Keto Carrot Cream Cheese Cake - Gluten-free and Sugar-free

This delicious and impressive Keto Carrot Cream Cheese Cake is deceptively easy to make.  Simply layering perfectly light, fluffy and moist gluten-free carrot cake with a creamy cheesecake layer, this keto dessert recipe has quickly become one of my favourite recipes! Not only is it gluten-free, sugar-free and keto-friendly but it is also easy to make, versatile, and utterly delicious. A perfect keto recipe for a beginner or advanced baker!

Gluten-free and Sugar-free Carrot Cake

So, as my obsession with the Great British Baking Competition continues, so does my desire to create unique baked goods.  Hence this Keto Carrot Cream Cheese Cake recipe.

However, I have quickly learned that there are some major differences between these amazing British bakers and myself.  First, they somehow seem to have many years of experience (even the younger ones) and secondly, they are all creating baked goods with wheat-based flour.

It is not very often that you will find a baking expert using flours like almond flour or making desserts that are both sugar-free and gluten-free.

And let me tell you there is a definite learning curve when it comes to creating keto desserts that don't use any gluten.

So, after making this Carrot Cream Cheese Layered Cake, about 3 years ago, I decided that it was time to update this recipe with only a couple of changes that take the original recipe and make this the most delicious beginner keto recipe.

Keto Carrot Cake Ingredients

The ingredients you need for this cake are simple and I bet you have quite a few of them already in your kitchen! The full recipe is below, but here is a quick overview:

Almond Flour - Make sure that you use almond flour and not almond meal. If you can find super-fine almond flour, it will produce the best cake texture. If you don't care about making this cake "keto", you can easily make a gluten-free carrot cake by simply swapping out the almond flour for your favourite gluten-free flour blend.

Whey Protein Powder - This is a new ingredient that I have been starting to add to all my easy keto dessert recipes. Whey protein powder replaces the protein found in gluten and helps the cake to rise. I use Cabot Plain Protein powder which is unflavoured. If you don't have any Whey powder, you can add more almond flour but your sugar-free carrot cake will be denser.

Xanthan Gum - Xanthan gum is an important ingredient in gluten-free and keto baking. Although this ingredient is optional, adding xanthan gum to keto cakes helps these baked goods hold together and develop elasticity which is a job normally performed by gluten.

Baking soda -  Baking soda helps the cake to rise. You don’t need to add baking powder as the cake does not need it.

Salt, cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla-  Adding these spices and extract really makes this keto carrot cream cheesecake taste amazing. You can always add pineapple extract or omit the cardamom if you don't have it.

Oil -  This is also an ingredient that I changed from the original recipe which calls for oil and milk. Using only oil keeps the cake nice and moist and although I went with coconut oil, any neutral-flavoured oil will work.

Sour Cream - I used full-fat sour cream but I think you could use light or even Greek Yogurt instead.

Sweetener -  I used Lakanto Golden which is an erythritol-based sweetener. It has a slightly more caramel/molasses flavour which I REALLY like. You can replace this with any sugar-free sweetener as I am pretty sure anything will work. I have recently been experimenting with quickly heating the sugar substitute first before beating it into the oil and I believe this does result in a slightly lighter cake structure. If you try it, let me know what you think!

Eggs - Four large eggs at room temperature will help to bind the ingredients as well as give the cake structure.

Carrots - You can add anywhere from 1-2 cups of shredded carrots depending on the number of carbs you want in this cake. 1 cup of shredded carrots contains about 7 grams of net carbs so adding 2 cups will add about 0.5 grams of carbs per slice. I personally think this is worth it but like I said, feel free to reduce (or increase!) the amount of shredded carrots. I like to hand grate my carrots since I prefer the texture, but you can use your food processor or buy pre-grated carrots from the store.

Nuts - I added chopped pecans since I wanted to add a little texture to the cake but you can use walnuts or almonds instead. I know that some people can not stand pecans or any other nut in baked goods so feel free to completely eliminate the nuts if you want!

Cream Cheese Cake Layer Ingredients

Cream Cheese - I used full-fat cream cheese as it produces the creamiest texture. Make sure that the cream cheese is at room temperature or it will be very difficult to blend with the sweetener.

Sour Cream - Most cheesecake recipes use sour cream (or sometimes heavy cream) to create the soft creamy texture of the cheesecake as well as add some moisture.

Eggs - Two large eggs are added to bind the cheesecake. Make sure that your eggs are also at room temperature. Only gently mix the eggs in the cheesecake. Overwhipping the eggs will cause the cheesecake to crake. (For more Cheesecake tips and recipes, check out all my Keto Cheesecake Recipes here!)

