After spending my entire three-week Winter Break sinking my teeth into every single dessert I saw—sugar cookies, hazelnut cake, raspberry truffles, and more—I decided to skip all sweets as my New Year’s Resolution during my sophomore year of college. Yes, I now bake and blog as a living… And I enjoy a small treat once, twice, or sometimes three times a day. But that holiday season, my sweet tooth completely spiraled out of control!
That year, I originally challenged myself to shoot for just one quarter—10 weeks, plus another week of finals—without dessert. After those three months passed, resisting treats basically became second nature, so I decided to continue and see if I could go the entire year without a single dessert.
For the record… Dark chocolate does NOT count as dessert. Just like your 8 glasses of water, a small square or two is a daily necessity!
The weekend my birthday rolled around in late June, I had to leave town for a few days. When I returned, I opened my apartment door and found bright purple and yellow crêpe paper strung all around the living room and hanging from the ceiling fan. Matching balloons came flying around the corner, closely followed by my two roommates shouting, “Happy birthday!!”
They handed me tissue paper-filled gift bags and brought out a large homemade sheet cake on our biggest cutting board from the kitchen. “We know you aren’t eating dessert,” the girls explained. “But we still wanted you to be able to make a birthday wish and blow out candles!” After setting down the cake on the coffee table, the three of us knelt down on the carpet with a packet of matches, carefully avoiding the temperamental smoke detector, and began my little birthday celebration.
Since they knew I wouldn’t sneak even a teensy tiny bite, the ladies elected against my preferred fudgy chocolate cake and baked their favorite flavor instead: carrot cake. They followed the directions for a boxed spice cake mix and simply added freshly grated carrots, but they happily finished it off in my honor over the next few days. Now whenever I eat carrot cake, I think of those girls!
My lightened Classic Clean-Eating Carrot Cake is much healthier but still just as easy as their doctored box mix version! Saturated with spices and topped with a generous layer of sweet vanilla ricotta frosting, each large square elicits memories of big church potlucks or decadent Easter feasts, grandma’s famous baking or special family dinners. This simple recipe will immediately win you over, convincing you that carrots are your favorite vegetable and cake is the best way to eat them!
Because I turned to melted coconut oil instead of creaming butter and sugar, there’s absolutely no need for a mixer. Just grab your favorite sturdy spoon or fork and stir! I know, I know… You probably think I’m crazy, adding coconut oil to a classic carrot cake recipe. But I promise you can’t taste the coconut! Its flavor is completely masked by maple syrup and plenty of spices. You’ll use both cinnamon and nutmeg; the latter adds a subtle depth and really helps the cinnamon’s warmth shine.
Like many of my other cake and cupcake recipes, this low-fat one only requires 1 tablespoon of oil. Instead, the majority of the cake’s tender texture comes from Greek yogurt. As a true powerhouse in healthier baking, it contributes lots of moisture while lowering the fat and calories. Bonus: Greek yogurt adds a little extra protein too!
Now for the star of the show… The carrots! Pack in as many as you can: the more the merrier. I mixed in a whopping 2 cups, but if you accidentally measure a little more, go ahead and add in the extra too. Make sure you use freshly grated carrots. Avoid the pre-shredded ones available in the produce section because those are dry and crunchy. Freshly grated carrots contain more moisture and natural juices, which they release as the cake bakes and make it unbelievably moist. Because of that, be sure to spray the pan really well to prevent the cake’s bottom from sticking!
Tip: Grate the carrots using a food processor with a grater attachment to speed up the process!
The frosting is laughably easy to make. Just mix the 4 ingredients together in a bowl with a fork! Do NOT use an electric or stand mixer because those would over-beat the frosting, resulting it a thin runny texture. Unlike cream cheese, ricotta has less of a “cheesy” taste, so this frosting actually tastes more like vanilla than cheese as written. Feel free to adjust the vanilla extract according to your tastes.
Ricotta also contains a grainier texture than cream cheese, so right after mixing the ingredients together, the frosting feels rather grainy on the tongue. As it rests, the graininess gradually fades. I found it best to frost the cake at least 1-2 hours before slicing and serving to really reduce that grainy texture.
Pure veggie dessert bliss.
Loaded with soft carrots and warm spices, this skinny Classic Carrot Cake carries all of the comforting flavors your childhood favorite but none of the guilt of typical oil-laden recipes. Its supremely moist texture draws you back bite after bite… I should know—I ate three slices the day I photographed this cake! One as an after-lunch dessert, another as post-dinner treat, and the third as an I’m-still-hungry-and-craving-something-sweet-as-a-midnight-snack just before bedtime.
Yup, it’s that addictive! Even the Easter Bunny would agree. ♥
| Healthy Classic Carrot Cake | | Print |
- for the cake
- 1 ½ cups (180g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- 2 cups (180g) freshly grated carrots (about 3 medium, peeled first!)
- for the frosting
- 8 oz (227g) nonfat ricotta cheese
- 3 tbsp (45g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp (30mL) agave
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup and Greek yogurt, thoroughly mixing until no large clumps remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, stirring just until incorporated, beginning and ending with the flour. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts and the milk in 2 equal parts.) Fold in the carrots.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and bake at 350°F for 28-31 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Cool completely to room temperature before frosting.
