Keto Carrot Cake Recipe [with Cream Cheese Frosting]
Carrot cake is far from keto-friendly. The carrots, cake, and cream cheese icing saturate each slice with excess sugar and net carbs.
Although you can have other types of cake on keto — such as chocolate mug cake or keto cheesecake — they simply don’t match the unique texture and flavor of a high-quality carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
However, this doesn’t mean you have to give up carrot cake to reach your keto goals. In fact, by using what we’ve learned from other low-carb cake recipes, it’ll be surprisingly easy to get your carrot cake fix in a keto-friendly way.
Can You Really Eat Carrots, Cake, and Icing on Keto?
Yes, you can — but only if you ditch the high-carb baking ingredients used in traditional recipes. By replacing all-purpose flour with low-carb flour, subbing out the sugar for keto sweetener, and using just the right amount of carrot, you’ll be able to have your carrot cake and eat it too.
With these simple keto swaps, you will decrease the net carbs in each carrot cake slice by over 90% without comprising on flavor or texture.
That being said, you may still be wondering how it is possible to have carrots on keto since they are relatively high-carb. The secret is using no more than you need to get the perfect bite each time. (However, if you prefer to keep carrot out of your diet, you can replace it with shredded zucchini instead.)
All in all, these are the changes needed to make your carrot cake keto-friendly, gluten-free, healthy, and absolutely delicious.
Tips For Making the Best Keto Carrot Cake
When making this keto-friendly carrot cake recipe for the first time, make sure to carefully follow each step. Though some steps are similar to traditional recipes, there are a few keto culinary tricks you’ll be using as well.
Along with that, here are some other easy tips you can use to make the best possible keto carrot cake:
Use the right type and amount of carrot. It is best to grate the carrot yourself without packing the shreds tightly into the measuring cup. Tightly packing the shreds will yield too much carrot, and pre-shredded carrots usually don’t have enough moisture.Double-check to make sure your cake is ready. Bake time will vary, so use the toothpick test and/or touch the top in multiple places to make sure it springs back.Let the carrot cake cool to room temperature before frosting. Don’t rush frosting the cake. Excess heat can cause your cream cheese frosting to melt and lose its integrity.Bring your frosting to room temperature first. The keto carrot cake frosting spreads best at room temperature. The cooler it is, the harder it’ll be to spread.Use heavy cream for the perfect cream cheese frosting texture. If you find the frosting to be too thick, add more heavy cream 1/2 tbsp at a time. (Conversely, to make it thicker, add 1-2 tablespoons of softened cream cheese.)How to Store Your Keto-friendly Carrot Cake
If you’re not ready to serve your keto carrot cake right away, gently cover it and put it in the refrigerator. It’ll be best within 1-2 days but can last up to a week.
Alternatively, for a freezer-friendly carrot cake option, try freezing the cake before you frost it or bake the batter into individual keto carrot cake muffins or cupcakes (read the next section to learn how).
Make the frosting ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to a week, or whip it up while your carrot cake reheats.
Can I Covert This Keto Carrot Cake into Cupcakes or Muffins?
This carrot cake batter is easy to turn into cupcakes or muffins. Simply use a cupcake or muffin tin rather than a cake pan. Carrot cake cupcakes and muffins tend to take about 5-10 minutes less time than the whole cake. However, make sure you check for desire doneness with a toothpick.
For carrot cake cupcake frosting, use the frosting recipe below. Conversely, If you’d prefer a lighter muffin topping, try making some keto-friendly cinnamon “sugar.”
Can I Make a Nut-free Keto Carrot Cake with Coconut Flour?
Regarding this keto carrot cake recipe, coconut flour is not the best substitute for almond flour. In this case, I’d recommend using the same amount of sunflower seed flour instead.
That being said, if you still want to experiment with making a coconut flour carrot cake, follow the replacement recommendations in our keto flour substitution guide.
Also, to make your keto carrot cake 100% nut-free, don’t forget to skip the pecans as well. This recipe will work wonderfully with or without them.
Can I Use a Different Keto Sweetener?
