ingredients together in the order listed, starting with the liquid ingredients. (Photos 1,2).
Add the carrots. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the carrots. (Photos 3,4).
Transfer the mixture to a well-greased pan. (Photo 5).
Bake the cake for about 25 minutes in a 325°F oven. Cool it completely, then frost. You can mix the frosting by hand. (Photos 6-8).
Expert Tips
What Carrots to Use
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. Having said that, I often use bagged, pre-shredded carrots - you can see their coarse texture in the photos. The cake is still excellent!
Frosting the Cake
I use the simplest frosting - cream cheese, vanilla, and stevia. Lacking butter or powdered sugar, the frosting is on the soft side, but it's delicious and sturdy enough that you can 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 ounces) and half unsalted butter (4 ounces).
I usually prefer to cut the cake into squares and then frost each square. It 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.
Recipe FAQs
I like to use stevia glycerite. You can substitute a granulated sweetener for the stevia.
Yes, with a caveat. Ideally, you would grate the carrots very finely by hand or in a food processor.
But I'm lazy. So when I want to make this cake, I often buy pre-shredded carrots. I do give them a quick extra chop before using them since they tend to be shredded pretty coarsely.
Keep in mind that coarsely shredded carrots will affect the cake's texture - they cook "al-dente" inside the cake. I like this texture. But if you want a softer and more uniform texture, you should use finely grated carrots.
No, you can't. almond flour and coconut flour behave very differently when baked and are not interchangeable.
Storing Leftovers
Once completely cool, you can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. Remove them from the fridge about 30 minutes before enjoying them.
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.
More Keto Cake Recipes
Foodie Newsletter
I send out a weekly newsletter with a recipe and tips. Want these recipes in your inbox? Subscribe today! You can unsubscribe at any time.
Recipe Card
Keto Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon butter for pan
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup avocado oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite (equals ½ cup sugar)
- 1½ cup blanched finely ground almond flour (6 ounces - it's best to measure by weight)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder gluten-free if needed
- 1 ½ cup carrots finely grated, loosely packed - 6 ounces
Cream cheese frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese cubed, softened
- 1 ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite (equals ½ cup powdered sugar)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Generously butter a square 8-inch pan. Or line it with parchment with an overhang and grease the parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and stevia until combined.Â
- Mix in the almond flour, using a rubber spatula, and then a hand whisk. Whisk until completely smooth.Â
- Whisk in the cinnamon, allspice, kosher salt, and baking powder.Â
- Fold in the grated carrots.Â
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing it out with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until puffed and fragrant and a toothpick inserted in its center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.Â
- Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack until completely cool, about 1 hour.Â
- When the cake is completely cool, make the frosting: whisk the soft cream cheese, stevia, and vanilla with a hand whisk until smooth and fluffy.Â
- Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake. Cut the cake into nine squares. To remove each square from the pan, firmly slide a cake server underneath each slice and lift it out.Â
- Using a soup spoon, divide the frosting evenly between the cake slices. Use a small spatula to spread the frosting evenly on top of each slice (just like you would frost a cupcake).Â
Video
Notes
- A granulated sweetener in the frosting will feel grainy, so please use a powdered sweetener. If using a powdered sweetener in the frosting instead of stevia, it's possible that you would need to add a bit more heavy cream to get the right consistency.
- Ideally, you would grate the carrots very finely by hand or in a food processor. But I often buy pre-shredded carrots. I give them a quick extra chop before using them since they tend to be shredded pretty coarsely.
- Keep in mind that coarsely shredded carrots will affect the cake's texture - they cook "al-dente" inside the cake. I like this texture. But if you want a softer and more uniform texture, you should use finely grated carrots.
- Once completely cool, you can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. Remove them from the fridge about 30 minutes before enjoying them. Just like any other spice cake, this cake 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.
Nutrition per Serving
Made this Recipe?
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment sharing your experience with others. Thank you so much!
Subscribe
I send out a weekly newsletter with a recipe and tips. Want these recipes in your inbox? Subscribe today! You can unsubscribe at any time.
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Matt
Hi Vered,
Nice cake, thanks.
I'll use just 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and grate the carrots more coarsely next time.
xx
Vered DeLeeuw
Glad you liked it, Matt! Thanks for the feedback.