Carrot Cake with Maple-Cream Frosting

Finally, a healthy carrot cake recipe that tastes great, is moist, and satisfies your sweet tooth without compromising your healthy eating plan! This Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Frosting will become your go to easy healthy recipe for carrot cake!

This recipe for healthy carrot cake has been on this blog for some time now. I decided it's a great recipe that wasn't really getting the attention it deserved, so I gave it a facelift with new images and an easy to read, printable recipe card and I'm sharing it again!

Is carrot cake healthy?

The short answer, is no. Traditional carrot cake might sound healthy because it's got carrots in it, but it's quite heavy on not-so-healthy ingredients such as butter, white flour, and sugar. This Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Frosting is a healthier option thanks to some great swaps! 

Healthy Carrot Cake Recipe

The inspiration for this healthy carrot cake comes from Weight Watchers. It's no secret, I've had an on again, off again relationship with Weight Watchers over the years. Most recently, it's back on again, with a bigger emphasis on low carb choices. While this healthy carrot cake isn't low carb, I have found a way to reduce the sugar in the recipe, while retaining its deliciousness. I was recently introduced to a sugar substitute called Swerve. It's is made from ingredients found in select fruits and starchy root vegetables, and contains no artificial ingredients, preservatives or flavors. Swerve comes in both a granulated form and a powdered form, has zero calories, measures cup for cup like sugar, and has no nasty aftertaste. It also caramelizes just like real sugar!

So, you know the baker in me just had to experiment!

The thing about sugar in baking, is that sugar really acts as a wet ingredient. So care needs to be taken to make sure enough moisture is retained once sugar is removed...or you will end up with a dry, hard end product. And, no one likes that!

I decided to replace most of the sugar in this recipe with Swerve. But, I kept a small amount of granulated sugar to make sure the cake was still moist once it was baked. You can, of course, use all granulated sugar in this recipe, or experiment more than me, and replace it all with Swerve. Me? I was really happy with the ratio I used in this cake!

This Carrot Cake with Maple-Cream Frosting can be made with all all purpose flour and all real sugar too!

Healthy Carrot Cake Ingredients

• Fresh carrots!  (Save time and buy them already chopped into matchsticks!)
• Canned pineapple in 100% juice
• White whole wheat flour (or all purpose flour)
• Swerve sugar substitute, both granulated and powdered varieties (or use real sugar)
• Baking soda and baking powder
• ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg
• canola oil
• eggs
• golden raisins (or any dried fruit you like!)
• walnuts (or any tree nuts you like!)
• light cream cheese ( Neufchatel )
• pure maple syrup 

healthy carrot cake recipe, easy carrot cake recipe

dessert, cake

American

Yield: 12 servings

Author: Renee Paj

Carrot Cake with Maple-Cream Frosting

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Carrot Cake with Maple-Cream Frosting is a lower calorie, lower fat, and a lower sugar recipe that retains all the goodness you would expect from a delicious carrot cake! Moist and flavorful and topped with a delicious cream cheese based frosting!

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 cup Swerve granulated sugar substitute
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg white
• 2 TBSP canola oil
• 8 oz. crushed pineapple packed in 100% juice, drained reserve 1/4 cup of juice
• 1 cup of shredded fresh carrots ( or chopped finely in food processor)
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts ( optional)
• 4 oz. light cream cheese ( Neufchatel ), at room temperature
• 1 cup Swerve powdered sugar substitute
• 1 TBSP pure maple syrup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 inch square baking dish or pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt with a whisk.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the granulated Swerve, granulated sugar, egg, egg white and oil and whisk to blend.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in pineapple and reserved juice, carrots and raisins. ( add chopped walnuts if using) Scrape into prepared pan.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting.
6. For Frosting: Beat cream cheese, powdered Swerve and maple syrup until smooth. Spread on top of cooled cake. Cut cake into 12 equal pieces.

Notes

Nutritional Information is an estimate

Nutrition Facts

Calories

275.79

Fat (grams)

6.11 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

1.38 g

Cholesterol (grams)

20.60 mg

Carbs (grams)

53.25 g

Fiber (grams)

1.82 g

Sugar (grams)

38.90 g

Net carbs

51.43 g

Protein (grams)

4.02 g

Sodium (milligrams)

278.77 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate.

https://www.reneeskitchenadventures.com/2011/04/carrot-cake-with-maple-cream-frosting.html

Copyright © 2019 Renee's Kitchen Adventures

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Love carrot cake? Try these other healthy carrot cake recipes!

• Dijon Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Carrot and Pineapple Cupcakes
• Carrot Cake Oatmeal

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