- To prepare the frosting, stir together the ricotta cheese, Greek yogurt, agave, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Spread on top of the cooled cake. Let the frosting set for 1-2 hours before slicing and serving.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the regular whole wheat flour.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup in the cake batter.
Pure maple syrup or honey may be substituted for the agave in the frosting.
As written, the frosting tastes more like vanilla than cheese, so adjust the amount of vanilla to suit your tastes.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
Hi Amy
If I only have wholemeal self-raising flour, how much do i use, and will I need to still add the baking powder and soda?
Great recipe!
I haven’t worked with self-rising flour before, but I believe you should be able to use the same amount and omit the baking powder and baking soda. I hope you enjoy the cake Jenny!
Hey!
I’m going to bake this one tonight, excited! However, I was wondering, can you freeze this carrot cake in smaller parts, so I could take them out and eat them some other day? Hope you have experience with this!
Thanks, Kim
Yes, you can definitely freeze individual slices Kim! I really hope you enjoy the carrot cake!
I recently started using coconut oil for cooking/baking so please excuse my ignorance 🙂 The recipe calls for melted coconut oil, but it’s already in oil form..am I missing something? Also, I have Virgin Unrefined Coconut Oil – will the taste be off versus using regular coconut oil? Thanks!
That’s a perfectly valid question Emily! Unlike other oils which are always liquids, coconut oil is solid at room temperature and melts around 76°F. (A little fun food chemistry for you!) I prefer to measure mine when it’s solid and melt it afterward. The coconut oil you have will work just fine for this recipe, and I really hope you enjoy the cake!
Hi Amy! I have one question: in the nutrition info it says that a slice of cake contains 189 calories. However, I was wondering if that included the frosting or not? Thanks!!
Yes, it includes the frosting. I hope you enjoy the cake if you try it Isabella!
Hi Amy, my 2nd time trying this recipe and its not raising.. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong 🙁 was so excited to have found this healthy recipe… my fab carrot cake !!! Thanks
I’m sorry to hear that! If the cake isn’t raising, then your baking powder or baking soda has probably expired. To check, measure out ½ cup of warm water. Add ¼ teaspoon of vinegar only if you’re testing baking soda. Then add ¼ teaspoon of either the baking powder or baking soda. (Be sure to test them in separate bowls!) If the water immediately begins to bubble or fizz, then the baking powder or baking soda is still good. If not, then buy a fresh box from the store and try the cake again! 🙂
Amy,
Could I used something instead of the yogurt? I am strictly dairy-free. I seen someone mentioned in the comments about using crush pineapple, how much would it take? Is there a better option than that? Also, could i use a GF Multi-Purpose mix instead of Whole Wheat Flour?
I would recommend a non-dairy yogurt as the best substitution. Silk has many great options that I’ve tried and loved in recipes before! I think a store-bought GF flour blend would work as well. I hope you enjoy the cake Amanda!
I cannot find nonfat ricotta at any of the grocery stores around here. And low fat ricotta has TONS of calories. Is the nonfat ricotta something you can only buy at a special health foods grocery store? Or do you recommend any alternative?
I’m sorry you’re having issues finding nonfat ricotta Shawna! I’ve found it at most grocery stores (i.e. Safeway, Albertsons) as well as Walmart. Sometimes Walmart is actually the best place to find nonfat dairy ingredients! If you still can’t find it, Walmart also carries nonfat cream cheese that should work as a substitute. I hope you enjoy the cake!
Help! I didn’t read all the above article and just started making the cake. Well after I got it into the oven I read what you had to say about the carrots. I used the preshredded carrots which were kinda big but I was too lazy to shred whole carrots, didn’t even think to use my food processor! Will it come out okay? Or should I start over? Also the batter was very thick, I doubled the recipe should it be thick or did I mess something up? Hope you get this soon!
Thanks!
Laura
I definitely recommend using freshly grated carrots the next time you bake the cake! The batter is supposed to be thick, so don’t worry about that part. 🙂 I hope the cake turned out okay and you enjoyed it Laura!
I once accidentally made ricotta cheese and threw it away. In my defense, I didn’t know it was ricotta until I Googled it two days after! 🙁 I was making a buttermilk substitute, but I used hot water instead of room temperature when I reconstituted my milk. When I added vinegar, it statted curdling like crazy. Like it only left a slighlty off-white liquid then curdled stuff. What a waste.
So anyway!! Would loooove to try this one out, it’s been a while since I made something from you.
Oh, and I just noticed that you posted this on my birthday which coincidentally, I made carrot cake as well!! But only with the classic cream cheese and cashews.
Yikes, that sounds like quite an experiment Austin! Who knew it was that easily to make ricotta… 🙂 I’ve missed seeing your comments over the past few months, so I hope you enjoy this cake and any other recipes that you try!
I don’t understand why we have to scroll through so much just to get to the recipe, that’s if you can find the recipe given it takes ages to load the page. It is so slow.