Carrot Coconut Loaf Cake (Gluten-Free)

Not mentioned in the title is the toasted coconut & maple cream cheese frosting which totally deserves its own post considering it nearly made it to the cake because I’m disgusting. 

If you can’t tell from my last recipe I’m in this coconut phase which I totally blame on Trader Joe’s toasted coconut pancake mix. I don’t even know if I should recommend getting some because every pancake in your life will never amount to that one. In fact last week I went back to re-stock on the life changing pancake batter and stumbled across some coconut flour. 

I stood there staring at the display thinking to myself, coconut flour? flour that tastes like coconut?  pancakes need flour. pancakes with coconut flour. LET’S MAKE OUR OWN.  I honestly was going to take my tried and true basic pancake mix and add some coconut flour, then I realized not only have I never baked with the flour let alone know anything about it, so it was one of the many times I thanked myself for not experimenting in the kitchen without a little research. 

Come to find out there’s a ton to know about coconut flour, like it can’t be substituted for other baking flours since it’s incredibly absorbent. Whenever baking with coconut flour it’s essential to have what may seem an obnoxious amount of eggs compared to what may seem like not enough flour. After reading all about the flour on this incredibly well written Baking with Coconut Flour post, I thanked myself for not ruining my morning with that breakfast experiment. 

I was searching the web endlessly for coconut flour pancakes until I stumbled upon this Dairy Free Coconut Flour Carrot Cake by The Detoxinista. With incredible reviews and a bag of carrots in the fridge, I couldn’t resist. The only ordinary ingredients here are the coconut flour and coconut oil, however if you’re used to baking gluten free I’m sure you’re familiar or possibly have them on hand. If you’re going to buy coconut oil for this recipe, you’ll have TONS of uses for it. It’s a much healthier cooking oil that has uses beyond cooking. In fact if I’ve misspelled anything so far it’s because I just lathered my hands with some homemade coconut oil and cocoa powder lotion. Love this stuff even though my fingers are sliding all over the keyboard today.  

The cake was really easy to throw together. In fact that’s all you have to do, throw everything in the bowl and mix. The batter is much thicker than any cake you’ve probably made so don’t worry that something’s not right. I wanted to bake mine in a loaf pan which took a few minutes less than an hour. You can easily make this in a round pan, budnt, or even cupcake pans but your times will vary. 

I topped mine with a super simple maple cream cheese frosting and garnished with toasted coconut. ABOUT THAT. Seriously the best frosting ever and I cannot wait to top every cake with that stuff.

After cutting through the cake I was so happy to see all of the colorful carrots, chunks of pineapple, and a surprisingly moist crumb. Not that I didn’t know what to expect since this was my first time baking gluten-free. I would say this is one hell of a delicious carrot cake keeping in mind it’s not made with full fat and processed sugars. It tastes like a healthier cake but that’s because it is. The family tore it up and mom insists it makes its way to the Easter menu this year. I’d say it was a win, thanks Dextoxinista!