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Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with Cardamom Frosting

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Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with Cardamom Frosting is nothing short of spectacular. Filled with warming spices, sweet carrots and golden raisins, this is a lovely celebration cake for any occasion, or for any day.Gluten Free Spiced Carrot Cake Recipe with Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting -- Filled with warm spices, sweet carrots and golden raisins, this is the perfect celebration cake for fall.

One year, my husband had just two food wishes for his birthday — Smoky Sweet and Spicy Pork Ribs and carrot cake. 

(I love food birthday wishes!)

Since one of our sons can’t eat wheat, I created this amazing gluten-free carrot cake, and a very special cardamom frosting to go with it.

I tested this recipe many, many times until it was perfect, and now it’s a family favorite.
top view of a whole Gluten Free Spiced Carrot Cake Recipe with Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting on a plate

How to Make the Cake

This gluten-free carrot cake is easy to make. The key is making sure it cools completely before adding the frosting. 

– Coat cake pans with olive oil and a sprinkling of granulated sugar.
– In a large mixing bowl, whisk olive oil with sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla until smooth.
– In another large mixing bowl, combine gluten-free flour, baking soda, spices and salt. 
– Fold the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients, along with the carrots and golden raisins, and then pour the batter into the prepared pans.  
– Bake in a 350°F oven just until the tops of the cakes are set and no longer jiggle, about 45 minutes.
– Cool in the pans and then invert cakes onto a wire rack, and let them cool completely to room temperature before frosting them.

(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)

The Cardamom Frosting . . .

This is truly “the icing on the cake!” 

Seriously, it’s what seals the deal.

Everyone knows that a cream cheese frosting is a classic match for a carrot cake. And for good reason — the two are lovely together.

I added the cardamom to make it more interesting and to carry the spices all the way through the cake. And it took this gluten-free carrot cake from great to magical.

One slice of gluten-free Spiced Carrot Cake with Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting on a red plate

How far ahead can you make it?

  • You can make the entire cake, frosting and all, up to two days before you want to serve it. Keep it refrigerated and take it out about 30 minutes before serving.
  • You can make the cake layers up to four days ahead. Let them cool completely and then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and keep refrigerated. If you only make them one day ahead, it’s okay to keep them out at room temperature. 
  • The frosting can be make up to a week ahead. Wrap tightly and refrigerate. It should be brought to room temperature before you spread it on the cake. 

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

  • Be sure the cake has completely cooled before you frost it. Ideally, you should bake the cake the night before you want to frost and serve it. (If the cake is too warm, the cardamom frosting will become to soft to spread properly.)
  • It’s also important that the frosting be at room temperature, so it’s soft and spreadable. 
  • My favorite all-purpose gluten-free flour is Cup4Cup, and I use it in almost all of my gluten-free baked goods.
  • Can you substitute the the gluten-free flour with regular? Yes, you can use regular all-purpose flour. 

More irresistible gluten-free cake recipes:

Gluten-Free Olive Oil Chocolate Cakeone slice of Gluten-Free Chocolate Olive Oil Bundt Cake on a small plate with whole cake behind it

Gluten-Free Banana Chocolate Chip CakeClose up of cross section of Gluten-Free Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

Gluten-Free Meyer Lemon Olive Oil CakeTop view of whole Gluten-Free Meyer Lemon Cake with Olive Oil on a white plate on a red cloth.

I hope you’ll try the Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with the scrumptious Cardamom Frosting, or any of the other delicious options. 

Enjoy!

Big slice of gluten-free carrot cake with cardamom cream cheese frosting on a red plate.

Spiced Carrot Cake with Cardamom Frosting

Valentina K. Wein
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with Cardamom Frosting is nothing short of spectacular. Filled with warming spices, sweet carrots and golden raisins, this is a lovely celebration cake for any occasion.
*Please note that 2½ hours of the work time is inactive.
5 from 3 votes
Print
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Cooling and Refrigeration 3 hrs 30 mins
Total Time 4 hrs 35 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 517 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

For the cake

  • ¾ cup plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2½ cups finely grated carrots
  • 1 cup golden raisins

For the frosting

  • 12 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1⅓ cup powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons ground cardamom

Instructions
 

For the cake

  • Set oven and prepare pans. Preheat the oven to 350°F and adjust a rack to the center.
    Use a pastry brush to coat the bottom and sides of 2 round (9 x 3 inch) cake pans with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Then sprinkle each oil-coated pan evenly with about ½ tablespoon of the sugar.
  • Make the batter. In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ¾ cup of oil with the remaining 1 cup of sugar. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolk and blend until it's smooth. Add the sour cream and vanilla and again, whisk until smooth.
    In another large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Mix to blend.
    Use a large rubber spatula mix the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and fold in the carrots and raisins. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.
  • Bake. Place the cake pans on baking sheets (for easier transportation), and into the preheated 350°F oven. Bake just until they're set and no longer jiggle. The tops will begin to crack a bit and become golden when they're done, about 45 minutes.
  • Cool. Let them cool in the cake pans for about 10 minutes, then go along the edges with a dull knife to loosen the cakes. Invert each cake onto a cooling rack and let them cool completely to room temperature -- this could take a couple of hours. (Ideally you should bake the cakes the night before you frost and serve it.)

For the frosting

  • Add the cream cheese and butter to a medium-sized mixing bowl and use an electric mixer with the whisk attachment to blend on high until smooth. (If you don't have a whisk attachment, that's okay -- it might just take longer to become smooth.)
    Add the powdered sugar, about half at a time, and mix to blend. Then add the milk, vanilla and cardamom and mix one last time to blend everything together. (The frosting should be at room temperature when you're ready to use it.)

To assemble the cake

  • Invert. Once the cakes are 100% cooled, invert one of them from the cooling rack onto a serving platter.
  • Frost the cake. Spread about ⅓ of the frosting on the top of the inverted cake, then very carefully, place the other cake on top. (It will help to use the large, flat spatula.) Add the remaining frosting to the top and sides of the cake, using only gentle pressure. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth -- as you can see from my pictures above, I like a rustic look.
  • Refrigerate briefly. Refrigerate the frosted cake for about 30 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Calorie count is only an estimate.
Keywords gluten-free birthday cake, birthday cakes
Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

 

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Comments

  1. David says

    Oh, how I wish Markipedia liked carrot cake. I will use have to make this for the office! Love the spice usage, especially the cardamom in the frosting.

    Reply

  5. John/Kitchen Riffs says

    A good carrot cake is wonderful stuff. Gotta get the spicing right, though, which can be a bit difficult. Looks like you did a great job with that. And the frosting looks amazing! Thanks so much.

    Reply

  6. Kate says

    I made this cake and took it to work.. and it was gone in half an hour. They’ve requested I make it again, but would it be possible to use this batter for cupcakes instead? If so, do you have a recommendation for how long to bake them? Thanks so much for the awesome recipe. 🙂

    Reply

    • valentina says

      Thanks so much, Kate. I’m so pleased you loved this cake, and great idea to make cupcakes with the batter. You’ll have to check them about halfway through the baking time, but I’d guess about 25 minutes, at 350 degrees F. 🙂 Enjoy!

      Reply

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