This Low-Carb Keto Carrot Cake has amazing texture and is perfectly spiced. You’ll also discover great flavor and no added sugar or gluten!
You wouldn’t think it would be possible. I mean, carrot cake is one carb-y kind of cake. How could you possibly make a keto version, one might wonder, with all that delicious creamy cheese icing and raisins amping up the carb count, right?
WRONG.
It is not only possible to make a keto carrot cake—with smart keto tweaks you can make even the most sugary desserts keto from luscious cheesecakes to the most chocolatey brownies—even decadent keto truffles.
After all, cooking keto is all about upping fat-rich flavor content. And fat is where flavor comes from. So, butter, which gives all baked goods a rich source of their flavor, can fill all those little flavor spaces sugar used to take up
—that and a dozen other little tricks, and you can create keto desserts that are the fat-bomb sha-hizzle.
Last year, I made Gluten-Free Sugar-Free Carrot Cake and it almost broke the internet. But I also got many questions about how to make it even lower carb. And with a few tweaks of this and that, I created this even more keto-friendly version powered by the rich flavor that coconut oil helps to carry throughout baked goods, powering the entire dessert with flavors of other ingredients and distributing them all throughout the cake while baking, infusing it more with the wholesome flavors of pecans, carrots, cinnamon, nutmeg, and good-tasting keto-friendly sweeteners like erythritol. The icing is a buttercream meets cream cheese meets vanilla extravaganza, that will make everyone in your family gobble this up like, well, carrot cake.
Is This Low-Carb Keto Carrot Cake Healthy?
This carrot cake is perfect for those sticking to a keto or low-carb diet while still wanting to enjoy a deliciously decadent dessert. Using erythritol eliminates refined sugar, which helps keep us healthy and it is a good, stable, keto-friendly sweetener that is the safest and best choice for baking. It has a very sugar-like flavor in baked goods, without refined sugar’s carbs and calories.
Using wholesome flours like almond flour and coconut flour helps to keep the carbs low while giving the cake a fine, tender texture. Almond flour is amazing for baking because of its already sweet and nutty flavor and absorbent coconut flour helps make keto cakes stay moist and dense and maintain their structure without that denser, more carb-rich, glutinous AP flour. Because coconut flour is known for its powers of carrying even more flavor throughout baked goods, the cake gets powered with carrot flavor—without you having to use so many carrots. That’s the magic behind this keto carrot cake!
I can Have Carrots— and Even Carrot Cake on Keto?
While carrots aren’t as low-carb as, say, leafy greens, they can still fit into a keto diet —if you enjoy them in moderation. One cup of carrots has about 12 grams of carbohydrates, which still leaves you plenty of room for having other low-carb foods throughout the day, being most keto eaters take in at least 40 to 50 daily carbs. Carrots bring a lot to the table nutritionally, with their natural sweetness, moisture, and a boost of vitamins and fiber. So yes, carrots can work for keto–just keep an eye on your portions to stay within your daily carb goals.
How to Store This Carrot Cake
Store this cake covered tightly with plastic wrap or in a cake keeper. This cake will last up to 1 week in the fridge—and it must be refrigerated because of that rich butter icing which could sour if left at room temp more than 3 hours. If you want to make this cake ahead, keep in mind that neither butter nor cream cheese freeze well— at all. So freeze this uniced and ice after thawing in the refrigerator and then at room temp for about an hour. You want that frosting to be able to spread smoothly without tearing up your delicious cake.
Serving Suggestions
This carrot cake is versatile and fits in perfectly for so many occasions – especially just enjoying a slice with a bold cup of coffee or warm spicy herbal tea. For a cozy Easter brunch, this cake is a great finish to a light meal featuring other low-carb bites like a Crustless Quiche and Horseradish Deviled Eggs. It’s also an awesome dessert to complete a holiday dinner. Picture it paired with your Thanksgiving turkey complete with homemade Turkey Gravy, Roasted Sweet Potatoes And Apples, and of course Low-Carb Keto Green Bean Casserole. You’ll see, this cake is light enough to balance out a rich meal, but it still feels indulgent enough to end the night on a sweet note, too.
If you love this recipe, try these equally delicious carrot-inspired recipes for Carrot Cake Overnight Oats, Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Baked Donuts, and even Vegan Carrot Cake Dip to keep your carrot cake cravings satisfied!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour (264g)
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour (12g)
- 5 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 3/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 1 cup erythritol sweetener (I used Swerve)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups carrot grated and loosely packed
- 1/2 cup pecans diced (85g) plus additional for garnish (optional)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (27g)
For the frosting:
- 8 ounces full fat cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered erythritol sweetener (I used Swerve)
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper, spraying the exposed sides with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flours, cinnamon, baking soda and powder, salt, and nutmeg.
- In a separate large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs, oil, sweetener, and vanilla until well combined. Pour in the coconut flour mixture and stir until combined.
- Gently fold in the carrots, pecans, and coconut flakes until well combined. Your batter will be very thick; this is normal.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two pans, spreading out smoothly. Bake until the sides are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool COMPLETELY before frosting.
To make the frosting:
- In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter on high speed until fluffy. Add in the vanilla and beat until combined.
- Set the mixer on low speed and gradually add in the powdered sweetener until you've added all of it and it's well combined. Return to high speed and beat for 2-3 minutes until the frosting is fluffy.
To frost:
- Place one layer bottom side up on a cake stand. Spread 3/4 cup of the frosting all over it evenly. Then, place the other cake bottom side up gently on top.
- Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake to make the crumb coat. It doesn't have to be pretty, it's just to seal in the crumbs. Chill for at least an hour, up to overnight. Put the remaining frosting in the fridge too, so it starts to firm up.
- Once chilled, frost the entire cake. I find an offset spatula really helps! Garnish with extra pecans, if desired.
Nutrition Info:
Nutrition information are estimates only and may vary based on the specific brands, ingredients, and portion sizes you use. This data is provided for informational purposes only.
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