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low FODMAP carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and bare sides on a wooden plate with decorative bunny in the background

Low FODMAP Carrot Cake

Our low FODMAP carrot cake is gluten-free and super easy to make - you don't even need a mixer, although one comes in handy for the frosting.

Course: Dessert, Snack, Treat
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Makes: 24 Servings
Calories: 309 kcal
Author: Dédé Wilson

Ingredients:

Cake:

Frosting:

  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick; 85 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
  • 3 cups (270 g) sifted confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) Green Valley Organics lactose-free cream cheese
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice, preferably freshly squeezed (see Tips)

Preparation:

  1. For the Cake: Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Coat two 9 x 2-inch (23 cm x 5 cm) round cake pans with nonstick spray, line bottoms with parchment rounds, then spray parchment.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large mixing bowl to aerate and combine; set aside.
  3. Whisk together oil, sugar and brown sugar until well blended in a mixing bowl. Whisk in eggs one at a time until mixture is smooth and combined. Whisk in cinnamon and vanilla, then use a large, sturdy spatula to fold in the carrots, raisins and nuts.
  4. Pour wet ingredients over dry and fold in until combined. Divide batter evenly in prepared pans and smooth batter with an offset spatula.
  5. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick shows a few moist crumbs. Cool pans on racks for 10 minutes. Unmold, peel off parchment, and place directly on racks to cool completely. Layers are ready to fill and frost. Alternatively, place layers on cardboards and double wrap in plastic wrap; store at room temperature and assemble within 24 hours.
  6. Make the Frosting: Beat the butter in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, until very creamy and smooth, for about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and cream cheese and begin by beating on low speed. As the frosting comes together and you aren’t in danger of confectioners’ sugar flying everywhere, turn speed up to high and beat until very creamy and smooth. Scrape down the bowl once or twice during the process to make sure everything is blended evenly and smoothly. The frosting is ready to use and best if used immediately.
  7. Apply the Frosting: Decide which frosting application you are going to use. For either approach, place one cake round on serving platter. Spread frosting on top of this bottom cake layer, going all the way to the edges. Place second layer on top.
  8. If you want to leave the cake sides bare, apply the remaining frosting just to the top of the uppermost layer, leaving the sides naked and pristine.
  9. If you want to schmear the sides with a thin veil of frosting, simply do just that! I like to use a small straight icing spatula. Apply a thin layer to the sides and be a little more generous for the top.
  10. The cake is done and needs no additional décor. If you want to replicate the images, simply by some slender fresh carrots with their tops attached and trim the carrots themselves and then press them into the frosting right before serving. Some extra cinnamon can be sprinkled on top to look like dirt, it you like.
  11. The cake may be served immediately, or refrigerated for up to 2 days under a cake dome (so as to not disturb the frosting). Bring to room temperature before serving.

Notes:

Tips

  • I have a love/hate relationship with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Well, “hate” is too strong of a word but let’s just say it can be complicated. The fact is that nothing compares to the bright, clean flavor of freshly squeezed lemon juice, yet I do understand that it is common not to have fresh lemons around and/or they can be pricey. And when there is a recipe like this where the lemon juice amount is small, it is nice to have a convenience product to use. There is one, and only one, lemon juice product that I recommend and that is the frozen Minute Made Premium 100% Pure Lemon Juice. It has an incomparably fresh lemon flavor with no preservatives or additives; no other bottled or commercially available lemon juice comes close. It is a recipe developer’s favorite and we think you will like it, too. Buy a couple of bottles. Have one in the fridge and one in reserve in the freezer. Look for a black and yellow box in the freezer section near the concentrated juices. Inside is a 7.5 ounce/221.8 ml bright yellow squeeze bottle that is easy to find once stored in the refrigerator and easy to handle. You can easily squeeze out 1 teaspoon, if that is what you need. Once defrosted it lasts for 8 weeks (refrigerated) and there is even a little area on the bottle where you can write in the date when it was initially defrosted.
  • One of our community members baked this in a 13-inch by 9-inch (33 cm by 23 cm) pan and it worked perfectly. She started checking at 20 minutes and then about 10 minutes later as well.

FODMAP Information

Our recipes are based on Monash University and FODMAP Friendly science.

  • Butter: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested butter. Monash states that a low FODMAP Green Light portion is 1 tablespoon or 19 g and also states that “butter is high in fat and does not contain carbohydrates (FODMAPs)”. FODMAP Friendly gives it a “Pass” at 1 tablespoon or 19 g. Both recommended serving sizes are presented as part of healthy eating guidelines, not as maximum FODMAP serving size. Fat can affect guy motility and trigger IBS symptoms in some people. Eat to your tolerance.
  • Carrots: Carrots have been lab tested and deemed low FODMAP by both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly. According to Monash carrots contain no FODMAPs.

  • Oil: All pure oils are fats and contain no carbohydrates, therefore they contain no FODMAPs.

  • Raisins: Monash and FODMAP Friendly have both lab tested raisins. While raw grapes contain no FODMAPs, the natural sugars concentrate upon drying and the resulting raisins do contain FODMAPs. Monash says a low FODMAP Green Light serving is 1 Australian tablespoon (13 g). FODMAP Friendly gives them a “Pass” at 3 tablespoons (30 g).

  • Sugar: Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have both lab tested white, granulated sugar. Monash states that a Green Light low FODMAP serving size of white sugar is 1/4 cup (50 g). FODMAP Friendly simply states that they have tested 1 tablespoon and that it is low FODMAP. Regular granulated white sugar is sucrose, which is a disaccharide made up of equal parts glucose and fructose. Sucrose is broken down and absorbed efficiently in the small intestine.

  • Walnuts: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested walnuts. FODMAP Friendly gives them a “Pass” at ¼ cup (30 g) portions. Monash lists the same gram amount as low FODMAP and pegs the volume at 10 walnut halves.

  • Please always refer to the Monash University & FODMAP Friendly smartphone apps for the most up-to-date lab tested information. As always, your tolerance is what counts; please eat accordingly. The ultimate goal of the low FODMAP diet is to eat as broadly as possible, without triggering symptoms, for the healthiest microbiome.
Nutrition Facts
Low FODMAP Carrot Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 309 Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 35mg12%
Sodium 187mg8%
Potassium 74mg2%
Carbohydrates 42g14%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 24g27%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 55IU1%
Vitamin C 0.6mg1%
Calcium 9mg1%
Iron 0.4mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.