This super moist, spiced Nut-Free Carrot Cake is a must-try whether you have nut allergies or not! The cake is ridiculously tender and not overly sweet, and is balanced by the decadently dessert-y cream cheese frosting on top! It’s packed with warming spices, and is easily baked in a single layer for convenience.
As someone with a life-long tree nut allergy, I often felt like I was missing out turning down carrot cake after carrot cake packed with walnuts or pecans. Both in childhood and adulthood, I often requested homemade carrot cake for my annual birthday dessert because it was an easy opportunity to enjoy a version that could be made nut-free. After all those years, I decided it was finally time to make my own!
To me, carrot cake isn’t bound to any one particular season…
- I always associated it with my summer birthday.
- To many, it’s a spring cake overlapping with the Easter season.
- To others, it’s a perfect autumn dessert due to the inclusion of fall spices.
I say it’s a year-round treat!
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RECIPE NOTES:
Prep: Every step of this recipe is incredibly simple, however some take a little extra patience, such as preparing the carrots! It helps everything to move more quickly if you have your supplies and ingredients prepped and organized before beginning!
Storage: Because the cream cheese frosting is perishable, the finished frosted cake leftovers must be stored airtight in the refrigerator**. Luckily, this does not compromise the cake texture at all! Ideally, let your slice come back to room temperature before eating to restore the original texture (though I’ve definitely been impatient and eaten it cold too). It will taste as good as new for a full week!
Containers: Feel free to use whatever container you prefer for the refrigerator. I often divide remaining slices into a couple of large glass food storage containers with lids.
Freezing: For longer-term storage, feel free to freeze leftover cake slices as well! Simply move them into the refrigerator to thaw before enjoying.
**My rule is never more than 2 hours at room temperature for food safety. 🙂
INGREDIENT NOTES:
FOR THE CAKE
Dry ingredients…
All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is the perfect neutral flour choice for this cake. I love using an unbleached variety! (Measuring Tip: I always measure my flour by scooping it into the measuring cup with a spoon, to keep it from getting overly packed, then leveling it out on top with the spoon at the end!)
Cane Sugar: This is my preferred/tested type of granulated sugar to use.
Dark Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar adds extra moisture and flavor into the cake, and the acidity is also an important component to help the crumb develop.
Baking Soda & Baking Powder: The combination of both baking soda and baking powder give this cake the perfect rise!
Saigon Cinnamon: Cinnamon is always a must-have spice in carrot cake! I strongly recommend using Saigon cinnamon for the sweetest, smoothest flavor!
Cloves: Cloves are one of my favorite additions to any baked good with warm spices. (It’s one of my secret ingredients in my Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake too!) It adds an incredible amount of flavor depth and smells amazing.
Allspice: A dash of peppery allspice perfectly rounds out the warmth of the cinnamon and cloves.
Salt: A little salt is a must in baking to help the crumb develop properly! (I used finely ground sea salt.)
Wet ingredients…
Avocado Oil: I love using avocado oil in this recipe because of its neutral flavor with subtle hints of “nuttiness”. I have found this one to be the most neutral-tasting personally! (If you prefer a different neutral oil, please feel free to experiment as many of them should work similarly!)
Eggs: Be sure to let the eggs come to room temperature before baking! This will ensure that the batter can all be blended together seamlessly without any disruptions to the texture.
Unsweetened Applesauce: The applesauce adds additional moisture and sweetness, and is crucial to the final texture of the crumb!
Honey: A dash of honey adds a tad more moisture, sweetness, and flavor.
Carrots…
Carrots: The carrots are the most important part of the cake of course! You’ll want to use whole, peeled carrots (not baby carrots, etc.). I use a food processor to “finely grate” them which saves SO much time! See the full instructions within the Directions below. For me to reach the 3 Cups needed, I needed 6-7 medium carrots.
FOR THE FROSTING
Cream Cheese & Unsalted Butter: Cream cheese is the foundation of this frosting, and is combined with unsalted butter for a rich, soft texture. (You’ll want to use block/brick cream cheese, versus from a tub, for the correct consistency!)
Vanilla Extract: The vanilla extract adds a huge percentage of the frosting flavor.
Salt: It’s a tiny amount of salt, but I promise it’s a game-changer for improving the flavor complexity!
Powdered Sugar: Plenty of powdered sugar adds all of the bulk and sweetness to the frosting!
Kitchen Equipment:
FOR THE CAKE
- Knife & Cutting Board
- Food Processor
- 2 Large Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- Cooling Rack
FOR THE FROSTING
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
Servings: 15 Medium Slices
Ingredients:
- Unsalted Butter, to grease the parchment paper
FOR THE CAKE
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 3/4 Cup Cane Sugar
- 3/4 Cup Packed Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Ground Saigon Cinnamon
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Allspice
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt, I used finely ground sea salt
- 1 1/4 Cups Avocado Oil
- 4 Eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 3 Cups Finely Grated Carrots, from approximately 6-7 medium whole carrots
FOR THE FROSTING
- 8 oz Block Cream Cheese, softened
- 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, softened
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/8 Teaspoon Salt, I used finely ground sea salt
- 4 Cups Powdered Sugar
Directions:
PREP
Let the eggs come to room temperature
Line a 9 x 13 metal cake pan with parchment paper, and lightly grease it with unsalted butter (I highly recommend using some clips to hold the paper in place!)
Chop the ends off the carrots, peel them, then chop them into 2” segments. Halve/quarter them length-wise if thick, and pulse them in a food processor until they reach a “finely grated” texture
MAKE THE CAKE
Once the eggs are at room temperature…
Preheat the oven to 350º
In a large bowl, add the flour, cane sugar, dark brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt, and gently stir together until smooth and evenly combined ~ Use the back of the spoon to gently press out any clumps of brown sugar against the side of the bowl
Set aside
In a second large bowl, add the oil, eggs, applesauce, and honey, and gently whisk together until evenly combined
Sprinkle the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, about 1/3 at a time, and gently fold them together with a large spoon until combined (Do not overmix!)
Gently stir in the carrots
Pour the batter into the prepared pan
On the middle rack of the oven, bake for approximately 40 minutes (check on it a couple minutes before), or until a toothpick in the center comes out totally clean
Place the pan on a cooling rack, and let the cake fully cool inside the pan
MAKE THE FROSTING
Once the cake is cool…
In a large bowl, soften the cream cheese and butter in the microwave
Add in the vanilla, and beat the softened cream cheese, softened butter, and vanilla until smooth and creamy
Beat in the salt
Beat in the 4 Cups of powdered sugar, one at a time, until incorporated
FROST & SERVE
Frost the cake, slice, and serve
Enjoy!
[Leftovers must be stored airtight in the refrigerator.]
