Golden Beetroot Carrot Cake (gluten-free)

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This gluten-free Golden Beetroot Carrot Cake is the best carrot cake you will ever taste. Full of sweet earthy goodness thanks to using both golden beetroot and carrots; complex with pecans, sultanas and apples; perfectly complimented with a not too sweet cream cheese buttercream and adorned with the delightful crunch of a salted pecan praline and candied beetroot and carrots.

this recipe

This is my beloved Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Traybake made ultra special by the inclusion of golden beetroot. It is one of the first gluten-free cakes I sold on my market stall many years ago and it was a favourite with customers. I would make trays and trays of it and even converted the recipe into a stunning layer cake once for a customer's wedding.

There are a few steps to this Beetroot Carrot Cake (in particular with the toppings) but I urge you not to cut any corners, you may be tempted to skip out on the Salted Pecan Praline or the shreds of Candied Beetroot and Carrots glistening on the top but it would be a total mistake. Not that the cake isn't delicious without them it's just they take the cake to another level. Both toppings are easier to make than you might think and if you do have a go there will be no looking back.

Why you'll love this recipe

• No xanthan gum. READ MORE >>> Why I don't bake with xanthan gum
• Easy gluten-free flour blend using just 2 wholegrain flours.
• Takes a regular gluten-free carrot cake traybake to another level.
• Looks impressive but is a very simple cake to mix up.
• Stuffed with yellow beets, carrots, apples, sultanas and pecans. Although if you are looking for carrot cake with no add ins then visit this recipe >>> Gluten-Free Traditional Carrot Cake
• Gorgeous mix of sweet spices plus the gentle heat of black pepper.
• Easy peasy sweet cream cheese buttercream.
• Topped with a non-negotiable salted pecan praline and candied beetroot and carrots which gives such a fantastic texture contrast to the cake.
• This cake is fantastic to serve to a crowd as this recipe makes a generous amount of cake.

Full list of ingredients needed

For the cake

• Golden beetroot / Yellow beets
• Carrots
• Apples. Granny Smiths or another tart dessert apple work well here.
• Sultanas
• Pecans
• Rice flour
• Oat flour
• Light brown muscovado sugar. We use muscovado for flavour but you can substitute for light brown sugar if you need to.
• Butter. Unsalted is best so you can control the salt content.
• Eggs. This recipe uses medium eggs weighing 60g with shell.
• Orange zest
• Vanilla extract
• Mixed spice. This is a spice blend you can buy in the UK. If you can't get hold of it though you can use the equivalent amount of my British Mixed Spice recipe.
• Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• Baking powder
• Salt and pepper

For the buttercream

• Cream cheese.
• Butter. Unsalted is best so you can control the salt content
• Icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• Vanilla extract
• Salt

For the pecan praline

• Pecans
• Caster sugar (any white sugar will be fine)
• Salt

For the candied carrot and beetroot

• Carrots
• Golden beetroot (yellow beets)
• Caster sugar (any white sugar will be fine)
• Water

Step-by-step instructions

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post. 

Beetroot carrot cake

• Whisk sugar and orange zest.
• Add melted butter.
• Add eggs and vanilla.
• Whisk together dry ingredients.
• Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
• Add the beetroot, carrot, apple, sultanas and pecans and mix well.
• Bake for 60-70 minutes.

Cream cheese buttercream

• Cream butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add salt, vanilla then the cream cheese and mix until just combined.

Candied carrot and beetroot

• Make a sugar syrup by melting together sugar and water.
• Add the grated carrot and beetroot and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain and pat dry.
• Dry the carrot and beetroot in a low oven on baking parchment.

Tips and troubleshooting

• Allow the melted butter to cool before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.
• The best way of grating your carrot and beetroot is by using the special grating attachment on your food processor which creates lovely even shreds. Or you could use a julienne peeler or a mandoline.
• Peel, grate and add the apple as the very last step to your cake to avoid the apple going brown.
• This is a large cake and the cake mixture will fill a standard sized mixer. Make sure you also manually mix the cake right from the bottom and scrape down the sides to ensure even mixing.
• If you are based in the UK then you want to use your cream cheese straight from the fridge as it loosens up very quickly. I've a full post on this Cream Cheese Buttercream if you want further tricks and tips.
• You need to work extremely quickly when making the pecan praline as the sugar will start to harden as soon as you add the pecans. Stir the melted sugar with the nuts swiftly and be ready with the baking parchment to pour the praline onto to set. Set the baking parchment on a baking tray as the praline is exceedingly hot so the tray will protect your work surface.
• Use a silicone spoon to make the pecan praline as it is so much easier to clean!
• To clean your praline pan just soak with very hot water. This will melt the hardened sugar so it won't require any scrubbing.
• When you are drying your candied carrot and beetroot shards in the oven keep an eye on them as they can burn very quickly. Keep the oven low.
• I've a full post on the Candied Carrots if you want further tricks and tips. Just swap out some of the carrots for golden beetroot to make this particular recipe.

How to store

You can keep this Golden Beetroot Carrot Cake out of the fridge for up to a day providing it is in a cool dark place. However any longer and it should be stored in the fridge due to the cream cheese buttercream. It will be good for up to 3 days.

More gluten-free cake recipes you’ll love! 

