This three layer Keto Carrot Cake is a stunner of a low carb dessert. Frosted with the best sugar-free cream cheese frosting, this cake will wow your friends and family. And it’s remarkably easy to make!
I am absolutely over the moon about this keto carrot cake recipe. Simply and utterly obsessed with it and I want to make it over and over again.
Trust me, this is high praise coming from someone who bakes a lot of keto desserts. And who typically leans hard toward the chocolate variety of anything. But I took one bite of this moist, tender keto carrot cake and I was instantly in love.
And it was high time that I posted something like this. I have many carrot cake flavoured recipes, like my popular keto carrot cake bars. But not a single one of them is a classic layer cake.
Many of you have asked for a classic Keto Carrot Cake and so I thank you for pushing me to this. Because it is beyond delicious!
Keto Cake Cookbook
Confession time! Part of the reason I chose to share this recipe now is that I am working on a new e-cookbook devoted entirely to keto cake recipes.
In case you hadn’t noticed, I love making low carb cakes that rival the conventional wheat-and-sugar variety. I derive so much pleasure out of creating something that no one guess is keto friendly.
I’ve got a classic keto birthday cake, of course, and a rich and delicious keto chocolate cake. But then I have more extravagant creations like Berry Chantilly Cake and Praline Sheet Cake.
I hope to have this book out by May or June, so keep your cake-loving eyes peeled!
Ingredients
For this recipe, I tried to stay true to the classic, with some notable keto substitutions.
The flours
Because carrot cake typically takes chopped pecans, I decided to use pecan flour as the base. It has great flavour and slightly fewer carbs than almond flour. I also added some coconut flour to help the overall consistency of the cake.
The sweeteners
Staying true to conventional carrot cake, I incorporated both a brown sugar replacement and granulated sweetener. Swerve Brown is, by far, the most like real brown sugar, and it deepens the flavor of the cake.
The spices
Carrot cake is really a kind of spice cake, so don’t skimp on the spices. I used plenty of cinnamon and some ground cloves. You can also add in nutmeg and a bit of ginger. But don’t overdo the ginger as it can overpower the rest of the flavors.
The carrots
As most of us are aware, carrots are not the most keto friendly vegetable. But you don’t have to add a lot to the recipe to give it the right taste and texture. Conventional carrot cake usually takes 3 cups of grated carrot. I cut this back to 1 1/2 cups and it was perfect.
How to make keto carrot cake
Making a keto carrot cake is really quite similar to the conventional version. Here are my best tips for getting it right.
- Prep your pans properly: This means both greasing them and lining them with parchment paper. Don’t skip this step!
- Finely grate the carrot: Choose the smallest holes on your box grater or food processor grating blade. This ensures better distribution of the carrot throughout the cake.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: Make sure to break up any lumps in the flours before proceeding.
- Beat the wet ingredients together, then add the dry ingredients all at once and beat to combine.
- Bake the cake layers: Be sure to divide the batter into the pans as evenly as possible. If you have a kitchen scale, that can help!
- Let cool completely: You know I always stress this, as keto cakes are very fragile when they are still warm.
How to make the best keto cream cheese frosting
Classic carrot cake takes cream cheese frosting and this one is no different! A few tips for a truly creamy, smooth frosting:
- Properly soften the cream cheese and butter: Make sure that they are soft enough to beat very easily. If you live in a cooler climate, as I do, room temperature may not be sufficient. I always give mine a few seconds in the microwave before I beat them together.
- Add the sweetener after they are smooth: Don’t try to beat it in right away, as it can cause some clumping. Wait until the cream cheese and butter mixture is nice and smooth first.
- Use room temperature cream: Adding cold cream can also cause the frosting to clump up, so make sure to let the cream sit out for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Crumb coat the cake: For this keto carrot cake recipe, I went with the more naked look. I simply spread enough frosting on the sides of the cake to coat it lightly. It was plenty of frosting in the end, as the cake is wonderfully moist.
Frequently Asked Questions
While carrots aren’t the most keto friendly vegetable, they are fine used in a recipe that serves 12 to 16. I found I could use up to 1 1/2 cups without raising the carb count much.
