I cannot say enough about this Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting! It is entirely possible that it is the most delicious thing I have ever made. For sure it is the tastiest in the Gluten-Free & reduced sugar department!
Like almost everything I make, I’m always trying to cut the fat, calories & especially sugar. Mainly because my Mother & Father-in-Law have out of control diabetes. I cook a big meal for the entire extended family almost every Sunday.
Turning Carrot Juice Pulp into Spicy Delicious Moist Carrot Cake
This carrot cake with cream cheese frosting was made with the pulp from a round of juicing. Anyone who knows me… Knows I really have a big problem throwing away food! I’ve always thought I could do something with all that leftover pulp for juicing. I mean I am known as the “queen of leftovers” in my household after all!
This particular juicing session, I made my favorite standard juice blend of celery, carrot & a little sweet apple. Since I used a whole bag of carrots, I knew I would have plenty of pulp. So I decided to make a carrot cake out of the pulp. So I started my juice blend with carrots instead of the celery juice like I usually do. I made sure I had a clean bag to collect my carrot pulp. Perhaps, I could have juiced the little apple & included it in my cake also. However, I didn’t – I only collected the carrot pulp.
NO Carrot Cake Recipes I Could Find Sounded Tasty!
So I do what I always do when trying to hash out a skinnier & healthier version of a recipe… I start with proven recipes. However, every single recipe I could find in every cookbook I have & ones online called for a ridiculous amount of oil. To clarify, After looking at 1/2 dozen recipes or more the least amount of oil in any of them was 3/4 cup!?! However, the most a recipe called for was 1 1/2 cups of oil! That is 12 full oz of oil Y’all! Furthermore, that one called for 2 bricks of cream cheese! Of course, that recipe didn’t bother to include the macro counts – I could almost feel my arteries hardening as a read it!
1 & 1/2 CUPS OIL… What?! Have you people done lost your mind?! Y’all are just CRAZY! I mean like CRAY… CRAY!! It just gives me a gallbladder attack just thinking about it! Where’s the apple cider vinegar Y’all? Cuz your gonna need it for that gallbladder attack if you eat all that oil. But I digress…
One of the more moderate ones found on “Tasty.com” was over 1200 calories a slice! Seriously, it makes me want to hurl just thinking about it. All that oil doesn’t even sound appetizing. Sure those recipes look good online. But so does mine! & the smell of it… oh my gosh. The BEST EVER!!
It was as if everybody just thought… This cake needs more liquid… “I know I’ll just add more oil!?!” Here I thought my reduced-fat buttermilk is decedent. It really is though. Really you could probably make a dairy-free & vegan version. If you wanted. But for my family buttermilk tests better for everyone than many substitutes. It makes it light & fluffy & even helps the rise on the cake. So for us, it makes it silky, moist & wonderful!
Soon I’ll post the macro counts for this recipe… delicious moist gluten-free carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. However, I can assure you it isn’t 1200 calories per slice! My guess is it will fall somewhere about 250-300. This is totally doable even if dieting as a weekly or once in a while treat. Hope ya’ll love this one as much as we did!
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (Gluten Free)
Notes
Worth Every Single Step & Spice!
Ingredients
- For Base of Cake:
- 5 Eggs
- 1 Cup Eyrthritol (Natural 0 Carb & Glycemic Index Sugar Substitute)
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
- 1/4 Cup Real Maple Syrup
- Carrot Pulp from Juicer, About 2 1/2 cups
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Tbsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 Tbsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 Tbsp Sea Salt
- 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
- 1 Tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 Tsp Ginger
- 1/4 Tsp All Spice
- 2 Cups Beat Bobby Flay Gluten Free Flour Mix See
- 1 Cup Chopped Walnuts (or Pecans) 2/3 in Cake Batter & 1/3 to Top
- 1/2 Cup Dates or Other Dried Fruit of Choice (Gold or Black Raisins, Dried Cranberries, Cherries, Pineapples etc.)
- For Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 Brick Cream Cheese (Softened)
- 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Tsp Cinnamon and Nutmeg
- 1 1/2 Cups Swerve Confectioners / Powdered Erythritol or Powdered Sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp Milk
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350° & Take Out 1/2 Brick of Cream Cheese to Soften
- In Mixer on Low - Medium Speed Beat Eggs, Erythritol, & Brown Sugar
- Add Buttermilk & Real Maple Syrup
- Add Carrot Pulp or Shredded Carrots
- Turn Down Speed & Add Vanilla, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, All Spices & Slowly Add Gluten Free Flour
- Next Stir-In Nuts & Dried Fruit
- In Large Greased or Sprayed Bundt Pan Spoon In Batter
- Bake Cake in Preheated 350° Oven For 50-55 Minutes or Until Toothpick Comes Out Clean
- Remove From Oven & Let Cool Before Piping On Frosting
- Start Beating Cream Cheese on Med - High, When Creamy, Maple Syrup, Vanilla, & Spices
- Slow Mixer Down & Slowly Add Powdered Sweetener of Choice I Tested with Swerve Confectioner's
- Add Milk to Thin Out Slightly
- Put Frosting In Large Ziploc Bag, Squeeze Toward Corner of Bag & Cut Corner OR Put in a Pastry Bag & Pipe Over Cake Letting it Drip Inside & Outside
- Lastly Sprinkle With 1/3 Nuts
