Carrot Cake with Lemon Ricotta Frosting (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
For Cake:
- 1 pound carrots peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup whole pecans
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup superfine sugar
- 1-1/2 cups gluten-free or all-purpose flour see Notes
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup mild olive oil or canola oil
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For Frosting:
- 8 ounces whole milk ricotta
- 6 ounces non-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest ~1 lemon
Instructions
Make Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat a 9-inch round baking pan with nonstick spray.
- Place carrots and pecans in a food processor (11 cups or more – see Notes) and process until finely chopped. Add brown sugar, superfine sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, oil, yogurt, eggs and vanilla. Pulse in short bursts until combined.
- Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until just cooked when tested with a skewer. Transfer pan to a cooling rack and cool in the pan.
Make Frosting:
- Using a stand or hand mixer, whip ricotta and yogurt on medium speed until lightly smooth and fluffy.
- Add honey, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix until combined.
- Place cooled cake on a serving plate. Using a rubber or offset spatula, spread frosting all over cake and partially down the sides. Frosting will set in refrigerator.
- Cover and store in refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Bring out 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
* I recommend Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour if making this cake gluten-free.
* Assuming you have your food processor is 11 cups or more (a standard ‘large’ food processor), the easiest way to make this cake is to chop and mix it all in the same bowl. Alternatively, you can chop carrots and pecans in a smaller food processor and mix the rest in a bowl with a stand or hand mixer.
* Assuming you have your food processor is 11 cups or more (a standard ‘large’ food processor), the easiest way to make this cake is to chop and mix it all in the same bowl. Alternatively, you can chop carrots and pecans in a smaller food processor and mix the rest in a bowl with a stand or hand mixer.
