Carrot Cake with Coconut Flour

November 21, 2024

Carrot Cake with Coconut Flour

example photo shown

½ cup raisins
1 cup filtered water
2 tablespoon flax meal with 6 tablespoons water (mix and allow to stand about 10 minutes)
1 scant cup Rapadura sugar
4 large eggs
1 ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups coconut flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Put raisins and water into a small pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer while preparing cake batter or until raisins are soft and swollen.

Mix flax meal and water and allow to stand about 10 minutes before mixing into batter.

Butter and flour a 9×13 baking pan.

Beat Rapadura and eggs until smooth and light (3-5 minutes with electric mixer on medium-high speed). Add flax meal and water mixture and beat well. Add oil, honey, and vanilla, and beat until well blended. Add raisins with the simmering water and apple cider vinegar and mix well. (If desired, use a hand blender to puree the raisins into the mixture for a smoother cake.)

Add the coconut flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda, and blend well. Add grated carrots, coconut, and optional nuts and blend well.

Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and spread evenly. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (the rest time for the batter while the oven is preheating will help with rising). Bake for 50 – 60 minutes, until toothpick in center comes out clean and center is as firm as the edges of the cake.

Optional icing:

2 cups softened cream cheese,
½ cup butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ to ¾ cup raw honey or maple syrup

Beat ingredients together with an electric mixer until smooth and frost cake.

This makes a nice dessert or can be used as a breakfast or snack bread.

Recipe submitted by Jenny, Vancouver, WA

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Published on May 4, 2008

Tags: Coconut Baked Food Recipes|

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26 Comments

Shirlette Davis March 26, 2016 at 8:22 pm - Reply

I’m baking it now, it also seems thick, I half the batter and added 2 more eggs and almond milk. Once the first cake comes out the oven will tell the true story for what I need to do with the second cake, trying not to give up just yet

Laurel May 18, 2014 at 10:48 am - Reply

I just made the cake, followed the recipe exactly…way too dry…I think you have to lower the coconut flour to 1 cup or add way more eggs…Now I have a very dry cake???only edible in a cup of milk.

Shirlette Davis March 26, 2016 at 8:33 pm - Reply

I agree, very dry, needed to add more eggs and almond milk, sugar and maple syrup

Admin - Orissa March 28, 2016 at 10:32 am - Reply

Shirlette, I’m sorry this didn’t work for you. Every recipe will turn out a little different for each person, and as some of the above comments show this has been made successfully before. If anyone is having dryness issues, I would recommend cutting back on the amount of coconut flour used (start out with 1 -1 1/2 cups) and add more liquid. This is a cake so it can be pretty forgiving about liquid.

Cathy April 6, 2014 at 2:36 pm - Reply

I have always had pineapple in carrot cake. Can I do it with this recipe and how much would I use

Charlotte October 10, 2013 at 7:43 am - Reply

About to give this a go. 
Himalayan salt is spiritual, just kidding. It’s mineral dense and less salty, so it tastes superbly better for you. And is sometimes girly pink as well!

John June 23, 2013 at 4:58 pm - Reply

What’s the deal with the pretentious ingredients? Is Himalayan salt really that different than other types of less egotistical ingredients?

Rae June 19, 2013 at 11:26 pm - Reply

This cake was so good…up until about a year ago I did not like coconut at all.  I have started eating more of it lately.  I use coconut oil for my massage clients because of its great benefits.  I did some alterations to the recipe but not much.  I do a lot of juicing so I juiced carrots, fennel, lemon, apple, orange and some ginger so I used the juice with the raisins and the pulp for the carrots.  In the past I have made cakes from scratch and they have been really heavy but this one was so moist it was unbelievable.  I made muffins instead of the cake pans. It was actually done in about 40 min instead of 50.  I will defineately make this again.

