Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Two warmly spiced layers with grated carrot and walnuts, filled and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting. Carrots carry some carbs, so the amount is measured to keep each slice in keto range.
Nutrition per serving
1 slice (1/12 of an 8-inch cake)- Net carbs
- 5.1g
- Calories
- 356kcal
- Protein
- 8.7g
- Fat
- 33g
- Total carbs
- 26 g
- Fiber
- 3.7 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Nut-free (coconut flour): Coconut flour and two extra eggs replace the almond flour, and the walnuts are left out, for a nut-free carrot cake with a lighter, springier crumb.
- Use ¾ cup coconut flour in total and whisk all six eggs with the sweeteners. Let the batter stand 5 minutes before dividing it between the pans.
- Bake 22–27 minutes, until springy and a toothpick comes out clean.
Pecan & toasted coconut: Toasted pecans in place of walnuts and shredded coconut in the batter, for a sweeter, more tropical cake.
- Fold the pecans and half the toasted coconut into the batter with the carrots. Sprinkle the rest of the coconut over the frosted cake.
- Cake
- Cream cheese frosting
- Cake
-
½ cup walnutsleave out - Cream cheese frosting
- Also add
- Cake
- Cream cheese frosting
- Also add
Estimated cost $17.06 for 12 servings ($1.42 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
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Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment.
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Whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a bowl.
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In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the erythritol and allulose for 1 minute, then whisk in the melted butter and vanilla.
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Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined, then fold in the carrots and walnuts. Let the batter stand 3 minutes to thicken.
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Divide between the pans and smooth the tops. Bake 25–30 minutes, until golden-brown, springy in the center and a toothpick comes out clean. Allulose browns quickly, so lay foil over the pans if the tops darken too fast.
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Cool in the pans 15 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on a rack.
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For the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, then beat in the powdered erythritol and vanilla until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Do not overbeat, or it will loosen.
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Set one layer on a plate, spread with half the frosting, top with the second layer and spread the rest over the top, leaving the sides bare. Chill 30 minutes before slicing.
Tips for success
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Grate the carrots on the fine side of a box grater: fine shreds melt into the crumb, while coarse ones stay crunchy and wet. - Carrots are the main source of carbs here, which is why there are 1⅓ cups in two whole layers rather than the 2–3 cups a classic cake uses.
- Cold cream cheese makes lumpy frosting, so let it sit out for 1 hour first.
Nice to have, not needed
- Chopped toasted walnuts or pecans pressed around the base of the cake give it a bakery finish.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 5 days in the fridge
- Freezes up to 3 months
Reheat: Let slices stand 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.
Prep tip: Freeze the unfrosted layers well wrapped, then thaw and frost them on the day you serve the cake.
Refrigerate, covered, up to 5 days; let slices stand 20 minutes before serving. Freeze unfrosted layers up to 3 months.
Variations
2 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosNut-free (coconut flour)
DietCoconut flour and two extra eggs replace the almond flour, and the walnuts are left out, for a nut-free carrot cake with a lighter, springier crumb.
- blanched almond flour → extra coconut flour
- + 2 large extra eggs
- no walnuts
4.2 g net · 247 kcal · 5.9 g protein · 21 g fat · ≈$1.05 per serving (−0.9 g net carbs vs the original)
Pecan & toasted coconut
FlavorToasted pecans in place of walnuts and shredded coconut in the batter, for a sweeter, more tropical cake.
- walnuts → pecans
- + ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
5.2 g net · 379 kcal · 8.6 g protein · 35 g fat · ≈$1.54 per serving (+0.1 g net carbs vs the original)
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