Healthy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

You’d think a cake made with carrots would be healthy, but traditional carrot cake is anything but.  It’s laden with fat and sugar and then packed with even more calories from pineapple and nuts.  This recipe keeps the best part of a traditional cake  and lightens them.

It makes use of Stevia and Agave Nectar.  Both are likely available in your local grocery store but you can also purchase them online. Each should be a staple in your healthy home pantry. Another item to have is organic non-stick spray.  We like O Organics Canola Oil Cooking Spray, we buy ours at Safeway.

Can’t find whole wheat pastry flour?  Try the organic isle.  We like Bob’s Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – it’s generally available everywhere, but is also available online.

Prefer cupcakes?  No problem – just divide the dough into 20 mini cupcake wrappers or 12 standard sizes (nutritional information will increase for this size).  Bake for 8-10 minutes for minis and 15-20 minutes  for full size cupcakes or until done when toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Healthy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Simple ingredients make a healthy, moist, and tasty cake! Prefer cupcake? Distribute between cupcake wrappers and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center.
Author:
Type: Dessert
Yield: 20
Prep Time: 
Cooking Time: 
Total Time: 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 3 cups carrots, grated
  • ¾ cup agave nectar
  • 3 large eggs
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 cup plain fat free yogurt
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 6 oz cream cheese
  • 6 oz plain fat free yogurt
  • 4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • Stevia to taste
Instructions
  1. CAKE:
  2. Preheat oven to 325F
  3. Whisk agave nectar, eggs, oil, applesauce, yogurt and vanilla together until well combined.
  4. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices together and then gradually add to liquid.
  5. Gradually fold in carrots.
  6. Pour into 9"x13" pan lined with parchment paper or prepared with Non-Stick cooking spray and dusted with flour.
  7. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
  8. FROSTING:
  9. Combine all ingredients and whip until fluffy.
  10. Frost cooled cake and cut into 20 squares.
Serving Size: 11405g28g2.5 g6g
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