Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Frosting

Little known fact: My dear friend Charlotte, gave me the nickname “CC” when we were in high school because I ate carrot cake so often.  It is by far, my favorite cake. Always has been and always will be. So this Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Frosting took some time and patience on my part to perfect.  Because oh, how I have missed my carrot cake, but I wasn’t about to settle for just any gluten free carrot cake (and my recipe can also be made dairy free). The cake had to be moist without any gritty crumb. It had to have noticeable spice and carrot flavor, crunch from nuts and sweet bites of raisins.  In this case, I soak the raisins in rum overnight to plump them up and add another layer of flavor. That’s how I roll.

Maple Cream Frosting

I am a HUGE fan of the classic Cream Cheese Frosting.  It is the frosting I make most often. You can find it on my Banana Cupcakes too.  However, I also like to mix things up every now and then. So why not add some pure maple syrup to the cream cheese frosting?  Well, let me tell you, this is such a creamy, dreamy addition to the rich and moist cake. The maple combines so well with the spices, walnuts and the hint of rum.  It is decadent for sure. If you want to go the traditional route, I won’t hold it against you and you know where to find the recipe😉 Oh- and whipping it up is just as easy as making any other frosting.  Combine your butter and cream cheese. Then add in the powdered sugar and pure maple syrup. And yes! You can use dairy free cream cheese and buttery sticks:-)

Day Ahead Prep

The most important thing to know about making this cake, is that it is best to prepare ahead by soaking the raisins in rum overnight.  You may also want to make the Maple Cream Frosting a day ahead to give it time to chill and firm up a bit. Since you need the butter and cream cheese at room temp to blend them, the frosting is a bit loose when first combined.  Let it chill in the fridge overnight and it will be perfect to pipe onto your cake the next day. I store my frosting in a gallon ziplock bag then cut one corner and use it like a pastry bag to pipe the frosting out.

Making the Carrot Cake

This part is simple. Separate your eggs (no good subs for eggs in this recipe unfortunately).  Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. This will help to give the cake a little extra lift. In your stand mixer, combine your butter (yes, you can use dairy free buttery sticks) and sugar. Then add the remaining wet ingredients one by one, making sure everything combines well.  Then the dry ingredients go in. Finish by folding the egg whites in by hand.

That's a LOT of Cake!

The batter makes two very thick 8 inch round cakes. Each layer is almost 2 inches thick! So you could cut each layer in half to make a 4 layer cake. I use the gadget with the purple handle in the picture below to cut my cakes evenly. It is made by Wilton and can be found in craft stores and on Amazon. If you decide to go with four layers, you will need to increase the amount of frosting you make by at least 50% as well. You may also split the recipe in half and make two thinner layers of cake, just be sure to reduce the baking time.  It will bake much faster with less batter.

Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

5 from 3 votes

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Servings: 16 servings

Calories:

Ingredients  

2x3x4x

For the Carrot Cake

• 1 cup raisins
• ⅔ cup rum
• 1 cup room temp butter or dairy free buttery sticks - I use Earth Balance
• 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
• 6 eggs - separated
• 2 5-6 oz containers vanilla yogurt - I use So Delicious Dairy Free
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups finely shredded carrots
• 2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans - plus 2 more cups for optional decoration
• 3 ½ cups Gluten Free Flour Blend with xanthan gum - I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 3 8 oz containers room temp cream cheese - I use Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese (dairy free)
• 12 tablespoon room temp butter or sub with additional DF cream cheese
• 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
• ¾ cup pure maple syrup

Instructions

• Day Ahead Prep: In a small container, pour rum over the raisins and leave to soak overnight. You may want to make the Maple Cream Cheese Frosting a day ahead too. It is more stiff after being refrigerated, making it easier to frost the cake.
• Day of: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 round cake pans with parchment circle on the bottom, then grease bottoms and sides of pans.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Stir so that it is all combined well and set aside.
• Separate eggs. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks using a mixer at high speed. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the sugar and butter until combined and creamy. Add egg yolks, then yogurt and vanilla. Then add the raisins and the rum. Next the carrots and finally the chopped nuts. Making sure to combine ingredients well after each is added.
• On a slow speed, gradually add the flour mixture a little at a time until it is all combined well. By hand, fold in the whipped egg whites until just barely combined. Then pour half of the mixture into each prepared baking pan.
• Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the center is set. There should still be a slight crumb or some moisture if you insert a toothpick, you don’t want it to get completely dry. Begin checking for doneness every 5 minutes after the 45 minute mark.
• Once the cakes are out of the oven, let them cool completely. Trim the tops so that they are level. Then put the frosting on (instructions below) and decorate the sides with more crushed walnuts or pecans.

For the Frosting:

• Using a mixer, combine the room temp butter and cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until combined completely. Add the maple syrup in a little at a time until combined completely. The frosting will be loose, but should still hold a ribbon from the beaters.
• Store covered in the fridge until you are ready to use it. I like to store it in a gallon sized plastic bag, then cut the tip off of one end and use the bag to pipe the frosting onto the cake.