Overview
Gluten free Quinoa Carrot Cake
By Amy // Posted Nov 5, 2022 // Category Cakes
This Gluten Free Quinoa Carrot Cake may be my healthiest recipe yet. It’s jampacked with good ingredients like LSA, raisins, and cooked quinoa.
The cake itself is really moist and lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg that goes perfectly with the carrots and raisins. I think the quinoa adds a good textural element.
Oh and the cream cheese icing? It’s airy, creamy and I love the tang that comes from the cream cheese.
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tips
1. Ingredients
The eggs and also the cream cheese need to be at room temperature. Simply leave on the counter for a few hours before baking. If you don’t have self-raising gluten-free flour, simply add 3 tsp of baking powder to gluten-free flour instead. The LSA in this recipe can be replaced with almond meal instead. You can replace the brown sugar with white sugar instead.
2. Equipment
I used a 25cm (9inch) round baking tin that was lined with baking paper and sprayed with oil. You also need a large mixing bowl, a fine mesh sieve, some spatulas, a large measuring jug and a cooling rack. You also need a grater for the carrots and an electric whisk or stand mixer for the icing.
3. Cooking the quinoa
I used tri colour quinoa for this recipe. The first step is to rinse the quinoa thoroughly and drain it in a fine mesh sieve. Then you need to boil some water in a large pot. When it reaches boiling point, add the quinoa and then reduce the heat to medium. Let the quinoa cook for around 20 minutes and then drain in a fine mesh sieve. I rinsed mine under cold water to let it cool and stop the cooking process.
4. Making the cream cheese icing
Remember to use room temperature cream cheese, butter and cream. Also, another must is using sifted icing sugar to avoid clumps of icing sugar and grainy icing. Sometimes your icing can turn out grainy. If this is the case, the icing might be too cold. Use a hairdryer or wrap a warm towel around your mixing bowl. Then beat again. Is your icing too watery? Then it means your icing could be too warm. Put your icing in the fridge for about 10 minutes, then beat again. Is it too sweet? Add one or two pinches of salt to taste. The saltiness cuts through the sweetness perfectly.
4. Turn it into cupcakes
Follow the same steps, but place the cake batter into a well oiled cupcake tin or use cupcake liner instead. Bake for around 15 mins and decorate with the cream cheese icing. I find using a Ziploc bag an easy alternative to using a pastry bag. Simply fill and cut off one end, then pipe onto the cupcakes.
Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and spray a round 24cm (9 inch) round baking tin with oil. Line the bottom of the tin with baking paper.
Prepare the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk together. Add the raisins, LSA mix and brown sugar and whisk well until well incorporated. Set aside.
Prepare the wet ingredients. In a large measuring jug or bowl, whisk the oil and eggs together. Set aside.
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients into the middle of the well and fold gently until the mixture just comes together. Add the carrots and quinoa, then fold gently until the ingredients are well dispersed.
Transfer the cake batter into your prepared tin, then bake for around 35 -38 minutes or until a skewer put in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the tin for a while then transfer to a cooling rack. The cake needs to be completely cool before you put the icing on.
Using a stand mixer or electric whisk, beat the cream cheese and butter until it is well mixed (around 2 minutes). Add half of the sifted icing sugar and beat at a slow speed, then move it up to a medium speed (around 1 minute). Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and beat at a medium speed again (around 2 minutes). Put the remaining sifted icing sugar in and beat at a low then to medium speed (around 1 minute).
Top the cake with the cream cheese icing and spread out evenly. Decorate the cake with some chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, or walnuts. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and spray a round 24cm (9 inch) round baking tin with oil. Line the bottom of the tin with baking paper.
Prepare the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk together. Add the raisins, LSA mix and brown sugar and whisk well until well incorporated. Set aside.
Prepare the wet ingredients. In a large measuring jug or bowl, whisk the oil and eggs together. Set aside.
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients into the middle of the well and fold gently until the mixture just comes together. Add the carrots and quinoa, then fold gently until the ingredients are well dispersed.
Transfer the cake batter into your prepared tin, then bake for around 35 -38 minutes or until a skewer put in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the tin for a while then transfer to a cooling rack. The cake needs to be completely cool before you put the icing on.
Using a stand mixer or electric whisk, beat the cream cheese and butter until it is well mixed (around 2 minutes). Add half of the sifted icing sugar and beat at a slow speed, then move it up to a medium speed (around 1 minute). Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and beat at a medium speed again (around 2 minutes). Put the remaining sifted icing sugar in and beat at a low then to medium speed (around 1 minute).
Top the cake with the cream cheese icing and spread out evenly. Decorate the cake with some chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, or walnuts. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Servings 16
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 452
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 25.2g39%
- Saturated Fat 9.8g50%
- Cholesterol 64mg22%
- Sodium 145mg7%
- Potassium 202mg6%
- Total Carbohydrate 52.6g18%
- Dietary Fiber 3.3g14%
- Sugars 33.5g
- Protein 6g12%
- Calcium 3%
- Iron 6%
- Vitamin D 39%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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