Gluten free Carrot Cake
Lately my body was screaming quite loudly at me for ignoring her decade long signs that something is not quite right with my diet, and decided to give her the chance to prove her point. So I went cold turkey on 'anything wheat' for a few days to see if there's any noticeable improvement.
Lo and behold, she was right!
That's bad bad new for me. Mind you I love my bread and cakes and cookies and everything wheat. Part of the reason for my hiatus, time to rethink my priorities.
So, here we are with a gluten free carrot cake, a super moist cake with pineapple and its juice. No doubt it's with less sugar yet the sweetness is just right, and it's loaded with desiccated coconut and walnuts.
This simple and quick and fuss free cake is rather moist but not too doughy, I suppose the rest of the aforesaid ingredients and the creamy cream cheese makes up for what's lacking - which is nothing!
200g / 10 oz can crushed pineapple , drained but reserve juice
1/4 cup (65 ml) reserved canned pineapple juice
Wet ingredients
3/4 cup (185 ml) milk , at room temperature
1 tsp white vinegar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup (265g) brown sugar - I used about 1 cup
1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
Dry Ingredients
2 cups (300g) gluten free flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon powder
A
2 cups grated carrot , about 2 carrots
1/4 cup desiccated sweetened coconut
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans , roughly chopped
FROSTING
180g / 6oz cream cheese , at room temperature
225g / 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups (480g) icing sugar / powdered sugar
Note- I used half the measure since I am only frosting the top
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F Grease and line 8" square pan
Drain crushed pineapple, reserving the juice.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F Grease and line 8" square pan
Drain crushed pineapple, reserving the juice.
Whisk Dry ingredients in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, vinegar, eggs, sugar, oil and the 1/4 cup pinepple juice.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, vinegar, eggs, sugar, oil and the 1/4 cup pinepple juice.
Stir in carrot, crushed pineapple, coconut and pecans into the wet ingredients bowl.
Pour wet into dry ingredients, stir until flour is incorporated.
Pour into prepared pan.
Pour wet into dry ingredients, stir until flour is incorporated.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean and the cake is golden on top. Mine took slightly more than 50 min.
Rest for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack. Frost once completely cool.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Then beat in the icing sugar in 2 batches until it is well incorporated and the frosting is fluffy - about 3 minutes on speed 7 stand mixer.
Flip one cake upside down on serving platter (for flat surface). Spread with 1/3 frosting. Place 2nd cake upside down on frosting. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting.
Rest for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack. Frost once completely cool.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Then beat in the icing sugar in 2 batches until it is well incorporated and the frosting is fluffy - about 3 minutes on speed 7 stand mixer.
Flip one cake upside down on serving platter (for flat surface). Spread with 1/3 frosting. Place 2nd cake upside down on frosting. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting.
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