Gluten-Free Carrot Pineapple Cake

This upside-down carrot cake with pineapple is vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free. We've included only wholesome ingredients to give you a nutritious dessert in half the calories. Dates, bananas, carrots, oats, and flaxseeds come together into a moist and flavourful bake that is much healthier than the classic recipe.

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with Pineapple

Info

Nutrition per serving
NutrientAmountRDA
Net Carbs49.3 g17.9%
of which Sugars24.9 g27.7%
Fibers8 g28.7%
Fats7.8 g12%
of which Saturates0.9 g4.5%
of which Omega 31.1 g102.4%
Proteins6.9 g15%
Calcium94 mg9.4%
Vitamin A281 mcg40.2%
Vitamin C6 mg8.2%
Iron2.2 mg15.2%
Potassium541 mg15.5%
Sodium267 mg11.6%
Cholesterol0 mg0%
Kcal295 14.7%
Macro split
  • net carbs 68%
  • sugars 35%
  • fats 11%
  • saturates 1%
  • proteins 10%
  • fibers 11%
*RDA based on a 2000 kcal diet;
**Nutritional data sources: USDA, food labels.
KCAL
295 per serving
TIME
1h
HEALTH

Today we will show you how to make a cute upside-down carrot cake with pineapple that is both vegan and gluten-free. With the right ingredients, cakes can be as wholesome for you as eating fruit and vegetables, and even more nourishing. Don't believe it? Keep reading and see how we have designed this uber-wholesome bake, then check the list of ingredients!

We prepared our pineapple and carrot cake without any animal products - it's dairy-free, oil-free and egg-free. We substituted these ingredients with plant-based alternatives that perform just as well, but are much healthier. The tiny but mighty flax seeds make a great egg-replacement when soaked in water. Instead of butter or oil, we used mashed bananas, and we swapped cow milk with almond milk.

For our dear celiacs and people with gluten intolerance, we substituted wheat flour with oat flour. We love using oat in our gluten-free recipes because of just how wholesome it is. Oatmeal is rich in fibres which fill you up and boost your digestive system health.

Our carrot and pineapple cake is also sugar-free. Instead of refined sugars, we took some naturally sweet dates, blended them with water and turned them into a paste. Dates make our recipe suitable for anyone on a low sugar diet, like people with diabetes or those on a weight-loss diet.

All of these wholesome ingredients come together in a moist and spongy cake bursting with flavour and nutrients. You can finally strike cake off the cheat day list, and enjoy it any day of the week!

Ingredients

Adjustments
Serves
Measuring System
Ground Flaxseeds25 g
Water270 mL
Pitted Dates300 g
Carrots400 g
Peeled Bananas130 g
Oats400 g
Potato Starch50 g
Baking Soda10 g
Cinnamon1/2 tsp
Walnuts80 g
Almond Milk200 mL
Canned Pineapple Slices8

Step 1

Let's start by getting the cake batter ingredients ready.

In a bowl, combine ground flax seeds with 120 mL of water and leave them to soak for 10 minutes until you have a thick gel-lick mixture.

Meanwhile, blend dried pitted dates with 150 mL of water in a food processor until you have a creamy paste (1).

If your dates are too dry, you can soak them in lukewarm water for 10 minutes before blitzing them.

Next, peel the carrots and finely grate them with the help of a cheese grater. Alternatively, you can pulse them in a food processor until they are finely chopped.

Leave them to drain excess water on a colander and pat them dry with a kitchen towel.

Finally, mash the bananas into a smooth and soft paste(2).

Blended dates and soaked flaxseeds.
1
Grated carrots and mashed bananas.
2

Step 2

Blitz the oat flakes in a food processor to make gluten-free flour. Then, combine it with sifted potato starch, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In a large mixing bowl, stir the 'flaxegg' with mashed bananas, date paste, chopped walnuts, and grated carrots.

Then, slowly incorporate the oat flour mixture into the wet ingredients adding in a few spoons at a time.

Pour the milk and whisk the batter until you have a smooth cake dough. The mixture should be dense enough to hold together but also runny enough to be poured into a cake tin.

Carrot cake batter with oat flour and almond milk.

Step 3

Arrange the pineapple slices in a single layer on the bottom of a round baking tin lined with parchment paper.

Then, add a few tablespoons of the pineapple juice drained from the canned fruit tin.

Next, transfer the carrot batter into the prepared tin and level with a spatula. Take care not to displace the fruit as you pour the cake mixture.

Pineapple slices on the bottom of the baking tin.

Step 4

Bake for 50 minutes at 175°C (345°F) for static ovens or at 155°C (310°F) for fan ovens.

The cake is ready when a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Leave the dessert to cool down for 15 minutes before flipping it onto a serving dish.

Baked and flipped carrot pineapple cake.

Tips

  • You can swap walnuts with other nuts like almonds, cashews, or pecans.

  • Instead of using only oat flour, you can replace half of it with other gluten-free alternatives like almond flour or coconut flour. However, make sure to adjust the milk proportions accordingly if the cake batter gets too dense or too runny.