I haven’t tried making this recipe without nut meals as yet. But you could try replacing the pecan flour with sunflower seed flour. You will need to add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to offset the green reaction.
Then simply leave out the added nuts in the cake and the garnish.
The cake will probably turn out with other sweeteners but I do warn you that allulose causes baked goods to darken very quickly and look almost burnt. For the frosting, you need a good confectioner’s style (powdered) sweetener.
Protein powder is a critical ingredient as it helps baked goods rise and hold their shape properly. You will find that my keto cake recipes are lighter and fluffier than many others. You can skip it, but please understand that your cake will be more dense and more fragile.
You can use whey protein, egg white protein, or some plant-based proteins. But don’t use collagen protein as it will make the cake gummy and hard to cook through.
You can make 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 times the frosting recipe to make a fully frosted cake.
Storage Information
Store the keto carrot cake in the fridge, with any cut edges covered with plastic wrap. I like it best served at room temperature so I recommend cutting slices when it’s cold and letting them sit out for a few minutes. The cake should last for up to a week in the fridge.
You can also freeze this cake, tightly wrapped up, for up to 2 months.
Want more keto layer cakes?
- Lemon Cream Cake
- Keto Margarita Cake
- Keto Marble Cake
- Cookies & Cream Cake
- Butter Pecan Cake
- Sugar Free Spice Cake
Keto Carrot Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 2 cups pecan flour/almond flour, See Notes
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- ⅓ cup unflavoured whey protein powder, or egg white protein powder
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup avocado oil, or another neutral oil
- ½ cup Swerve Brown
- ½ cup Swerve Granular
- 1½ cups finely grated carrot, lightly packed
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
Garnish
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- 1 tbsp finely grated carrot
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease 3 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and grease the paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the pecan flour, coconut flour, protein powder, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and cloves.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs and oil with the sweeteners until well combined and the sweeteners are mostly dissolved. Beat in the carrots and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients and beat on low until combined. Stir in the chopped pecans.
- Divide the batter evenly among the baking pans and spread to the edges. Bake 18 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and the tops are firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool completely in the pans, then run a sharp knife around the inside of the pans and flip out onto a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until very smooth. Beat in the sweetener and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Slowly beat in the heavy whipping cream until a spreadable consistency is achieved.
To assemble
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or plate. Spread the top with one quarter of the frosting. Repeat with the remaining layers.
- Use the final quarter of frosting to lightly crumb coat the sides, so that the cake peeks through.
- Sprinkle the chopped pecans and shredded carrot around the outside of the top of the cake. Refrigerate 1 hour before cutting and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I love your baking recipes! They are the best. I made this one for Mother’s Day and it looked beautiful and tasted delicious, but the cake layers were a bit dry and very crumbly. Any Idea what I could have done wrong? I used almond flour, not pecan flour and all other ingredients were exactly as written in your recipe. I also used 3-8″ cake pans. Was it possibly overbaked? I baked them 20 minutes.
Yes, very likely a bit over-baked. Every oven is different, every pan is different, and when the flour is different too, that can change it. With keto cakes, you want to keep your eye on them closely and the minute they have that firmness on top, take them out of the oven.
Amazing cake, not just as a keto cake but for any kind of carrot cake. Truly, better than a lot of traditional sugar and flour versions. I used almond flour as that’s what I had on hand and made 1.5 times the frosting as I wanted a fully frosted cake plus extra for piping. Wound up with quite a bit extra but it will not go to waste. Thank you for all your hard work. Your recipes are really the best out there.
What, if anything, can be substituted for coconut flour. I’d like to share with someone’s who is allergic to coconut and many of your recipes call for coconut flour or oil or milk, etc.
You can do almond flour but you will need a full cup of it to replace the coconut flour.
Dear Carolyn, You’ve done it again! Best.keto.carrot.cake.ever!! I made this for Easter and it was the absolute best. I will definitely be making again. Thanks for all your hard work and wonderful recipes. Patty, South Carolina
I am so glad!
