Gluten Free Carrot Bundt Cake with Coconut

When it comes to Easter Sunday, I have a few memories of the desserts we would eat, certainly Buttermilk Pie would make an appearance, along with my mom’s famous peanut butter fudge, and sometimes we would go to a family friends for lunch and an Easter egg hunt, and I specifically remember Ms. Saundra’s incredibly decadent caramel cheesecake. But this blog isn’t about any of those things.

This Gluten Free Carrot-Coconut Bundt Cake is one I claim as my own. I made a carrot cake last year with my mom and have been working on this recipe ever since. I will now until forever make this perfectly moist Gluten Free Carrot Coconut Bundt Cake for Easter.

How to make this Gluten Free Carrot Bundt Cake with Coconut - step by step

1. Set oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9” bundt pan.
2. Combine sugar and coconut oil and mix on med, then add apple sauce until well combined.
3. Add eggs one at a time while mixing on low.
4. Add coconut extract and mix on medium for 30 seconds.
5. Sift all dry ingredients into a seperate bowl. Then slowly add to mixer, scraping down the sides as you go until a stick dough forms.
6. With a spatula, fold in carrots and coconut (batter will be sticky).
7. Scrape batter into bundt pan, smoothing out so that it is evenly distributed in the pan.
8. Bake for 50-55 minutes.
9. While it bakes whisk all the wet icing ingredients together, then sift the powdered sugar in whisking until smooth.
10. Let the cake rest in the pan for a minimum of 10 minutes (this will help release it from the pan). Turn the pan over on a platter gently and pull pan off slowly, using a butter knife to help remove any stuck portions if needed.
11. Cool cake completely before icing.

The best carrot cake recipe

Okay, so I didn’t invent carrot cake, it’s true, but my recipe has a few slight differences. First is the obvious--coconut! There’s just something about a little coconut flavor that really rounds this cake out. Plus, it adds an additional layer of texture, which I love.

The other difference is my super secret ingredient for making a moist gluten free cake, well I guess it’s not a secret anymore… it’s applesauce. It’s exactly what a gluten free cake needs to bring that much needed moistness without making it too dense.  

What is a bundt cake?

What is so great about a bundt cake is that they don’t conform to any single recipe but are characterized instead by their shape. A bundt pan generally has fluted or grooved sides, but its most defining design element is the central tube which leaves a cylindrical hole through the center of the cake. I feel like bundt cakes are the prettiest too.

Bundt cakes are  elegant to look at and add the perfect bit of refinement to a table. But what really defines a bundt cake to me is it’s texture. Bundt cake is a fine textured, moist, yet light cake. Not to be confused with dense, the moist and NOT crumby texture is what sets this cake apart.

This carrot bundt cake combines the texture of carrots and coconut with the warm cozy spices and then tops it off with tangy cream cheese icing, which makes it hit all the perfect flavor marks. (It also makes it really hard to resist. I literally had to give this one away so I would not eat it all.)

Moist carrot cake with coconut

The finished bundt cake is deliciously moist and light and full of flavors from the spices and coconut. I love serving this cake at family gatherings, it's always a real show stopper!

Top tips to make Gluten Free Carrot Bundt Cake with Coconut

• Be sure to add the eggs on at a time when you are mixing the batter, and keep it on a slow speed.
• Make sure the batter is evenly distributed in the bundt pan.
• Place the cake into a pre-hated oven.
• Let the cake rest for at least 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.
• Let the cake cool before icing it.

Check Out These Other Delicious Sweet Treats!

• Blueberry Lavender Hand Pies Recipe (Gluten Free and Paleo!),
• Gluten Free Carrot Cake Donuts with Goat Cheese Glaze,
• Pumpkin Spice Naked Layer Cake with Salted Caramel Drizzle

If you have tried this recipe I’d love to hear from you!  Be sure to leave a star rating and let me know what you thought!

Gluten Free Carrot Coconut Bundt Cake

Jen Pinkston

This super moist carrot cake combined with the warm spices and topped with tangy cream cheese icing is the perfect combination of flavors.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Gluten Free

Cuisine American

Servings 12 servings

Calories 389 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ¾ cup Cane Sugar
• ½ cup Coconut sugar or brown sugar
• ¼ cup Coconut oil slightly softened (like room temp butter)
• ¾ cup Apple sauce unsweetened
• 5 Eggs room temperature
• 1 teaspoon Coconut extract
• 2 ¼ cups Gluten Free All Purpose Flour sifted, I use this brand
• 1 teaspoon Baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Baking powder
• 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Ginger
• ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon Cloves
• Pinch of salt
• 3 cups Carrots shredded
• ¾ cup Coconut flakes unsweetened

Cream Cheese Icing

• ¼ cup cream cheese for dairy free try this brand
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 2 ½ cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoon coconut milk or any milk is fine

Instructions

 

• Set oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9” bundt pan.
• Combine sugar and coconut oil and mix on med, then add apple sauce until well combined.
• Add eggs one at a time while mixing on low.
• Add coconut extract and mix on medium for 30 seconds.
• Sift all dry ingredients into a seperate bowl. Then slowly add to mixer, scraping down the sides as you go until a stick dough forms.
• With a spatula, fold in carrots and coconut (batter will be sticky).
• Scrape batter into bundt pan, smoothing out so that it is evenly distributed in the pan.
• Bake for 50-55 minutes.
• While it bakes whisk all the wet icing ingredients together, then sift the powdered sugar in whisking until smooth.
• Let the cake rest in the pan for a minimum of 10 minutes (this will help release it from the pan). Turn the pan over on a platter gently and pull pan off slowly, using a butter knife to help remove any stuck portions if needed.
• Cool cake completely before icing.

Notes

This can be prepared the night before, just wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap and ice before serving.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Gluten Free Carrot Coconut Bundt Cake

Amount per Serving

Calories

389

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

13

g

20

%

Saturated Fat

 

9

g

56

%

Cholesterol

 

73

mg

24

%

Sodium

 

206

mg

9

%

Potassium

 

183

mg

5

%

Carbohydrates

 

67

g

22

%

Fiber

 

4

g

17

%

Sugar

 

46

g

51

%

Protein

 

6

g

12

%

Vitamin A

 

5513

IU

110

%

Vitamin C

 

2

mg

2

%

Calcium

 

65

mg

7

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword carrot and coconut cake recipe, gluten free bundt cake, gluten free carrot cake recipe

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Photography for Gluten Free Carrot Coconut Bundt Cake by Chase Daniel