Sweetener - Any sweetener should work but if you want to ensure that your cheesecake layer does not crystalize when it cools, I suggest allulose instead or erythritol. (Check out this post for more information on different types of keto sweeteners)

Easy Keto Cream Cheese Frosting

You only need some pretty basic ingredients for this easy keto dessert!

Simply beat together all the ingredients until they become light and fluffy. In order to get the ingredients to incorporate well, make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. Usually, it takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour for ingredients to soften to room temperature.

You can also choose not to frost this cake and just leave it naked instead.

Making this Easy Keto Dessert Cake Batter

The method for this carrot cake recipe could not be simpler! If you have a couple of bowls and can stir ingredients together then you can absolutely make this cake! Like I stated earlier, this Keto Carrot Cream Cheese Cake is perfect for any level baker.

Basic Steps for Beginner Keto Recipe

Dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another - Whisk all the dry ingredients together in one bowl until they are well blended. Then, using the same whisk, whisk all the wet ingredients together in another bowl. Like I stated above, it is REALLY important that ALL your ingredients are at room temperature otherwise the cold eggs could cause the coconut oil to solidify. Also, if you whisk the dry ingredient first, you don't need to wash the whisk between bowls!

Fold the dry and wet ingredients together - To combine the 2 bowls, I simply use a large rubber spatula or a large spoon and combine the two together until they are fully combined.

Finally, add the carrots and nuts - Once all the wet and dry ingredients have been combined, I fold in the carrots, and if I’m using them, the nuts.

Frosting the Cake

Mr. Grumbles' loves the extra layer of creamy cream cheese frosting. It’s soft and creamy and doesn’t firm up like some cake frostings.

The frosting is actually the same one listed in this post and is made with only three basic ingredients:

1. Cream cheese
2. Sweetener
3. Butter

If you’re not into frostings or if you don’t have the ingredients on hand, try the cake as-is without any frosting at all. Or, you can always simply sift a little bit of powdered sweetener on top.

For these pictures, I opted to frost the cake and then added Orange Funfetti Coconut sprinkles and crushed pecans along the top. This is completely optional so have fun with it and decorate your keto carrot cream cheesecake with whatever suits your fancy!

TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

• The cake layers can easily be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for 2 days before assembling.  You could even make the layers weeks ahead and wrap them tightly in cling wrap and place them in the freezer until ready to assemble the cake.
• If you don't have 3 round cake tins, you can place the entire carrot cake mixture in one round baking pan.  You will need to cook it a little longer.  You will know it is cooked through when a toothpick comes out clean.  Then, let the cake cool and use a sharp knife to cut the single carrot cake in half to make 2 equal width cakes
• Don't feel like making the cheesecake layer?  No problem! Omit the cheesecake and assemble the cake in the same manner
• Want to have clean lines when you cut through the layers of the cake?  Simply place the cake in the freezer overnight and you will be able to slice perfectly smooth layers.
• Don't want to make my Cream Cheese Frosting?  Feel free to buy these items at the store.
• Don't like nuts?  Simply omit them altogether.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make carrot cake cupcakes using this recipe? Yes, absolutely. To make cupcakes instead of a cake, we’d recommend baking for 14 to 18 minutes (or until a tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean). Then let them cool for a few minutes in the cupcake pan before transferring them to a cooling rack. The recipe should make about 24 cupcakes.

Can I make one large single-layer cake? Yes, but the baking time will change. For a bundt cake, a 10-cup or 12-cup Bundt pan should be fine. You will likely need to increase the baking time by about 30% in the 10-cup pan, somewhat less in the 12-cup. The batter will also fit into a 9-inch by 13-inch pan, but you might need to leave out a bit of the batter so it does not overflow. (I’d also bake the cake on a sheet pan, just in case some batter comes over the sides.)

How do you store the carrot cake? Technically, because there is a cream cheese frosting on the cake, it should be kept in the fridge, but most bakers (even professional ones) are okay with leaving a frosted cake on the counter for a day or two (as long as your kitchen isn’t hot). If you prefer to refrigerate the cake, it will last for 5 to 6 days.

Can I add pineapple to the carrot cake? You can but not if you are following a keto diet as there are WAY too many carbs in pineapple. Instead, you could always use pineapple extract but be careful as extracts are VERY potent and adding too much can destroy your cake (trust me, I did this and the cake was terrible!

This Carrot Cream Cheese Layered Cake is not overly sweet so you could easily serve it for breakfast or for an afternoon snack with a cup of tea!

More Beginner Keto recipes

• Easy Keto Cranberry Pie Dessert - Perfect for Leftover Cranberries!
• Keto Crispy Thin Chocolate Chip Cookies - Sugar-Free Tate's Copycat Recipe
• Easy Keto Coconut Cream Pie - A Blender Recipe
• Keto Pumpkin Caramel Magic Bars

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