This is a very good cake! I ground my own pecans into flour, since I had a giant bag of shelled pecans left over from Christmas. I also had to use three 10 inch pans, since I did not have enough of the 8 inch pans. However, it still came out well, just a little wider and shorter. I also made one and a half times the amount of frosting. So delicious! I will have to invest in another 8 incher so that next time I get the full effect of a towering carrot cake! Thanks for perfecting this recipe.
Glad it still worked out!
Carolyn, I am a huge fan. Every time my son and I see a good recipe, we always check to see if you have ketofied it. I have a quick question: I want to make the carrot cake, and I have a bag of nut flour blend that contains walnut, almond, pecan and coconut flours. Knowing the tendency of coconut flours to absorb too much of the liquids, should I still add the additional 1/3 cup of coconut flour, or just an additional 1/3 cup of the flours blend? Thank you!
I simply can’t guide you without trying it myself.
Thank you SO much for this beauty of a recipe. My little niece has to be keto and has never enjoyed keto cakes…until this one, where she PLOWED through a slice and asked her mom if she could have it for her birthday this year, then informed me that it was the “best cake she ever had in her whole life.” Cannot thank you enough for the work you put into this and all your recipes.
So glad to hear it!
Could I make this in a Bundt pan instead of the 3 layers. It won’t look as fancy but it will save me time.
Thanks Carolyn !
Yes you can but I am not entirely sure of the bake time so keep your eyes on it. And GREASE that pan well… bundt pans are notoriously “sticky”.
Barb – did you bake this as a bundt and if so what was the time frame please?
I made the cakes as described with all the ingredients including the whey protein, but alas they didn’t rise. I had three flat pancakes.???
Then something went wrong! They do rise… not a huge amount but they aren’t flat like pancakes.
Hi Carolyn! I can’t wait to bake this cake for Easter! Do you have a preference regarding whey protein powder or egg white protein powder? I have both. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes! They’re all delicious!
Not really… but I did use whey when testing this recipe so if that helps!
Hello, any substitution for whey protein?
Please read the Frequently Asked Questions section.
Carolyn, I researched this because we cannot find Unflavored whey protein or egg white protein anywhere. It says that you can sub real egg whites 1:1 for egg white powder and it helps with binding better. I also commented above re: using a nut flour blend that contains coconut flour. If I used real egg whites, perhaps I should use the additional 1/3 cup of coconut flour as well? Please let me know if I am being too confusing! ????
I don’t know where you are getting that but it will not work in my cakes and baked goods. You would throw off the wet to dry ratio considerably. You are free to experiment but I cannot guide you here.
Happy birthday to me! Missing carrot cake on my birthday since doing the keto lifestyle for the last 5 yrs. Not anymore, thanks Carolyn for all of your hard work perfecting these recipes!
So glad you liked it!
It says serving size is one slice, but I do not see anywhere where it says how many slices to cut the cake into. Can you please enlighten me?
Right at the top of the recipe card, it says the prep time, cook time, and number of servings.
You say that this cake can be frozen. Can it be frozen WITH the frosting, or does it have to be unfrosted to freeze it?
Also, the pecan flour you link to is unavailable. Can you recommend another brand that is good?
You can freeze it with the frosting but careful not to smush it. I am still searching for a pecan flour replacement. I can say this… don’t use the Nature’s Eats brand. It’s very dark and dense, almost like they just used the pecan skins rather than the nuts themselves.
Thank you. I’ve now removed the Nature’s Eats Pecan Flour from my Amazon cart. When I finally get some pecan flour, I’m going to make and freeze cupcakes and I’ll be sure to avoid smushing the frosting. I’m really looking forward to your e-cookbook on cakes.
I wish I could speak more to the other brands. I got a new one but haven’t tried it out yet!
Another winner! Thank you, Carolyn for another great recipe! I want to put the icing on all of the things!
I made this cake for my birthday and it was delicious! Best keto cake recipe yet!! And the icing was great too!
I am so glad to hear that!!!! And happy birthday!