If you don’t have pure erythritol on hand, feel free to use any granular keto-friendly sweetener you have, such as Swerve or any other sweetener blend that is as sweet as sugar. Just keep in mind that your carrot cake may be a bit sweeter when using these options instead of erythritol.
Liquid sweeteners and high-intensity granular sweeteners should not be used to replace erythritol in this recipe.
Yields 8 servings of Keto Carrot Cake
The Preparation
Carrot Cake
5 tablespoon butter, softened1/2 cup erythritol4 large eggs1 tablespoon baking powder2 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon ground ginger1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg1 teaspoon vanilla extract1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped1.5 cups almond flour1/2 cup carrot, finely grated (~1 large carrot or 78g)
Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounce cream cheese, softened2 tablespoon butter, softened1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 tablespoon heavy cream1/4 cup erythritol, powdered1/4 cup pecans, choppedThe Execution
1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Gather ingredients together.
2. Line a baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In a bowl, beat together butter and erythritol until light in color.
4. Beat the eggs into the butter mixture until incorporated.
5. Add spices and baking powder, then whisk to combine.
6. Add the finely chopped pecans and almond flour, then mix together well again.
7. Add in the grated carrot and fold into the batter.
8. Pour the batter into the baking dish and spread the top to evenly distribute the batter. Bake for 18-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
9. While the carrot cake is baking, prepare the icing.
10. Beat together all ingredients for the icing until well combined. Put aside until ready to use.
11. Let the cake completely cool after it’s been removed from the oven. If you try to ice the carrot cake immediately after it comes out of the oven, the icing will melt.
12. Ice the cake and top with chopped pecans if desired. Enjoy!
This makes a total of 8 servings of Keto Carrot Cake. Each serving comes out to be 387 calories, 35.6g fats, 4.7g net carbs, and 9.7g protein.
NUTRITIONCALORIESFATCARBSFIBERNET CARBSPROTEINCarrot Cake5 tablespoon butter509580000.61/2 cup erythritol40000004 large eggs286191.401.4251 tablespoon baking powder7.303.803.802 teaspoon ground cinnamon130.14.22.81.40.21/2 teaspoon ground ginger300.60.10.50.11/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg30.20.30.10.201 teaspoon vanilla extract1200.500.501/2 cup pecans359377.252.24.81.5 cups almond flour97384362115361/2 cup carrot270.16.42.34.10.6Cream Cheese Frosting4 ounce cream cheese397396.306.372 tablespoon butter204230000.21 teaspoon vanilla extract1200.500.501 tablespoon heavy cream515.40.400.40.41/4 cup erythritol20000001/4 cup pecans180193.62.51.12.4Totals3096.3284.871.233.837.477.3Per Serving (/8)387.035.68.94.24.79.7
The Preparation
Carrot Cake
5 tablespoon butter, softened1/2 cup erythritol4 large eggs1 tablespoon baking powder2 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon ground ginger1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg1 teaspoon vanilla extract1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped1.5 cups almond flour1/2 cup carrot, finely grated (~1 large carrot)
Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounce cream cheese, softened2 tablespoon butter, softened1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 tablespoon heavy cream1/4 cup erythritol, powdered1/4 cup pecans, chopped
The Execution
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Gather ingredients together.Line a baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.In a bowl, beat together butter and erythritol until light in color.Beat the eggs into the butter mixture until incorporated.Add spices and baking powder, then whisk to combine.Add the finely chopped pecans and almond flour, then mix together well again.Add in the grated carrot and fold into the batter.Pour the batter into the baking dish and spread the top to evenly distribute the batter. Bake for 18-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.While the carrot cake is baking, prepare the icing.Beat together all ingredients for the icing until well combined. Place into the refrigerator until ready to use.Let the cake completely cool after it’s been removed from the oven. If you try to ice the carrot cake immediately after it comes out of the oven, the icing will melt.Ice the cake and top with chopped pecans if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
This makes a total of 8 servings of Keto Carrot Cake. Each serving comes out to be 387 calories, 35.6g fats, 4.7g net carbs, and 9.7g protein.
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