Nut Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

I have been making this delicious Nut Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing for years. This is the recipe my Mother has been making since I was a child, and it has always been amazing. When I started making this as an adult, I adjusted the spices slightly and came up with a lighter version of my Mother’s cream cheese icing. I make this cake every Spring around Easter because something about carrots just says Spring to me. This cake is perfect layered for celebrations, but also makes amazing cupcakes. If you want, you could even bake it up as a loaf and serve it without icing as a delicious snack with tea or coffee.

This cake is light and flavourful without being heavy or rich. Because it’s made with oil and not butter, it is moist without the denseness that butter adds. The sweetness of the shredded carrot is beautifully complimented by the cinnamon and nutmeg, while the crushed pineapple adds brightness to the dish. This simple delicious cake is taken to another level with the addition of my cream cheese icing, which is both light and rich at the same time. I guarantee that once you make this delicious Nut Free Carrot Cake it will become your go to recipe.

TOTAL TIME

• Preparation Time – 15 minutes
• Cooking Time – 25 minutes, plus 1 hour cooling time
• Total Time – 1 hr 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS FOR NUT FREE CARROT CAKE

All the ingredients for this Nut Free Carrot Cake with with Cream Cheese Icing are easy to source from any local grocer.

Nut Free Carrot Cake

• 4 large Eggs
• 1 cup White sugar
• 1 cup Brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups Avocado oil
• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 3 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Fine salt
• 2 1/2 cups Grated carrot
• 1 cup Unsweetened crushed pineapple
• 2 tsp Vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Icing

• 1 lb Cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup Unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups Icing sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

CAN I MAKE THIS CAKE WITHOUT THE CREAM CHEESE ICING?

Absolutely. This cake is decadent layered with my fluffy cream cheese icing, but is also delicious entirely on it’s own in loaf form without icing.

CAN I MAKE THIS RECIPE INTO CARROT MUFFINS?

Definitely. If you’d like to make muffins you can certainly use this recipe. Just make sure to keep an eye on them as they will bake very quickly!

CAN I MAKE ONE LARGE CAKE AND CUT IT INSTEAD OF MAKING THREE CAKES?

I would not recommend doing this. This cake is extremely soft, and will shred if you try cutting it horizontally into separate layers. I strongly recommend making three separate cakes and layering them.

INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS

CAN I USE MATCHSTICK CARROTS INSTEAD OF GRATED CARROTS?

I wouldn’t suggest using matchstick carrots because you will end up with the wrong consistency in your cake. Grated carrots give you a light, soft cake, where as the matchstick carrots will stand out in the batter.

CAN I MAKE LACTOSE FREE CARROT CAKE?

This delicious Nut Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing can absolutely be made lactose free! I have recently started to make lactose free carrot cake for my husband. I like using President’s Choice Lactose Free Cream Cheese and Lactancia Unsalted Lactose Free Butter.

CAN I USE A DIFFERENT KIND OF OIL IN THIS CAKE?

Yes, you can certainly use another kind of oil in place of Avocado if you wish. I would suggest using Canola, Vegetable, Sunflower, or another neutral flavoured oil.

I’M ALLERGIC TO PINEAPPLE: IS THERE A SUBSTITUTE?

This cake is extremely moist due to the amount of liquid and fruit it contains. I would not recommend simply removing the pineapple because your dry ingredient quantities would be off as a result. Instead, I would suggest substituting the crushed pineapple for apple sauce: the flavour will be slightly different of course, but the cake will still be beautifully moist.

EQUIPMENT FOR NUT FREE CARROT CAKE

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Below is a list of the main equipment/kitchen tools needed to make Carrot Cake:

• Kitchen Aid Mixer – You can certainly make this cake by hand if you don’t own a mixer, but you will find it difficult to properly whip up the cream cheese icing. I highly recommend purchasing a good mixer if you are able to do so. I adore my Kitchen Aid Professional mixer.

• Spatula

• 9 inch Springform Pan – I strongly recommend these Wilton spring form pans. They are durable, inexpensive, and dishwasher safe. Most importantly they don’t warp in the oven, and will bake your cake evenly.

• Parchment Paper – I highly recommend lining your springform pan with parchment paper as it will prevent the bottom of your carrot cake from sticking.

COOKING DIRECTIONS

This Nut Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing can be made in 40 minutes, and is as easy to make as it is delicious as long as you follow a few rules:

1. Use freshly grated carrot in your carrot cake.
2. Leave your cream cheese and butter out to warm to room temperature.
3. To ensure a light fluffy cake don’t over work your ingredients.
4. Make sure your cake is entirely cooled before you cover it in cream cheese icing.

MAKE AHEAD STORAGE

I would not recommend making any ingredients in advance for this cake.

This Nut Free Carrot Cake can be stored in the fridge for up to five days. It can also be frozen in an air tight container.

FINISHED DISH

Enjoy your Nut Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing!

OTHER DESSERTS

Caramelized Peach Upside Down Cake

Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake

Easy Coconut Macaroons

Easy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment and rating below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cooking.with.carbs.

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