Here is another variation of my paleo cauliflower carrot cake recipe that can be made without nuts and almond flour! You’ll be blown away by how soft and tender the cake is, and how well the cauliflower compliments the carrots!!
Ingredients Used to Make This Cauliflower Carrot Cake
**I've linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂
- Oatmeal - Oatmeal acts as a binder in this recipe. Plus it adds a satisfying chew! You can use old-fashioned (rolled) or quick-cooking oats, but I wouldn't recommend using steel cut for this recipe. If you want to keep this strictly gluten-free (some oats are produced in the same facility as wheat), be sure to buy the one with the GF label like this one.
- Carrot – Known for their high beta carotene, vitamin K1, and potassium, carrots are full of fiber and antioxidants and make great crunchy midday snacks! I used thinly shred the carrots for this recipe so that they’re well incorporated with the other ingredients. I used a box shredder/ grater like this one.
- Cauliflower rice – they’re sold in the frozen vegetable aisle, but you can make your own by pulsing cauliflower a few times in a food processor like this one.
- Eggs – I used regular large eggs. I haven't tried using egg replacements like flax or chia yet, so you might not get the same results if you decide to substitute.
- Salt – Pink Himalayan salt is what I have at home, so it’s what I use, but you can use any kind for this recipe.
- Coconut Sugar – You can use any granulated sugar of your choice, but coconut, date and maple sugars are less processed sugars I would recommend. Honey and maple syrup should also work. For lower calorie options, you could also use monk fruit sweetener or stevia (but be sure to convert according to package instructions).
- Olive Oil – Instead of olive oil, you can use coconut oil, or avocado oil here if you'd like.
More Cauliflower Recipes
For the Add-Ins I used
- Walnuts and Raisins – you can omit or substitute any one of these ingredients. I love the chew and extra nutrition they provide to the bars and there are plenty of other ingredients that can be used instead. For example, you can use cranberries (I recommend the lower sugar kind) or chopped dates or dried figs if you don’t have raisins. You can use pecans if you don’t have walnuts.
Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins for Cauliflower Carrot Cake:
- If you don't have or want to use oats for this recipe, you're welcome to use white or whole wheat flour instead.
- I used walnuts and raisins for this recipe, but you're welcome to use different dried fruits and nuts, as long as they're kept under 1 cup.
- Chocolate Chip Carrot Cake? Sounds delicious. Instead of the raisins, just fold in some chocolate chips to the batter.
- Do you like Chai or Cardamom? Cardamom Apple Cake, or Chai Pumpkin Cake by adding Chai Tea Powder. You can also use pumpkin pie spice.
- You can also bake this in a muffin pan instead of a cake pan.
How to Make this Healthier
- Want to increase fiber? Add a Tablespoon of ground flaxseed!
- You can also reduce the sugar by half (to make this less sweet), or substitute the sugar with a sugar-free substitute.
What are some ways you can eat Cauliflower Carrot Cake?
- Plain and warm, unfrosted
- Frosted with cream cheese frosting (recipe below) or my 2-Ingredient Almond Butter Frosting
- Dusted with powdered sugar or sugar-free powdered sugar. Just make sure you use a sieve to sift the sugar on top!
How to Store
- I recommend that you store this cake in the fridge. You can leave them uncovered if you plan to eat them in less than a day, but for longer storage, cover loosely in plastic wrap or a large airtight (cake size) container up to 4 days. You can also freeze these cauliflower carrot cake slices up to 4 months. When ready to eat, defrost overnight in the fridge and enjoy 🙂
Final Tips
- PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use parchment to line the cake pan (bottom and sides) before baking, and preferably a cake pan with a removable bottom for easy removal. I am stressing this because the cake is tender and you could end up damaging the cake if you aren't careful taking the cake out of the cake pan. If you don't have either options available, however, you could do these THREE things to make this easier. (1) grease the cake pan really well with oil before baking. (2) divide the cake batter into two cake pans instead of one. (3) cool the cake in the fridge for about 4-5 hours or overnight so that the cake is more firm and easier to work with.
- Use batter right away after prep. They will deflate over time, so I've found that you don’t want the batter sitting out on the counter for too long.
- Baking time (as well as serving size) will vary based on the size of your cake pan, the material (silicone vs metal) of the pan, and the thickness of your cake. Bake the cauliflower carrot cake until the center is cooked through. You can check by inserting a clean toothpick or cake tester into the center and making sure it comes out clean.
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Flourless Cauliflower Carrot Cake
Ingredients
CAKE
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats , or 1 ¾ cup oat flour, or whole wheat flour
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup light olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup baby carrots , 150grams, or about 15 medium baby carrots
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar of choice*
- 1 ½ Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cup cauliflower rice , 160 grams
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup raisins
FROSTING
- 8 oz cream cheese , softened
- ⅔ cup greek yogurt
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar of choice*
- ⅓ cup butter , softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 350F
- In a food processor or high powered blender, blend the oats, eggs, olive oil, vanilla extract, and baby carrots until smooth.
- In a bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, salt with the liquid carrot mixture. Add in the cauliflower rice, chopped walnuts and raisins.
- Divide the batter evenly into the cake pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool completely before taking them out of the pans as they’ll be very tender. If you have the time, I recommend chilling the cakes in the fridge before assembling/frosting.
Make the Frosting
- Blend all the frosting ingredients in the food processor (or bowl) until smooth.
Assemble
- Spread the frosting on one layer of cake with ⅓ of the frosting, top with the second cake layer and use the rest to frost over the top and sides of the cake. Top the cake with chopped pecans or dried fruits. Let the cake chill in the fridge for about an hour before slicing.
Notes
* You can use any granulated or liquid sweetener of your choice, but honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, date sugar and maple sugars are the less processed, naturally derived options. For the lower calorie, reduced carb option reflected in the nutrition facts, use sugar-free sweeteners such as monkfruit sweetener or stevia (just be sure to convert according to package instructions). You can also use sugar-free powdered sugar, such as powdered Erythritol
Nutrition
Calories: 373kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 9gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 485mgPotassium: 288mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 2559IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 175mgIron: 2mg***Net Carbs: 17g
Did You Like this Recipe?I'd love to know more about it! Please leave a rating or comment below so I know what to add and which recipes to share with you next!
Burke says
I'm going to say it. I'm scared to try this
All Purpose Veggies says
🙂
Val says
Can you use less sugar?
All Purpose Veggies says
Yes, absolutely! Reducing it to 1 cup should be just fine, but if you want to reduce it further and still want to do a quick taste test before baking, here's what I like to do: drop a spoonful of raw batter into a microwave safe plate, microwave it for 30-60 seconds (or until the batter fully cooks), cool it, taste it, and see if you like it! If the sample is not sweet enough, you can add more sugar to the batter before baking.