Wheat-Free Carrot Cake

Autumn is my favorite season. I love the subtle downturn in temperatures, though the air isn’t quite cold enough to prevent people from still wanting to be outdoors just yet. That smell in the air of something sharp, crisp, of leaves and chill.

The foliage- don’t even get me started. At least 20% of why I came back from Europe when I did. Sure, the leaves turn elsewhere around the world of course, but they don’t quite catch flame with the same vibrancy as here in New England. Leaf peppers are onto something (for those who haven’t heard that term, these are people who travel from all over the US during fall to revel in and spectate over the changing colors here in New England). I have yet to encounter anywhere else where the shades are as vivid as they are here. Guess I’ll have to do some more traveling to find such a place, or, just accept that back home is where it’s at in terms of autumn.

Autumn is the perfect time for thick books. A towering, layered, gripping plot, allowing it to suck you in and keep you hooked, blowing through the pages while (ideally) sitting in a cozy café, cuddling up on your couch in front of a roaring fire, or lounging in a park somewhere as red and orange leaves dance in the air above.

More awesomeness about autumn: the re-emergence of boots, scarves and wool coats (especially cute red ones- my top pick). A welcoming back of comfort foods- macaroni and cheese, butternut squash soup, carrot cake, pumpkin pie, stuffing, oh man. Don’t even get me started.

Speaking of carrot cake, this recipe is subtly spiced, fluffy and light, scrumptious to be sure.  All while it’s wheat/gluten-free, and lower in sugar than usual carrot cakes. It’s also easy to whip together.  Happy autumnal baking!

Ingredients

2 cups of gluten-free oat flour

2 teaspoons of baking soda

2 tablespoons of cinnamon (I like a lot, though feel free to use less if you prefer)

1 teaspoon of ginger

1 teaspoon of cloves

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

4 large eggs

1 cup of coconut sugar (or, use regular if you like)

3/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup of Olive Oil

14 ounces of grated carrots (I just used roughly 2-3 medium and small-sized carrots, grated them on a cheese grater)

 

For the Frosting

18 ounces of cream cheese

4.5 tablespoons of butter

1.5 cups of powdered sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C.  Grease two or three (depending on how many layers you wish for the cake) pans with cooking spray or butter.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and spices.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, then add in the coconut sugar, olive oil, and applesauce.
4. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ones.  Mix together.
5. Stir in the grated carrots.
6. Pour an equal amount of cake batter into each greased pan.  Bake for about 15 minutes, inserting a knife or toothpick into the center.  Once it comes out clean, they are done.
7. Frost once completely cool.

To make the frosting, beat together ingredients with an electric mixer.