Grainfree Carrot and Courgette Cake

It was Dan’s birthday so it was cake time!  Cakes are always tricky in our house, two of us are grain-free, one doesn’t eat chocolate and one eats everything!  Carrot cake got the thumbs up from everyone so I set about making a grain-free one…to find we only had two carrots!  I found a courgette (zucchini) in the fridge and decided to improvise!  I figured the boys would never notice,  (plus I get to sneak some extra veggies in) so out with the carrot cake, in with the Grainfree Carrot and Courgette Cake!

Start by preheating the oven to 160C (320F) and greasing the cake tins with a small amount of coconut oil (or butter if you prefer).  I used two 8-inch cake tins (if you only have one you can bake a larger cake and slice it when it’s cool – just make sure you adjust the cooking time so it cooks all the way through).

Next, peel and grate the carrots and grate the courgette (zucchini).  You can leave the skin on the courgette (unless you want to completely hide the veggies from any picky eaters!). Then, in a large bowl, add the almond flour (ground almonds), cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, coconut oil and honey and mix well to form a batter.

Add the bicarbonate of soda and mix thoroughly again.  Then, fold through the grated carrots, courgette (zucchini) and the raisins so that they are evenly distributed.

Then, pour half the mixture into each greased cake tin and smooth down.  Bake the cakes in the oven for around 30-35 minutes until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Check the cakes often towards the end of the cooking time as almond flour can burn quite easily. Once they are golden brown and cooked all the way through, remove them from the oven and turn them out onto a wire cake rack to cool.

Whilst the cakes are cooling down it’s time to make the icing.  I used a mixture of cream cheese and honey as a cream cheese frosting is traditional with carrot cake.  If you’re on strict SCD and can’t eat cream cheese you could use dripped yoghurt or dry curd cottage cheese (farmers’ cheese) to make the icing!

So to make the icing you just beat together the cream cheese and honey until it is all combined.  Yes, it’s that simple and that delicious!  When the cakes are cool, sandwich the two halves together with three-quarters of the icing mixture.   (Make sure the cakes really are cooled or the icing will melt and slide off).  Load the other quarter into a piping bag and pipe to decorate the top.  (You could even make double the amount of icing and cover the whole cake!  It just depends on how much of a sweet tooth you have as the icing is very sweet!)

Well, it was definitely a hit!  And he didn’t even notice there were extra veggies in it.   The water content in the carrot and courgette cakes make this cake nice and moist.  It has a light, fluffy texture and is a lot less dense than other grain-free or almond flour cakes.  The cinnamon comes through nicely and the sweet tanginess of the cream cheese frosting really made the cake feel extra decadent.  Definitely one I’ll be making again – in fact, it’s already been requested for next year!

If you’re looking for a celebration cake you could always try my Almond and Raspberry Cake or my Cherry and Dark Chocolate Cupcakes – both are real crowd pleasers!

Grainfree Carrot And Courgette Cake

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Bread & Baking, Dessert, Snacks

Cuisine Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Refined Sugar-Free, SCD, Vegetarian

Servings 12 people

Ingredients

  

• 400 g ground almonds (3 cups almond flour)
• 2 large carrots
• 1 medium courgette (zucchini)
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 4 tbsps honey
• 4 tbsps coconut oil (melted) (plus a small amount for greasing the tins)
• 5 eggs
• 150 g raisins (1 cup)

For the Icing

• 100 g cream cheese
• 3 tbsps honey

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 160C (320F) and grease the cake tins with a small amount of coconut oil.
• Peel and grate the carrots and grate the courgette (zucchini).
• In a large bowl, add the almond flour (ground almonds), cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, coconut oil and honey and mix well to form a batter.
• Add the bicarbonate of soda and mix thoroughly again.
• Fold through the grated carrots and courgettes (zucchini) and the raisins so that they are evenly distributed.
• Pour half the mixture into each greased cake tin and smooth down.
• Bake in the oven for around 30-35 minutes until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Check often as almond flour can burn quite easily.
• Turn out onto a wire cake rack to cool.

To make the icing

• Beat together the cream cheese and honey.
• When the cakes are cool, sandwich the two halves together with three-quarters of the icing mixture.
• Load the other quarter into a piping bag to decorate the top.

Allergy & Dietary Information for Grainfree Carrot and Courgette Cake

This recipe is Grain-Free, Gluten-Free Refined-Sugar Free & Dairy-free (if you adjust the icing).  It’s also suitable for SCD, Paleo, Low Carb & Vegetarian Diets.

See my Products Page for Ingredients & Bakeware that I recommend.

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