Flourless Carrot Cake

By Martha Rose Shulman

Updated April 29, 2024

Flourless Carrot Cake
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour
Cook Time
one hour
Rating
5(1,685)
Comments
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This crunchy, spicy carrot cake is much lighter and less cloying than most I’ve tasted. It’s important to grate the carrots on the fine holes of your grater, or else they’ll remain too crunchy. For best results, wrap the cake tightly in plastic after it cools and serve it the next day. It will keep for five days in the refrigerator if wrapped airtight.

Featured in: Carrots: Digging Deeper for Fall Flavor

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Ingredients

Yield:10 to 12 servings
  • 1½cups (½ pound) unsalted toasted almonds
  • ¼cup raw brown (turbinado) sugar
  • 1½teaspoons baking powder
  • ⅛teaspoon salt
  • 1teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2teaspoons grated lemon zest
  • 4large eggs
  • ⅓cup organic white sugar
  • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2cups finely grated carrots (about 10 ounces)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

187 calories; 12 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 154 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle. Oil a 9-inch springform pan, and line it with parchment. Lightly oil the parchment.

  2. Step 2

    Combine the almonds and the turbinado sugar in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Blend until the almonds are finely ground. Add the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon zest, and pulse together.

  3. Step 3

    Beat the eggs until thick in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or with an electric beater. Add the organic sugar, and continue to beat until the mixture is thick and forms a ribbon when lifted from the bowl with a spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Add the almond mixture and the carrots in three alternating additions, and slowly beat or fold in each time.

  4. Step 4

    Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan. Place in the oven, and bake one hour until firm to the touch and beginning to pull away from the pan. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan, and carefully remove the spring form ring. Allow the cake to cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic.

Tip
  • Advance preparation: This cake is a good keeper if wrapped well. Refrigerate for up to five days.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,685 user ratings
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Comments

Dorothy

Can we use packaged ground almond meal/flour?

grant taylor

Greetings from down-under. I do this for all cakes I make in a springform pan.

Ensure the base is inverted, i.e. the slightly indented side faces the bottom when you click the pan together. Cut a circle about half an inch wider than the base. Make small cuts around the circle, grease or spray the inside of the pan. Press the baking paper on the base and up the sides. Then press greased or sprayed baking paper strips around the inside, making sure they cover any tiny gaps at the base..

Steven Andrea

1- used almond flour by weight 2- added grated carrots by weight as unclear how tightly to pack the cups 3- subbed maple syrup for the sugar in the eggs (scant 1/4 cup) 4- subbed granulated maple sugar in the almond mix (1/8 cup) taste is great. more a bread than a cake. would skip the maple sugar, add more zest (including some orange zest) and a little more salt next time for a perfect breakfast bread.

Eileen

I agree that this is not like a traditional carrot cake, but I disagree with those who say it’s more like a bread. It has a spicy flavor and is sweet enough to classify as a dessert. Mine came out just about an inch thick, which is how it looks in the photo. I didn’t mind that, but you should be aware of this before baking. My guests and I found it delicious and light.

Anne

Reading the comments and seeing that the cake could be a little crunchy, I boiled the carrots (in chunks) for about 15 minutes. I know this sounds weird, but this is a similar method to the NYT Clementine Cake. Then I put them in the food processor and blitzed till chunky. I added the rest of the ingredients (measured by weight) into the food processor and just mixed. Added some chopped walnuts before pouring into a cake pan lined with parchment. Baked it for 45 minutes at 350°. Turned out moist and delicious.

Anne

@Anne I also used almond flour.

m3cevoy

Very dry and bland

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