Healthy Oat Flour Carrot Cake (Easy & Moist)

4.75 from 24 votes

The best healthy carrot cake made with oat flour — delicious, wholesome, and gluten-free! This cake is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, packed with carrots and pecans, and finished with a light yogurt-cream cheese frosting. It’s moist, flavorful, and proof that oat flour desserts can be every bit as indulgent as the classic. One bite and you’ll be hooked.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Carrot, Easy, Oat flour

Servings:

Calories: 243kcal

Author: Crystal Yentzen

Ingredients

1 and ½ cups oat flour* see notes
¼ cup tapioca flour or 3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 and ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 and ½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ teaspoon stevia* optional, see notes
¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 large eggs beaten
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup melted coconut oil
½ tablespoon vanilla extract
1 and ½ cups grated carrots
½ cup chopped pecans

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper, and spray with oil.
Whisk together the oat flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and stevia in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the applesauce, eggs, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla extract until well combined.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix together with a large spoon until thoroughly incorporated. Fold in the carrots and pecans.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Test the cake with a toothpick, and if it comes out (mostly) clean, then the cake is done.
Allow the cake to cool completely in its pan on a wire rack before removing to frost with icing if desired.
To make the light yogurt/cream cheese frosting, mix 8 ounces of light cream cheese, ½ cup Greek Yogurt (be sure it's thick like Fage brand),¼ cup maple syrup, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and optional ¾ teaspoon stevia in a large bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Taste and add a bit more maple syrup, stevia, or confectioners' sugar if desired. Note that too much maple syrup will make your frosting thinner. Frost your cooled cake immediately or refrigerate until ready to use. *see blog post for other topping ideas.

Notes

Oat Flour- Oat flour is sold in stores, but it's also super easy to make at home. Simply blend old-fashioned oats in a high-speed blender until the oats become a fine powder (about 30 seconds to a minute). Store your oat flour in an air-tight container for up to three months. See my oat flour baking guide for more tips.
Tapioca Flour- Tapioca flour keeps this cake light and airy. I use this brand, and it’s pretty easy to find. You can substitute half the amount of cornstarch.
Stevia- Stevia is entirely optional, but it does add additional sweetness to the cake without extra calories. I use the Sweetleaf brand in the shaker bottle. If you go with a different brand, add enough stevia to equal about two tablespoons worth of sugar or to taste. I use the same amount of stevia in the optional frosting.
Nutrition is based on the cake without the optional frosting.

Nutrition