Is carrot cake healthy?

Despite the name, carrot cake is still cake . Truthfully, it's not much different that other standard cakes and pies . But, it can be made into a healthy carrot cake recipe with quality ingredients! You can swap processed sugars for more natural options like maple syrup and coconut sugar, and use wholesome flours like almond flour instead of white flour using a recipe like this one.

Can you make carrot cake paleo?

You can easily make paleo carrot cake using almond flour and tapioca flour. When it comes to making paleo cream cheese frosting, you'll need to make your own by turning coconut sugar into powdered sugar in a food processor. Follow my instructions in my dairy free cream cheese frosting if you're interested in making paleo powdered sugar.

How many slices should I cut?

I recommend cutting the cake into 18 slices. Carrot cake is very rich and dense, so you may find you feel satisfied with smaller than usual slices. Here's some tips for how to cut round cake in 18-24 slices .

Do you need to refrigerate carrot cake?

Because of the cream cheese frosting, you do need to store it in the fridge. The texture is still incredibly moist and dense, so it won't dry out in the fridge.

Healthy Carrot Cake

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Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 11 reviews

Healthy Carrot Cake

This healthy carrot cake is soft, delicious, and unbelievably moist! It’s made with healthier ingredients including almond flour, carrots, coconut sugar, and warming spices. Finish with my silky and slightly tangy cream cheese frosting. A gluten free carrot cake recipe that will knock everyone’s socks off!

Prep: 95Cook: 42Total: 2 hours 17 minutes

Servings: 18 1x

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

2 ½ cups almond flour
1 cup tapioca flour (or oat flour)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Wet Ingredients:

4 large eggs, room temperature
⅔ cup coconut sugar
½ cup pure maple syrup
½ cup coconut milk
½ cup melted coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3 cups finely grated carrots (about 4–5 large carrots)
¾ cup finely chopped pecans
½ cup raisins (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (or dairy free cream cheese*)
½ cup salted butter or ghee, room temperature
3 cups organic powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

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Instructions

Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of 2, 8-inch cake pans or 3, 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Generously grease the sides of the pan with oil or cooking spray.
Mix the Batter: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, sea salt, ginger, and nutmeg. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and coconut sugar, then add the maple syrup, coconut milk, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. Whisk until evenly combined.
Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold everything together until just combined. Fold in the grated carrots, pecans, and raisins.
Pour into Pans: Divide the batter evenly between pans and spread the batter with a spatula so it sits evenly in each pan.
Bake: For two 8-inch cake pans, bake for 37-42 minutes. For three 8-inch cake pans, bake for 28-32 minutes. Test the center with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cakes are done. If not, continue to bake until cooked through. Remove the cakes from the pan and let them cool completely on a wire rack before frosting. I recommend making the cakes the day ahead of time so that assembly is easier and the cakes are completely cooled.
For the Frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or beater attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract, and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Place the cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator for 60 minutes to firm up before assembling the cake. Whip the frosting in the mixer again with the beater attachment if needed.
Assemble the Cake: Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand. Cover the top of the cake with a thin layer of frosting, then, flip the second layer upside down and place it on top of the frosting. Top the second layer with more frosting and place the third layer on top if applicable. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top of the cake and evenly on the sides. Decorate the cake with chopped pecans, shredded coconut, or shredded carrots. Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

If you want to use dairy free cream cheese, I recommend Kite Hill Almond Milk Plain Cream Cheese. All dairy free cream cheeses are softer than block cream cheese. Because carrot cake is dense and moist, the frosting may not stay in between the layers when you assemble the cake. To combat this, I recommend only doing a two-layer cake, and chilling the frosting overnight before assembly so it firms up. Use a thin layer in between cake layers, and chill the cake to let the layers set if needed before frosting the top and outside.
Make sure to line your cake pans with parchment paper.
Do not use pre-packaged shredded carrots from the store. They are too long and dry for carrot cake. Finely grate whole carrots at home using the smallest grate on a box grater.
If your frosting is runny, add more powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until the consistency firms up. Chill the frosting for at least 60 minutes before assembling the cake. If the frosting gets too hard in the fridge, whip the frosting in the mixer with the beater attachment for about a minute.
Add shredded coconut instead of raisins. You can also swap chopped pecans for chopped walnuts.
If you like your frosting extra thick and want extra to pipe decorations with, double the frosting recipe.

Recipe By: Noelle Tarr, NTP, CPT

Find it online: https://coconutsandkettlebells.com/healthy-carrot-cake/