Carrot Cake Cupcakes – Gluten Free

Last week I was asked to make desserts for on of my favorite stores, DL Rhein.  Deborah, the owner, was hosting a pop-up shop for another one of my favorite people, Heather Bradley of Bradley Beauty. Heather is not only an amazing esthetician and skin care guru, but she is one of those highly intuitive, spiritual beings.

As this was an event for ladies, I didn’t want to make anything that was going to turn people off as I know how everyone is conscious of what they put in their body.  Throughout Passover, I turned to Elana’s Pantry for inspiration.  She does not cook with any gluten and she has made it her vocation to create wonderful, tasty meals that are every bit as good as the one’s with gluten in them.  These cupcakes were the perfect choice for this group of ladies.

The yield on her recipe was for 10 regular size muffins.  I needed way more than that, so I used these cute little paper liners, making them kind of in between a true mini and a regular size cupcake.  I topped them with my cream cheese frosting and then sprinkled them with a bit of crystallized ginger.  Eli ate two.  He said they were great.  After the fact I told him they were gluten free.  He gave them the thumbs up!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes – Gluten Free


Ingredients

1 ½ cups almond flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ tablespoon cinnamon
3 eggs
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
¼ cup agave nectar
1 ½ cups carrots, grated
½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Instructions

(the best part about this recipe=no mixer!)
• preheat oven to 325*. line 36 mini muffin tins with pleated paper liners
• on a small baking sheet, spread pecans in an even layer. toast for 8-12 minutes. set aside to cool
• in a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon
• in another bowl, mix together eggs, oil, and agave nectar
• stir carrots and pecans into wet ingredients
• stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just incorporated
• using a 1 1/2 tablespoon ice cream scoop, place batter in paper lined cupcake pan

 and bake at 325° for 15-18 minutes

• cool to room temperature on wire racks. 
• frost with cream cheese frosting. sprinkle with crystalized, chopped ginger(optional)

The Urban Baker / SusanSalzman.com

Related links:
Corn-Spinach Muffins – Green Kitchen Stories
Blackberry Cupcakes – Cannelle et Vanille
Showing 20 comments
  • Kim
    Reply

    It’s so perfect to have some gluten free recipes. Plus, I like cakes prepared with almond meal! These looks pretty good!

  • yummychunklet
    Reply

    I’m leaning towards more gluten-free baking for my friends. This recipe looks great.

  • Molly Chester
    Reply

    So cute! Love little things…

  • Jun Belen
    Reply

    These are so cute, so pretty! Carrot cake is one of my favorite if not my favorite cake. I remember my friend Julie from grad school and the carrot cake she made for my birthday after I moved to Santa Barbara. This looks like a great recipe for a gluten-free version. With cream cheese frosting, I bet I can eat the whole batch.

    • Susan
      Reply

      Jun – i will guarantee you that you will eat the whole batch. so light and yummy! what a great birthday treat. happens to be my hubby’s favorite as well!

  • Amanda
    Reply

    Those look SO moist and delicious!!! And that perfect dollop of frosting… great job!

    • Susan
      Reply

      it’s all about the frosting, right?!

  • marla
    Reply

    I love Elana & these carrot cupcakes – sounds like a fun event you baked these for 🙂

  • sally cameron
    Reply

    Beautiful post Susan! Pretty photos and the recipe looks terrific. I’ll have to try making a small batch. And I can never resist cream cheese frosting. Thanks!

    • Susan
      Reply

      Thanks so much, Sally! Little minis keeps the guilt in check!

  • Allison [Haute Box]
    Reply

    Ooo! I bet the almond flour gives these cupcakes such a nice flavor!

  • Reply

    They look adorable! Great piping job.

  • DLRhein
    Reply

    These treats made our event all the better. These tasted like a traditional cake and had no idea that they were gluten free.

  • Caroline
    Reply

    “cup” can you specify ozs? A “cup” is difficult to determine, it’s different in every country!

    • Susan
      Reply

      Hi Caroline – I went to this site(http://is.gd/QYZfii) that converts all measurements(i actually googled convert 1 cup of almond flour to ounces and got this site). One cup of almond flour converts to 3.39 ounces. In terms of the 1/4 cup agave nectar, liquid ingredients are easier. 1/4 cup of agave nectar should be about 2 ounces. I use the internet a lot to convert ingredients as sugar weighs more than flour and it’s a great way to figure out the weight of egg yolks and egg whites. I hope this info helps!

  • Bonnie
    Reply

    What other options do I have instead of Almond flour (husband is allergic) and can I use honey in this recipe?

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