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Home » Dairy Free Recipes » Vegan Carrot and Pineapple Cake made gluten free

Vegan Carrot and Pineapple Cake made gluten free

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This recipe Carrot and Pineapple Cake came about because I was updating an old recipe for Carrot Cake and wanted to have some carrot cake myself. I can no longer tolerate eggs or dairy (among other things) so the original recipe was no good for my dietary needs.

I thought I’d make more of a feature of the pineapple in the recipe too by adding candied pineapple to the frosting for decoration. It was a pleasant addition and if you make this recipe I’d recommend doing the same.

If you are new to baking gluten free and vegan you’re going to find this post really useful Ingredients and Simple Recipes for a Gluten Free Veganuary, the post is aimed at Veganuary but the same tips and advice apply all year round.

Carrot and Pineapple Cake - gluten free and vegan

Why do we put carrot in cakes?

There are two main reasons I could could find during the course of my research to answer the question; why do we put carrot in cakes?

The first dates back 500 and more years. During this long history sugar prices fluctuated exponentially and so the poorer bakers and families had to find alternative ways to sweeten their bakes. Carrots are the sweetest of root vegetables without an over powering flavour, such as parsnip.

The second reason is for the moisture in the carrot. Adding the root vegetable makes bakes much more dense but deliciously moist at the same time. Of course, in gluten free baking we could all do with adding a bit of moisture into our lives!

There is a third reason, but this is more of a Millennial issue. We need to be eating 5-8 pieces of fruit and veg a day so this is a great way of hiding veggies in baked goods.

Carrot and Pineapple Cake - gluten free and vegan

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Do I have to add pineapple to carrot cake?

In a word, No! You do not have to add pineapple to a carrot cake, I happen to add it because my husband prefers the pineapple version.

Typically you add crushed pineapple but this seems to be on the supermarket shelves less and less these days. I’ve heard of people referring to this cake as Hummingbird Cake when it has pineapple in it but that’s not technically true. This is a hybrid between a Carrot Cake and a Hummingbird Cake.

Carrot Cakes can often be found with raisins in them instead of pineapple, whilst the Hummingbird Cake uses banana instead of carrot and pineapple.

Could you just leave the pineapple out? Yes but like the grated carrot it adds moisture so if you did take out the pineapple, consider replacing with sultanas or raisins and adding a splash of milk to the mixture to get a wet dropping consistency.

Carrot and Pineapple Cake - gluten free and vegan

How should I store this Carrot Cake?

I manage to keep these cakes for up to three days with no issue. I keep in a Tupperware container on the kitchen worksurface out of direct sunlight. If after 2 days you find the cake is a bit harder then why not pop into the microwave for 10 seconds. That’s literally all you need to freshen the cake up, plus you get a delicious soft frosting that melts into the cake making it more of a pudding.

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  • Bara Brith; gluten free and dairy free, also fat free to!
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Carrot and Pineapple Cake Recipe

If you make it and like the recipe I would be eternally grateful if you popped back and commented leaving a star rating as this will tell search engines that this recipe is worth checking out and others will get to find it in searches.

Carrot and Pineapple Cake - gluten free and vegan

Gluten Free Carrot and Pineapple Cake

Glutarama
This Carrot and Pineapple Cake Recipe is one of those lusciously easy cakes where you literally just shove everything into a bowl and stir. Utterly satisfying and tastes divine too. Plus it's gluten free and the sponge alone is naturally dairy free too.
This recipe makes two 20cm sponges that you sandwich together. To make one sponge change the servings to 6 slices.
4.75 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 35 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Course Dessert, Tea Time
Cuisine Gluten Free
Servings 12 slices
Calories 378 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 350 g gluten free self raising flour
  • 250 g soft dark brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 120 g melted dairy free butter (I use Flora plant based butter) I use Flora Plant Blocks
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 1 tsp psyllium husk powder (optional)
  • 250 g finely grated carrots approx. 2 large carrots
  • 350 g cubed pineapple drained (keep the juice)

Frosting

  • 60 g butter or butter alternative (I use Flora plant butter) softened
  • 60 g dairy free cream cheese
  • 200 g icing/confectioners sugar
  • 1 tsp pineapple juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

