Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

Easter means bunnies. Bunnies mean carrots. Carrots mean carrot cake.

For me, Easter is not Easter without a really kick ass carrot cake. I make one every year and one for my birthday, too. I gobble them up so quickly though I never stop to post the recipe for them (except for my raw version).

This one’s a little different because I went gluten-free for it. In a continuing effort to eliminate wheat products from my life, I knew baking this holiday would take a different turn. A delicious turn. You would never know this cake was made from fresh oat flour instead of regular flour. It’s got all the flavor and texture of an unhealthy non-vegan carrot cake, without the guilt. OK, I do feel a bit guilty, only because I got lazy after a day of baking and didn’t make the frosting from scratch. I used a (gasp!) Pillsbury vanilla version, which happens to be vegan. There’s junk ingredients in it for sure, but I found that most store-bought frostings are, indeed, vegan.

Who would have thunk?!

3 1/2 cups gluten-free oats

2 1/2 cups chopped carrots

1 1/2 cups almond milk

1 cup raw sugar

1 cup organic applesauce

2/3 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

3 tbsp ground flaxseed

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

2 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp pure vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp ground ginger

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Grind oats into flour in a food processor or blend until ground fine
• Pour into mixing bowl and stir in sugar, flaxseed, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and ginger
• Chop carrots in food processor until chopped fine
• Mix together almond milk, applesauce, 2 cups of the carrots, orange juice, maple syrup and vanilla
• Slowly, pour dry mix into wet mix, 1 cup at a time, stirring until everything is combined
• Add raisins and walnuts
• Pour into an 8X8 baking pan or a bundt pan (it will only fill it up about halfway)
• Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes
• Let cool, frost, and top with remaining chopped carrot