Low Carb Carrot Cake

This Low Carb Carrot Cake with luscious cream cheese frosting is easy to make with simple ingredients and a prep time of just 20 minutes. It's so much healthier than traditional carrot cakes, and it's jam packed with flavour, texture and warming spices.

What Makes This Carrot Cake Special?

• It’s deliciously moist and light
• It's high in protein
• It's naturally sweetened with no added sugars
• It's nutritious and low in fat
• It has lashings of lemon cream cheese frosting (yum!)
• Makes 12 generous slices
• Its the perfect snack to have with your morning coffee
• Healthy comfort food you can eat every day
• Perfect for those looking for sugar free dessert options
• You can make it as cupcakes or a cake
• Perfect for all seasons

Ingredient Notes

• Almond Meal: Almond meal is different to almond flour. Almond meal is coarser and provides more texture. You can generally find it in teh baking aisle of supermarkets
• Arrowroot: this is a gluten free thickening agent that creates bulk in the cake. Its generally available in the baking aisle of supermarkets.
• Cream of Tartar: this is a rising agent, similar to baking powder, helping the cake to rise. Cream of tartar may be substituted with Baking Powder
• Sweetener: I used Lakanto Monkfruit which is a plant based natural sweetener with no bitter aftertaste. It measures like sugar and is easy to use. It's in the baking asile of supermarkets.
• Spices: the spices in this recipe are ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and cloves, however feel free to make up your own spice combination. Ground ginger, mixed spice, or all spice are some other options.

TIP: you can substitute 3 tablespoons of cornstarch instead for the 1/4 cup of Arrowroot Powder, if you are unable to find it.

FAQ's

Tips for Making A Low Carb Carrot Cake

• Use a springform tin lined on the base and sides with baking paper. This will ensure nothing sticks and you get a perfectly turned out cake.
• Don’t skip separating the egg whites from the egg yolks. It makes all the difference and the fluffy egg whites help create a light cake, whilst the egg yolks create a rich moist texture.
• Take the time to chop the walnuts, or buy walnuts already chopped. Big whole walnuts are too much for this delicate cake.
• Let cake cool completely to room temperature before icing as it will probably slide off otherwise.

Carrot Cake Variations

1. Add half a cup of drained, tinned pineapple along with the carrot
2. Add half a cup of dried blueberries to the batter and stir in by hand
3. Add ¼ cup peanut butter to the batter and mix in with the carrot
4. Instead of the lemon cream cheese frosting, try swapping espresso for the lemon juice

I never tire of carrot cake and this is one I make time and time again as it’s such a classic cake, one of my favourite comfort foods.  It’s light, but filling, with lots of flavour and texture and has the right amount of spice.

More Sugar Free Sweets and Snacks:

• Oat Flour Banana Bread
• Sugar Free Ginger Biscuits
• Sugar Free Lemon Loaf
• Red Velvet Cupcakes
• Chilli Chocolate Cheesecake with double cream and fresh raspberries.
• Go To: All Sugar Free Baking Recipes

Low Carb Carrot Cake

Kim

This Low Carb Carrot Cake is full of texture and flavour with lots of spices, soft juicy carrots, crunchy walnuts and rich creamy lemon frosting. It’s also deliciously moist and light, high in protein, free from refined sugars, and low in fat.

4.23 from 9 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 1 hr 10 mins

Total Time 1 hr 30 mins

Course Snack

Cuisine Australian

Servings 12 Slices

Calories 220 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Cake Batter

• Butter or oil to grease
• 4 large eggs separated
• ½ cup Monkfruit Sweetener
• 1 cup Carrot finely grated
• 2 cups Almond meal
• ¼ cup Arrowroot
• 2 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
• 1 teaspoon Bicarb soda
• 1 cup Walnuts chopped
• Zest of 1 Lemon
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground Nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground Cloves

Frosting

• 1 cup Light Cream Cheese
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Monkfruit Sweetener

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C /320 degrees F [fan oven] – non fan oven 180 degrees C/350 degrees.
• Grease with butter, a 23 cm spring form pan and line the bottom with baking paper.
• Separate the Egg yolks from the egg whites. Place each in a separate mixing bowl.
• In the mixing bowl with the egg yolks, add the sweetener and lemon zest.
• Whisk the egg yolks, sweetener and lemon zest together with an electric hand beater until it turns from a bright shiny yellow to a dull matt yellow (approx. 60 to 90 seconds)
• To the egg yolk mixture, add the grated carrot, almond meal and spices. Mix to combine.
• Next, add the arrowroot, cream of tartar and bicarb and mix to combine.
• With clean beaters, whisk the egg whites together until it turns white and peaks start to form.
• Gently mix the egg whites into the carrot mix. Don’t over mix or mix roughly as this will make the cake tough.
• Pour cake batter into prepared spring form tin. 160 degrees C /320 degrees F [fan oven] – non fan oven 180 degrees C/350 degrees.
• After 10 minutes, reduce oven heat to 130 degrees C/265 degrees C [fan forced oven] or 150 degrees C/200 degrees F [non fan oven] and bake for 1 hour.
•  Insert cake skewer to test that it comes out clean
• Set to cool in tin for 15 minutes, then take out and place onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Frosting: Mix together all ingredients with an electric beater or in a food processor until smooth. Using a spoon to spread over the frosting on top and sides.
• Store in an air tight container in the fridge for 4 days.

Notes

1. Arrowroot:  you can substitute 3 tablespoons of cornstarch instead for the 1/4 cup of Arrowroot Powder, if you are unable to find it.
2. Sweetener:  Granulated stevia that measures like sugar may be used instead of monkfruit sweetener.  My favourite brand of stevia is Natvia.
3. Carrots:  Peeling before grating is recommended
4. Use a springform tin lined on the base and sides with baking paper. This will ensure nothing sticks and you get a perfectly turned out cake.
5. Don’t skip separating the egg whites from the egg yolks. It makes all the difference and the fluffy egg whites help create a light cake, whilst the egg yolks create a rich moist texture.
6. Take the time to chop the walnuts, or buy walnuts already chopped. Big whole walnuts are too much for this delicate cake.
7. Let cake cool completely to room temperature before icing as it will probably slide off otherwise.
8. Nutritional information  includes frosting

9. CARROT CAKE VARIATIONS

   1. Add half a cup of drained, tinned pineapple along with the carrot
   2. Add half a cup of dried blueberries to the batter and stir in by hand
   3. Add ¼ cup peanut butter to the batter and mix in with the carrot
   4. Instead of the lemon cream cheese frosting, try swapping espresso for the lemon juice

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 10gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gFiber: 3gSugar: 3g

Keyword Low Carb Carrot Cake with Frosting

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