Healthy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Healthy carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts on a plate.

Healthy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 45

Servings:

Calories: 172kcal

Author: Lauren

This Healthy Carrot Cake has the perfect balance of sweet and spice, a decadently moist texture, and a smooth and creamy cream cheese frosting. And it's only 170 calories per slice! Easy to make and made with simple ingredients, this dessert is a win for all and will be loved by your whole family.

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Ingredients

Carrot Cake:

3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1.25 cups unsweetened applesauce (305g)
¼ cup brown sugar (50g)
½ cup granulated stevia or other sweetener of choice
2 cups all-purpose flour (240g) use gluten-free if needed.
1 Tbsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups carrots (180g) grated
1 Tbsp butter (14g) melted

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz. Greek cream cheese (226g) room temperature
2 Tbsp almond milk (30g) or milk of choice
¼ cup granulated sweetener
2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp butter (14g)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 °F degrees. Spray a 9-inch bundt pan or 9-inch regular cake pan with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla, unsweetened applesauce, brown sugar blend and sweetener. Whisk until combined.
In a separate bowl combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and baking soda.
Add dry ingredients into the wet slowly as you stir. Before the two are fully incorporated add in melted butter. Stir just until barely combined. Fold in grated carrots. DO NOT OVER MIX. (The number one tip is to not over mix or the texture of the cake will be off).
Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
Cook for 30-35 minutes or until cake comes out clean with a toothpick (Be careful not to over-bake which can make the cake more dry).
While cake is cooking, combine all ingredients for the frosting using a hand held mixer.
Allow cake to cool for 10-20 minutes before drizzling the icing over the top.

Notes

How To Store:

For an uncut cake: If the cake has yet to be cut, you can store in a Cake Keeper. A large overturned bowl also works well in a pinch.

For a cut cake: cover the sliced edges with more frosting to protect the cake from moisture loss. Or, firmly press a piece of plastic wrap directly on to the exposed sides.

If you want to use fat-free cream cheese instead: Macros would be 152 calories 27.1C | 2.5F | 6.4P for same size slice.

Cake with frosting total = 1130g

To make this cake gluten-free, use gluten-free flour.

To make this a dairy-free carrot cake, sub dairy-free butter and dairy-free cream cheese.

Nutrition