Shirlette Davis March 26, 2016 at 8:37 pm - Reply

Don’t know how you did it but mine came out with a very heavy batter, I half it up and added 2 more eggs and almond milk and sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon

Jayne June 3, 2012 at 1:21 pm - Reply

Thank you, Sarah, for posting this years ago!  I just found it this morning, and am trying this out of desperation for something good to eat that is gluten-free.  
I made several changes to the original recipe, due to other comments and according to what I had on hand.  I used carrot juice for the raisin and flax water.  I used 3/4 c sugar and no honey.  I used 1 c apple/blueberry baby food and 1/4 c butter instead of the oil.  I reduced the coconut flour to 1&1/2 c, and used only a dash or two of salt.  Instead of carrots, I used 1-1/2 c carrot juice.  I used no shredded coconut.  And I added 1 c chopped walnuts.  Oh yes, and extra cinnamon . . . I love cinnamon!
Still a kid at heart, I had to lick the beaters after folding the batter into the baking dish.  Yummy, and plenty sweet!  The smell while baking was intoxicating.  
Now for the taste test . . . Mmmmm!  Light and moist, delicious and satisfying . . . Ok, it doesn’t hold together as well as other cakes to eat a piece from your hand, but that’s no big deal.  I can enjoy it just as well the civilized way, with a fork!  
Again, thank you!  I think now I won’t miss wheat at all!

Sarah:) May 17, 2012 at 1:19 pm - Reply

Bernice: I’m sorry this didn’t work for you. Every recipe will turn out a little different for each person, and as some of the above comments show this has been made successfully before.

If anyone is having dryness issues, I would recommend cutting back on the amount of coconut flour used (start out with 1 -1 1/2 cups) and add more liquid. This is a cake so it can be pretty forgiving about liquid.

Bernice May 16, 2012 at 8:34 pm - Reply

This cake was very dry.  You should test the recipes before putting them on a website.  Went to all the trouble of buying the expensive ingredients, plus the time and effort, only to get a really poor product!

Sarah:) February 25, 2012 at 11:34 am - Reply

That’s yeast. Baking soda works by itself.

Joel February 25, 2012 at 9:56 am - Reply

I’m more concerned about raising my blood sugar than anything else, so I’d like to replace that sugar with stevia. The little bit of honey and raisins is enough of a cheat. Not much of a baker, here…does baking soda require sugar to create a leavening action, or is that just yeast?

Andrea November 7, 2011 at 1:05 pm - Reply

I have been unable to have sweets, let alone an amazing carrot cake for 8 months now, but needed a splurge!  I made a few tweaks and it was incredible, more like a sticky toffee pudding than a cake, gooey and a perfect  consistency.   I had no problems with it  being to thick.
   I used 1 1/4 cup melted unsalted organic butter instead of instead of cocnut oil (I cannot stand the taste or waxiness of coconut oil no matter how healthy it is).
   and I also used a bit over  1/2 a cup natural,just out of the hive honey, we bought from a guy on  the side of the road just out side of Dubai (amazing honey), instead of the honey and rapuda sugarmix used in the recipe. Due to health problems honey is the only sweetener I can use.  I think using honey or something like agave nector would give you a better consistency.  I only  cooked it for 45 min, so mine  was more gooey.  I was in heaven!!!!!!!  the only  problem is that I am only  allowed one peice!
  Hope yours  turns out even 1/2 as good as mine did

John February 13, 2011 at 9:51 pm - Reply

I think that if you follow the recipe exactly- you end up with something that seems overly thick…it can def. be kneaded like dough and instead of a 9×13 you only need a 9×9 or 8×8.

I had to PRESS it into the cake pan….was a little worried.

I baked it at 350 for 50 minutes and it is pretty good….fluffy enough for me, more like a scone or biscuit. Great slathered with room temp butter.

