Gluten-free carrot cake is one of my favorite cakes ever. The combination of soft airy cake with a fresh cream cheese frosting is amazing.

The best thing is that you can make a low FODMAP and gluten-free carrot cake without anybody noticing that it is gluten-free.

I made this carrot cake for the first time in 2014. It was one of the very first recipes that I published on my blog. The fourth recipe to be exact.

Since that time, I have published over 400 more recipes, so I found it time for an update. The recipe for this cake was fine, but the quality of the pictures annoyed me, haha. So I decided to make the cake again!

This recipe was originally published on the 22th of March 2019 and was updated on the 6th of April 2025.

The old recipe consisted of one layer of cake with a layer of frosting on top. For the new recipe, I made three layers of cake with cream cheese frosting in between and around it.

I find layer cakes always super festive and they are perfect to serve on a party. They give just that little bit extra than a one-layer cake. I took this cake to my dad’s 60th birthday and it was devoured in no time! 

Tools for the gluten-free carrot cake

I used the following tools to make this cake: 

• A straight spatula. I use this spatula to apply the frosting to the cake.
• A bench scraper. You use the bench scraper to smooth out the frosting on the sides of the cake.
• A 7-inch baking tin. This recipe makes three layers of cake, so it’s handy to have three 7-inch baking tins. I only had two, so I baked the layers one at a time in the oven, which also worked fine.

If you are looking for a simple carrot cake loaf cake, then take a look at my low FODMAP loaf cake carrot cake recipe! 

Carrot cake ingredients

• Gluten-free flour mix: I use Schär Mix It Universal, but you can also use King Arthur gluten-free measure for measure flour.
• Spices: for spices, I use cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and salt.
• Nuts: optionally you can add some nuts to the cake batter. I like using pecans or walnuts. You can omit these if you don’t like nuts or can’t eat them.

Ingredients for the cream cheese frosting

• Lactose-free cream cheese: for example, from the brand Green Valley.
• Butter: due to the processing method, butter contains very little lactose, making it low FODMAP and suitable for most people with lactose intolerance.
• Chopped nuts for garnish: I use walnuts or pecans, but you can also omit the nuts.

A gluten-free carrot cake everyone loves

This gluten-free carrot cake is always a hit at birthdays. Everyone loves it, and no one can tell it’s gluten-free!

It’s one of my favorite cakes to bake! The super fluffy and spiced cake combined with the sweet and creamy frosting is just the perfect match. Are you going to try this recipe?

Gluten-free carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

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5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Karlijn
• Total Time: 2 hours 15 min
• Servings: 10 1x

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Description

Gluten-free carrot cake with a lovely cream cheese frosting. Nobody will know that it is gluten-free! Also low FODMAP and low lactose.

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Ingredients

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For the cake

• 230 g (1 cup) sunflower oil
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 230 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) light brown sugar
• 200 g (1 3/4 cups) grated carrot
• 230 g (1 3/4 cups) gluten-free flour (I use Schär Mix It Universal)
• 1 tbsp (13 grams) baking powder
• 1 1/3 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/3 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• A pinch of salt
• A 7-inch baking tin

For the frosting

• 300 g (1 1/4 cups) lactose-free cream cheese
• 200 g (1 2/3 cups) icing sugar
• 200 g (7/8 cup) butter
• Chopped walnuts for decoration

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Instructions

For the cake

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F). Line the baking tin with baking parchment.
2. Grate the carrot. Put aside.
3. Put sunflower oil, eggs and vanilla extract together in a bowl and whisk together with a whisk.
4. Add sugar and whisk this into the mixture.
5. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger and stir everything together with the whisk. Finally stir in the carrot.
6. To get 3 layers of the same size, I always weigh my batter and divide it by three. I baked the cake layers one by one in the oven.
7. Bake the cake layers in the oven for 25 minutes. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean. Keep an eye on the cake during the last minutes of baking. The time that the cake needs can differ per oven, so the cake might be done a few minutes later or earlier in your oven.

For the frosting

1. Mix the butter creamy with a mixer.
2. Add the cream cheese and mix until fully incorporated.
3. Add the icing sugar little by little until everything is incorporated. Then mix on high speed for a few minutes until you have a creamy frosting.

Building the cake 

1. Take one cake layer. I usually put it on the cake stand that I want to serve it on immediately. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the cake layer and put the second layer on top. Spread a layer of frosting over this layer too and cover with the third layer of cake.
2. Use your spatula to spread a thin layer of frosting over the top and sides of the cake. The crumb coating. Put the cake in the fridge for 15 minutes, so the crumb coating can set.
3. Take the cake from the fridge and spread the rest of the frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Use the bench scraper to smoothen the sides of the cake.
4. I decorated the cake by putting some extra frosting on top. On top of this I crumbled chopped walnuts.

• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 1 hour 15 min