Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Pecans

My Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Pecans is the perfect way to ring in a winter birthday. A sensible 9” single layer, this cake will feed a small happy group. I’ve cut back the sugar in the three parts of the cake so you don’t end up in a coma after your slice, and you’ll be going back for more! Did I mention it’s gluten-free?

Another year, another cake.

This cake was made with nothing but love for my baby boy. It takes my breath away to know he’s now TWO years old.

I know I know, two may not sound like many. But I seriously can’t remember a time before being this one’s mama. Before I had a partner escorting me to the bathroom every single time. Before fierce blue eyes could convince me to do ANYTHING they wanted me to do. And trust me, my husband has some blue eyes too, and I’ve stood pretty strong on most topics.

So this year, I’ve stayed on the slightly healthier side again, but I’ve let more sweetness creep its way in. Honestly, you’d never be able to tell I made this cake with the intention of it being less sugary.

We’re talking legit Carrot Cake here. Carrot cake is brilliant because carrots are naturally very sweet. Combining that with some coconut sugar, you’re golden. All of the spices lend such beautiful flavor that you know this cake would be ruined if you’d loaded it with more sugar. I’ve added a touch of orange zest, which really makes the flavors bright and wintery.

The frosting is real Cream Cheese Frosting. I didn’t skimp there. It’s cream cheese and a touch of butter, some vanilla and cinnamon, and just enough powdered sugar to make it perfect. The keys here are: just enough powdered sugar – sure, you could get more to incorporate in, but there’s no need; and making just enough to cover your cake. I used my MINI KitchenAid stand mixer for this, because it could grab and mix the small amount of frosting I was whipping up, but you could use a bowl and a hand-mixer too. No problem.

And, to top it all off, literally, candied pecans. Once again, these aren’t overly sweet. If you were making them for salads and gifts, I’d say up the sugar by a couple tablespoons. But because I don’t want them stealing the show or adding too much sugar to our combo, I’ve kept them pretty subdued and perfectly spiced. You’ll have extras of these, but that’s never been considered a “problem” in my book.

GIVEAWAY*: Can I mention my cake serving set? The knife and server? They’re from West Elm and they’re a perfect coppery color to make my heart swoon. My mom gifted them to me last Christmas and I loved them so much, I want to GIVEAWAY a set to one of you! If you saw on Instagram, I posted the giveaway there too. For an entry, just comment on this post. That’s it! You get an additional entry for entering via the instructions on Instagram too. Easy peasy. I just want to share some holiday joy with you all! **GIVEAWAY CLOSED**

Now let’s bake!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Pecans
Recipe by Melissa @ Treats With A Twist
Makes one 9” round cake

INGREDIENTS
For the cake:
½ cup + 1 Tbs. brown rice flour
3 Tbs. arrowroot starch
¼ cup fine almond flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ cup grapeseed oil (or your favorite baking oil)
½ cup full fat plain Greek yogurt
¾ cup coconut sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. allspice
¼ tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. orange zest
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups grated carrots
½ cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

For the frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (full fat)
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, room temperature
pinch of Kosher salt
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. cinnamon
heaping ½ cup powdered sugar

For the candied pecans:
2 cups raw pecans
1 egg white
½ tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of Kosher salt
3 Tbs. coconut sugar (if you like sweeter, add 2 Tbs.)

METHOD
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9” cake pan and lay a parchment circle in the bottom (I quickly trace the bottom of the pan and cut my circle to size).
In your mixer (or in a large mixing bowl) combine the coconut sugar, oil and yogurt, mixing on a medium speed for 2 minutes or so. Then, add the spices and each egg, one at a time.
Turn the mixer off. Add all of the dry ingredients, then slowly let the mixer pull it into a batter. Finally, add the carrots and walnuts and let them get mixed in evenly.
Pour your batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a test stick comes out clean.
Let your cake cool in the pan slightly (20-30min) before turning it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely. You can wrap the cake for the fridge now or frost and serve.

For the frosting:
In your mixer (you’ll need a mini mixer for this or to use a glass bowl with hand beaters), combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat until smooth. Then, add the vanilla and cinnamon, continuing to beat until well mixed. Finally, add the powdered sugar and carefully beat it all together until you have a smooth frosting. Use immediately or place in the fridge to use later (if you place it in the fridge, you’ll have to let it come to room temperature again before frosting your cake).

For the candied pecans:
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Whisk together the egg white, spices and coconut sugar. Then, stir in the nuts until they’re evenly coated.
Spread the nuts out evenly on the parchment. Bake for 20 minutes, stir, then bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. If the nuts look like they’re getting very dark and smell quite fragrant, then remove them from the oven so they don’t burn. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool.

Assemble your cake:
Spread an even layer of the frosting on top of your cooled cake. Then, chop the candied pecans and sprinkle them however you wish (I kept some whole and chopped the rest).

You can keep a covered cake in the fridge for up to 4 days.

To print this recipe, simply copy and paste the text into a new document on your computer and hit print. It’s old school but it’s all we’ve got now. Thanks!

*The giveaway on this post is entirely sponsored by myself. I’ll contact the winner and they must respond within 24 hours to claim their prize, or another winner will be drawn. Entrants must live within the contiguous US to be a winner, and over 18 years of age.

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