• Gluten-Free Traditional Carrot Cake
• Gluten-Free Spice Cake
• Gluten-Free Chocolate Fudge Cake
• Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
• Gluten-Free Red Velvet Traybake
• Gluten-Free Sticky Toffee Banana Cake

✨Have you tried this Golden Beetroot Carrot Cake? If you liked it, please leave a 5-star ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your recipe turned out and your feedback also helps other readers✨

Golden Beetroot Carrot Cake {gluten-free}

Georgina Hartley

Full of sweet earthy goodness, complex with pecans, sultanas and apples, finished with a cream cheese buttercream and the crunch of salted pecan praline and candied beetroot and carrots.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Course Cake

Cuisine British

Servings 16 slices

Calories 985 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 475 g light brown muscovado sugar
• ▢ Grated zest of 2 oranges
• ▢ 450 g butter - melted then cooled
• ▢ 6 eggs - medium size, about 60g each
• ▢ 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 340 g rice flour
• ▢ 110 g oat flour
• ▢ 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• ▢ 1½ tablespoons mixed spice - see notes
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 275 g golden beetroot - peeled and grated
• ▢ 325 g carrots - peeled and grated
• ▢ 2 granny smith apples - peeled and grated
• ▢ 200 g sultanas
• ▢ 150 g pecans - roughly chopped

For the Cream Cheese Buttercream:

• ▢ 350 g unsalted butter
• ▢ 400 g icing sugar - powdered sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 250 g cream cheese

For the Pecan Praline:

• ▢ 50 g pecans
• ▢ 100 g caster sugar
• ▢ pinch of salt

For the Candied Carrot and Beetroot:

• ▢ 2 carrots - peeled and grated
• ▢ 1 golden beetroot - peeled and grated
• ▢ 220 g water
• ▢ 200 g caster sugar - + extra 2 tablespoons

Instructions

 

• Pre-heat the oven to 170°C / 150°C fan / gas mark 4 and line and grease a baking tin 32cm x 22cm x 5cm.
• Whisk the sugar with the orange zest until fragrant.
• Add the melted butter and mix until thoroughly combined.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla extract.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice, salt and black pepper.
• Fold the flour into the wet ingredients one third at a time.
• Add the beetroot, carrot, apple, sultanas and pecans and fold until completely combined.
• Pour the batter into the baking tin and bake for about 60-70 minutes. Check after about 25 minutes to see if the cake is browning too much. If so, place foil loosely over the top.

Cream Cheese Buttercream

• Cream the butter until soft then add the icing sugar and mix for about 10 minutes until very light and fluffy.
• Add the salt and vanilla and mix again to combine.
• Finally beat in the cream cheese until the buttercream is smooth. Pipe or swirl onto the finished cake.

Pecan Praline

• Place the pecans on a baking tray and bake at 170°C / 150°C fan / gas mark 4 for 10 minutes, remove, roughly chop the nuts and set aside.
• Pour the sugar in an even layer into a medium sized saucepan. Place on a gentle heat and watch carefully as the sugar caramelises. Shake the saucepan every now and then to promote an even caramelisation.
• Once the sugar has completely melted and turned a golden brown, add the salt then pour in the pecans and quickly turn over into the sugar with a silicone spatula so they are all coated.
• Pour the praline immediately onto baking parchment into an even layer and leave to cool. Once cool, chop roughly then sprinkle over the buttercreamed cake.

Candied Carrot and Beetroot

• Pour the water and sugar into a medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Then turn down to a simmer for 2 minutes.
• Add the carrot and beetroot and leave to simmer for a further 5 minutes.
• Strain the carrot and beetroot and pat dry.
• Place on a baking parchment lined tray and bake at 180°C / 160°C fan assisted / gas mark 4 / 350° for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss on the baking tray then place back in the oven to continue drying overnight.
• Toss the dried carrot and beetroot in the extra sugar for the frosted look.
• Sprinkle over the finished cake with the pecan praline.

Notes

Flour substitution

• You can sub out the rice flour for your preferred gluten-free flour blend.
• You can sub out the oat flour for sorghum flour or buckwheat flour.

Mixed spice

I urge you to make your own mixed spice which tastes so much better than shop bought. This recipe is also ideal if you can't find it in your local grocery store British Mixed Spice Recipe.

Important tips

• I've a full post on this Cream Cheese Buttercream if you want further tricks and tips.
• Allow the melted butter to cool before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.
• The best way of grating your carrot and beetroot is by using the special grating attachment on your food processor which creates lovely even shreds. Or you could use a julienne peeler or a mandoline.
• You need to work extremely quickly when making the pecan praline as the sugar will start to harden as soon as you add the pecans. Stir the melted sugar with the nuts swiftly and be ready with the baking parchment to pour the praline onto to set. Set the baking parchment on a baking tray as the praline is exceedingly hot so the tray will protect your work surface.

Candied Carrots and Beetroot

• I've a full post on the Candied Carrots (which you can sub some of them for golden beetroot) with loads more information. Plus this recipe makes more than you need so visit the full recipe for ideas of how you can use this delicious ingredient!
• I recommend making these ahead of time as they really need to dry overnight before frosting with the extra sugar.
• When you are drying your candied carrot and beetroot shards in the oven keep an eye on them as they can burn very quickly.

There are plenty more tips and troubleshooting within the post above which I recommend you read.

Make ahead

• You can make the pecan praline up to 5 days in advance.
• You can make the candied beetroot and carrot up to 2 weeks in advance.

Freezing

This cake freezes really well. I recommend freezing before adding the buttercream. Double wrap in plastic wrap and aluminium foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature overnight before unwrapping. 

Ingredient measurements

• Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.
• US customary measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups

Nutrition information

Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.

The nutrition serving is for 1 slice of cake, assuming the cake is cut into 16 servings. These serving sizes are generous and you could easily cut the cake down into even smaller servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 985kcalCarbohydrates: 116gProtein: 8gFat: 58gSaturated Fat: 30gCholesterol: 186mgSodium: 558mgPotassium: 548mgFiber: 5gSugar: 86gVitamin A: 6240IUVitamin C: 4.5mgCalcium: 133mgIron: 1.9mg

Have you tried this recipe?Head to the comment section and let me know what you think!