To decorate

  • 30 g candied pineapple pieces optional

Instructions
 

  • Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl (the flour, spices, flaxseed and psyllium husk) and stir with a whisk to combine
  • Next add the wet ingredients; the melted 'butter', pineapple, carrots and get stuck in and stir with a big wooden spoon – that's it!
  • The mixture will be very wet and sloppy, don't fear, it's supposed to be like that.
    Pour into two prepared round cake tins (it works out approx. 670g mixture per tin) and bake in an oven on 180°C | 160°C fan | 350°F | Gas 4 for 35mins.
  • Once the cake has a soft bounce to the touch and a wooden toothpick comes out clean you can remove from the oven. Wait for cake to completely cool.

To make the icing

  • To make icing add all the ingredients to a bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.
  • Using half the icing spread over one cake, then sandwich both sponges together and use the remaining icing to spread over the top of the cake.
  • On this occasion I decorated with some candied pineapple pieces, it's entirely up to you what you decorate the top of the cake with.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Carrot and Pineapple Cake
Amount per Serving
Calories
378
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
13
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
 
4
g
20
%
Trans Fat
 
1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
3
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
5
g
Cholesterol
 
6
mg
2
%
Sodium
 
134
mg
6
%
Potassium
 
154
mg
4
%
Carbohydrates
 
66
g
22
%
Fiber
 
4
g
16
%
Sugar
 
45
g
50
%
Protein
 
4
g
8
%
Vitamin A
 
4136
IU
83
%
Vitamin C
 
4
mg
5
%
Calcium
 
57
mg
6
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword Carrot, Easy, Simple
Have you tried this recipe?Let me know how it was & I will be super grateful. Take a picture & tag me @glutarama on your social media posts – I love seeing your photos more than you will ever know x
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Gluten Free Carrot and Pineapple Cake made vegan too

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For full transparency, in 2020 I made my first £25, and in 2022 I reached my next £25 (Amazon don’t transfer the money until you reach £25). Recently I got paid a whopping £27.10 for 2023.

So to date I have made £78.58 since I first started the scheme in 2017. It won’t pay the bills, that’s for sure but it does help to pay for ingredients or little treats to cheer me up!

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29/09/2021 · 7 Comments

Previous Post: « The Best Gluten Free Eve’s Pudding
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4.75 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Gabi says

    28/09/2022 at 3:29 pm

    Hello Rebecca! My son doesn’t like pineapple. Do you think k should just replace it with the same weight in carrots? Or maybe some apple/pear purée for added moisture?

    Reply
    • Glutarama says

      29/09/2022 at 8:54 am

      I think both ideas are great; adding more carrot and adding another fruit – the apple would work so well with the spices too. I’d recommend adding a dessert/eating apple rather than a cooking apple though so that it keeps its structure. xx

      Reply
  2. Treat and Trick says

    14/11/2021 at 4:01 am

    This looks amazing, you really can’t tell it is gluten free cake….

    Reply
  3. Petra says

    12/10/2021 at 8:53 pm

    This cake is so creative! I love carrot cake but have never had it with pineapple and you photos look so good! Thank you for sharing it at Fiesta Friday! :)

    Reply
    • Glutarama says

      14/10/2021 at 12:58 pm

      Thank you Petra, it’s a lovely flavour combination and gluten free bakes benefit so much from additional fruit as it adds moisture.

      Reply
  4. Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist says

    04/10/2021 at 3:40 pm

    This looks delightful Rebecca. Love the pineapple twist and well done for ‘veganising’ the recipe too. The crumb looks incredible xx

    Reply
    • Glutarama says

      04/10/2021 at 9:04 pm

      Thank you lovely, if I’m going to eat it too it’s got to be Becca friendly haha!

      Reply

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Hi I'm Rebecca, slightly bonkers but can you blame me! Mum to two teens with additional needs and a great combination of dietary requirements. With over 15 years experience of cooking gluten free from scratch. Please note: whilst we are not a vegan family, many of my bakes are vegan or have a vegan alternative as I cannot tolerate dairy or eggs. Welcome to my site you lovely person, now learn how to make anything gluten free with me!

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