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5 from 1 vote

Golden Beetroot Carrot Cake {gluten-free}

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.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Cake
Cuisine: British
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 985kcal

Ingredients

  • 475 g light brown muscovado sugar
  • Grated zest of 2 oranges
  • 450 g butter melted then cooled
  • 6 eggs medium size, about 60g each
  • teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 340 g rice flour
  • 110 g oat flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • tablespoons mixed spice see notes
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 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: 985kcal | Carbohydrates: 116g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Cholesterol: 186mg | Sodium: 558mg | Potassium: 548mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 86g | Vitamin A: 6240IU | Vitamin C: 4.5mg | Calcium: 133mg | Iron: 1.9mg