Lacretia December 19, 2010 at 1:50 pm - Reply

Having a diabetic husband with a suspected gluten sensitivity and a fondness for carrot cake, I was all over this recipe–besides I don’t need the grain flour induced aches and pains.  I didn’t use the raisins because of the added sugar and a personal dislike of raisins in carrot cake.  I did add amla fruit powder for the Vit. C, 1/4 cup brewer’s yeast for the B vitamins, and a TBL or 2 of local bee pollen for all the minerals and allergy relief.  I used coconut nectar granules and stevia for sweetening the cake and liquid nectar for the frosting.  Because of the comments, I knew to expect stiffness so I had 2 cups of soured raw milk on standby–and needed it.  This worked well, even in my pathetic oven.  Thanks for the recipe and for the enlightening comments.  It is our breakfast food for this week.

Edward November 18, 2010 at 9:35 pm - Reply

I just made this tonight and it came out great. That said, I had some challenges though. As others have stated, it was super dry at first. I ended up adding: 4 additional eggs, 2 cups of water+/-, 1 can of pumpkin(I did not have the go to applesauce, which was probably fairly close to the moisture content you would expect from applesauce),1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp of baking soda. The vinegar and soda I added just because I figured they were becoming too dilute due to the other additions. I live at 8,000ft, my sister said you generally reduce the baking soda for the altitude, so who knows weather it was needed or not. I think I got lucky because I will bake only a couple of times a year. It was moist tasted great and did not fall. I think you just have to feel out the whole moisture/consistency aspect of the flour.
Thanks for the great site and recipes.

Renee August 23, 2010 at 9:55 pm - Reply

All three of my sons have several food allergies, it is hard to make a good cake with replacing so many ingredients. Have you used the egg substitute in the carrot cake recipe, if so how did it turn out?

JM May 24, 2010 at 1:34 pm - Reply

Just made this cake this weekend and it turned out great! It was nice and moist. I used 2/3 C agave syrup instead of sugar and it seemed to be the perfect amount. I also opted for the maple syrup for the icing and it is the best icing I have ever made!

Sarah February 16, 2010 at 4:26 pm - Reply

You can add more water, or use coconut milk, regular milk, something of the sort. We don’t recommend soy milk. You can read more about soy here: http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/whole_soy_story.htm

jay February 16, 2010 at 3:11 pm - Reply

Hi, Very thick mixture, definitely not the type that can be poured into a pan. I am aware that most organic recipes are a little heavy but this one is real thick. I was wondering what could be done to make it a little lighter. perhaps the addition of more liquid such as rice milk or perhaps soy milk…..

Sarah February 5, 2010 at 10:58 pm - Reply

The batter should still be thick but not doughy. Most coconut flour mixtures will be on the thick side.

Feel free to ask if you have any more questions! :)

linda February 5, 2010 at 9:41 pm - Reply

WHEN EATING THIS CAKE IT IS OK WHEN COOLED. I DIDN’T ADD THE WATER WITH THE RAISINS WHEN IT WAS HOT SO THAT WAS PROBABLY THE PROBLEM (I TRIED TO PUREE THE RAISINS SO i GUESS IT COOLED THEN). IT IS DEFINITELY THICK – DO YOU KNOW IF THIS CAKE BATTER WOULD BE ABLE TO BE POURED IF I FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE T? tHANKS FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS.

Sarah February 5, 2010 at 11:43 am - Reply

Hi Linda,

The coconut oil shouldn’t have a change to solidify in this recipe. You can pour it into the egg mixture along with the honey and vanilla while it is still very slightly warm from melting. If the eggs were really cold it may get hard and turn into little clumps but it should all melt again when the hot water with raisins and apple cider vinegar is mixed in. 

I’m not sure what went wrong, but coconut flour can be tricky to work with. You have to follow the recipe exactly to get the best results. Another tip for using coconut flour is to not pack the cups when measuring. Just dip the cup in, shake, then level off with a butter knife.

linda February 5, 2010 at 11:23 am - Reply

this is the second recipe i tried to make with coconut flour – which seems very thick. how do you work with the coconut oil as it solidifies when cooled? the batter for this cake i could knead with my hands – is it supposed to be that way? it is baking now but looks very dry – will post more after it is done. not sure i am a fan f this coconut flour.