Carrot cake made with gluten free sourdough starter that's light and fluffy and just sweet enough to be able to down two slices. This delectable cake is topped with a ricotta and yogurt frosting that challenges the reigning cream cheese partner.
The Gluten Free sourdough starter Carrot Cake Ingredients
Carrots and spices are the star of the show in this recipe, but there are a couple of other key ingredients to note.
This calls for extra virgin olive oil, which is altogether underrated in baked goods.
This also uses coconut sugar paired with fresh fruit making the cake refined-sugar-free. The overall reduced sugar is better for your health and can prevent things like sugar spikes, crashes, and sugar hangovers.
Gluten Free Sourdough Starter Discard
The sourdough starter used in this recipe is a brown rice sourdough. Brown rice flour works great as a gluten free starter because it has a mild flavor, especially compared to alternatives like buckwheat. It's also a relatively affordable flour to maintain your starter with.
Other types of sourdough starters using alternate flours may impact the flavor profile, but should work fine in this recipe.
The starter really lifts and lightens the texture of this cake, making it so close to regular old gluten cake your gluten free guests might have to double check that it's really gluten free!
This recipe calls for the sourdough discard so it is a great way to reduce food waste while growing your gluten free sourdough starter.
Pineapple
Pineapple adds a tart tangy sweetness while simultaneously reducing refined sugar. Win Win!
If you're not into pineapple, equal amounts of orange with some orange zest added in should have a similar effect.
The Ricotta Coconut Yogurt Frosting
Cream cheese has reigned over carrot cakes for as long as I've heard of carrot cakes, but sometimes, new things can take over in a fun and exciting way.
Ricotta adds creamy texture and thickness to the frosting while yogurt adds that tang we like from cream cheese.
The best part about this frosting is that it can actually be made dairy free and vegan quite easily!
Making a Dairy Free Frosting
Simply use a nut based ricotta like this homeamde recipe or a storebought one like Kite Hill's dairy free ricotta.
For the yogurt, opt for a coconut yogurt. Again, these are available at the store and also easy to make at home!
How can I make this carrot cake frosting without coconut?
Swap out the coconut yogurt for another yogurt that works for you. If you don't have trouble with dairy, try an organic greek yogurt with no added sugars.
Otherwise, try making the homemade yogurt from a thick homemade dairy-free cream like cashew or sunflower.
Looking for more Gluten Free Cakes?
I think you'll love the Chai Chocolate Bundt and the fall spiced fluffy paleo pumpkin cake! But if you're looking for a single-serving type of situation, go for the individual lemon cake.
This Cake was originally adapted from the King Arthur's version to be gluten-free and use less sugar.
Gluten Free Sourdough Starter Carrot Cake
Equipment
- Oven
- 8x2 inch round pans
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 1.5 cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1.5 cups coconut sugar
- 3/4 cup gluten-free sourdough starter
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup pineapple diced
- 2 cups carrots shredded and overflowing
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2.5 cups all-purpose GF flour I used bobs red mill 1:1 GF baking flour
Ricotta Frosting
- 22 oz Ricotta can use nut-based ricotta for dairy-free
- 1/2 cup coconut yogurt
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- dash cardamom
- 2 tbsp lemon juice about the juice of one whole lemon
Instructions
The Carrot Cake
- Mix the olive oil and coconut sugar in a bowl and then stir in the starter. Add in the eggs and then the vanilla.
- Mix in the pineapple, carrots, walnuts, and coconut.
- Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined. Pour the batter into the greased round pans, distributing evenly and tapping to level.
- Bake the cakes for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and the sides are just beginning to turn golden brown.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool on a rack completely before frosting.
The Ricotta Frosting:
- In a mixing bowl, beat ricotta until thinned out, about 30 seconds. Mix in yogurt and honey until combined.
- Mix in cardamom, cinnamon, and lemon juice
- The frosting should be thick with soft peaks and a nice spreadable consistency
- Place one cake layer on the serving tray, coat with about 1/2 of the frosting and top with the other carrot cake round. Spread the remaining frosting evenly across the cake top and sides.
- Optionally, crush some additional walnuts and spread around the edges for garnish.
Notes
Nutrition
This nutrition information does not tell the whole story of food's nutritional value! Make sure to use your gut intuition on what your body needs, eat your veggies and get 30 plants a week for optimal gut health. This nutritional data is calculated based on above values and standard brands. This information may vary.
Jessica Winder says
What temperature do you suggest baking at?