EASY AND HEALTHY CARROT CAKE
The ultimate healthy carrot cake recipe that’s moist, tender, and bursting with flavor! Lightened-up, easy to make, and perfect for any occasion.
Servings: 9 servings
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar or monk fruit
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups grated carrots
- 2 eggs
- 4 ounces crushed pineapple in its own juice
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces fat-free or light cream cheese
- 1/8 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar or powdered monk fruit
Instructions
- Grate the carrots yourself for this recipe, don't use pre-shredded carrots, as the texture won't be the same. First, peel the carrots and then use the large side of a box grater to grate them.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to a bowl. Thoroughly combine the dry ingredients in the bowl.
- To another bowl, add the grated carrots, eggs, drained crushed pineapple (don't add the juice), unsweetened applesauce, and vanilla extract. Thoroughly mix all of the wet ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients a little at a time. Mix until all of the dry and wet ingredients are combined.
- Lightly spray your baking pan with oil so the carrot cake doesn’t stick. We like to make carrot cake muffins and use a 1/4 measuring cup to pour the carrot cake batter into the muffin pan. Bake the carrot cake muffins at 350°F for 30-35 minutes. Let them cool before frosting them. Or, make a carrot cake loaf in a 9x5 loaf pan and bake at 350°F for about 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- For the cream cheese frosting, add the light or fat-free cream cheese to a bowl. Then, add the lemon zest, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Mix the ingredients until they are thoroughly combined and the frosting is smooth. Spread the frosting on top of the carrot cake or use a piping bag. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Cream Cheese Frosting: You can use either fat-free or light cream cheese in this recipe.
- Grate Carrots: Freshly grate carrots for this carrot cake. A food processor works well to shred carrots quickly and without a mess. Or, you can use a box grater.
Nutrition
Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.2g | Protein: 7.3g | Fat: 1.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 301mg | Fiber: 1.4g | Sugar: 3.4g