When I started graduate school, the chemistry department required all first year grad students to attend a weekly seminar on Tuesday afternoons. The invited speakers ranged from professors at other universities throughout the US to high-ranking individuals at local pharmaceutical companies and everything in between, but each scientist presented their cutting-edge research and took questions at the end.
In order to make room for all of the first years, along with anyone else in the chemistry department who wanted to attend, the seminars were held in the second largest lecture hall in the building almost three stories tall with slanted stadium-style seating. Most speakers put together slide decks to present on the oversized screen that came down from the ceiling, but a few also drew out specific molecules and mechanism pathways on the green chalkboard behind it.
Partially as a bribe, and partially to ensure we all stayed awake, the chemistry department set out a snack tray in the small classroom across the hall just before the seminars started at 4 pm. They provided two huge urns of coffee and hot water for tea, plus an oversized tray of store-bought cookies.
Free caffeine and sugar—definitely two fail-proof ways to get us grad students to show up!
About ten minutes before the snack trays arrived, first year grad students began congregating in that small hallway, eagerly anticipating the sweet snack’s arrival. We all rushed through the door, more in a chaotic blob than a neat line, quickly grabbed a napkin, and picked out a couple of cookies from the oversized platter.
The sugary treats ranged from classic Oreos and Fig Newtons to chewy chocolate chip cookies and crunchy iced oatmeal cookies to knockoff Thin Mints and Samoas to strawberry cream wafers and Keebler chocolate-striped shortbread… And just about every other cookie that you can possibly find at grocery stores.
We weren’t picky about what sweets they provided us with… We just looked forward to the free snacks and how they got us through the seminars!
Looking back, those store-bought cookies weren’t the best or healthiest option for snacks… But this homemade Healthy Carrot Zucchini Oatmeal Snack Cake definitely would be!
It’s full of fresh zucchini and sweet carrots, along with lots of hearty oats and warm spices, and it keeps me feeling full and satisfied (without any danger of a sugar crash!) much longer than those grad school cookies ever did. This healthy oatmeal snack cake also contains no refined flour or sugar, yet it still tastes like a special treat, just like those seminar snacks!
HOW TO MAKE A HEALTHY CARROT ZUCCHINI OATMEAL CAKE
So let’s go over how to make this healthy carrot zucchini oatmeal snack cake! I originally named it a “snack” cake, but maybe I should change that… Because it’s healthy enough and perfectly acceptable to eat this oatmeal cake for breakfast too! 😉
You’ll start with a combination of whole wheat flour (or gluten-free—see the Notes section of the recipe for my recommendations!) and instant oats. Yup, instant oats. Instant oats aren’t the ones sold in those individual brown paper packets with flavors like cinnamon apple or maple brown sugar!
Instant oats are just smaller and thinner than traditional old-fashioned rolled oats. This means they soften faster, which creates the most wonderful moist and tender texture in your healthy oatmeal breakfast cake!
Tip: Instant oats only contain one ingredient (oats!), and they’re usually sold in canisters right next to the old-fashioned rolled oats at the grocery store.
However, it’s extremely important to measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either ingredient will dry out your batter, which means your snack cake would turn out dry and crumbly. This is especially true of the oats because they act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture. But if you measure them correctly (hint: don’t scoop them from the canister!), then you’ll end up with a perfectly moist healthy carrot zucchini oatmeal snack cake.
Of course, anything with oats + carrots + zucchini definitely needs spices! Well, at least in my book… I always include spices in my carrot cake recipes, my zucchini bread, and my oatmeal cookies, so why not this healthy carrot zucchini oatmeal snack cake too?
I kept it simple and just used cinnamon and nutmeg. This is my favorite cinnamon because it tastes richer, stronger, and slightly sweeter than the most common varieties. (I buy it online here—it’s super affordable!) Then the nutmeg adds an extra cozy depth to the spice flavor. Yum!
Unlike many traditional snack cakes that call for ¼ to ½ cup of oil (yikes!), you just need ½ tablespoon of melted butter or coconut oil in this healthy recipe. That saves you anywhere from 356-764 calories, which really helps keep this healthy carrot zucchini oatmeal snack cake low calorie and low fat!
But I promise this healthy snack cake is just as moist and tender as those traditional ones! And that’s because you’ll mix lots of Greek yogurt into the batter. If you’ve browsed through my recipes before, then you already know how much I love baking with Greek yogurt! It adds the same moisture to this healthy carrot zucchini oatmeal snack cake but for a fraction of the calories. It also gives your snack cake a protein boost!
Then to sweeten your snack cake, you’ll skip the refined granulated sugar and use pure maple syrup instead. You want the kind that comes directly from maple trees, not pancake syrup! The only ingredient on the bottle should be “maple syrup.” It generally comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!).
Time for the veggies! And if you ask me… This is the best way to sneak extra vegetables into your diet. 😉
You’ll need freshly grated carrots and freshly grated zucchini. Don’t use the store-bought pre-shredded carrots! (They’re also called “matchstick” carrots.) They’re thicker and drier, and they don’t soften properly while baking. I also think they taste much more bland than freshly grated ones. I promise this healthy oatmeal breakfast cake is worth the extra effort of grating your own carrots!
Before you add the latter to the batter, you must thoroughly pat the freshly grated zucchini dry. I use paper towels to do this! Zucchini contains a lot more moisture than carrots do, which it releases while baking. That extra moisture adds too much liquid to the batter, which means your snack cake would collapse while cooling, and it would turn out overly dense. Not good!
But if you press the zucchini between multiple layers of paper towels before adding it to the batter, you end up squeezing out that extra moisture. Therefore, it doesn’t end up in your batter, so you get a perfectly moist and tender healthy carrot zucchini oatmeal snack cake!
And with those sweet veggies + cozy spices + fluffy oatmeal texture… I think this snack cake is perfect for healthy breakfasts, snacks, and even a little pre-bedtime treat! Which also means it rarely lasts more than a day or two in my house. 😉
Then when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy carrot zucchini oatmeal snack cake!
Healthy Carrot Zucchini Oatmeal Snack Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (150g) instant oats (measured like this and gluten free, if necessary)
- 1 ¼ cups (150g) whole wheat or gluten free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 6 tbsp (90mL) pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
- ¾ cup (79g) freshly grated carrots (peeled first!)
- ¾ cup (68g) freshly grated zucchini, thoroughly patted dry (see Notes!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg whites, and vanilla. Add in Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps of yogurt remain. Stir in the maple syrup. Alternate between adding the oat mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the oat mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the oat mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently stir in the carrots and zucchini.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 32-36 minutes or until the center feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before slicing and serving.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Banana Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy snack recipes!
Hi Amy!
I’ve just found your blog and I love all the recipes. This is the first one that I’ve tried and it came out perfectly ♡. I used almond flour for the gluten-free flour and honey instead of maple syrup. I can’t wait to keep trying more of your recipes!
You’re so sweet, Camila! That truly means a lot to me — thank you SO much for your kind words!! ♡ I’m really glad you enjoyed this snack cake, and I’m honored that you’d take the time to let me know. That’s the best kind of compliment there is, if you’d call it perfect! 🙂 I’m really excited to hear which recipe you pick to try next too!
Im so tired to the red and blue in highliglts, cant us just underliune or use quotes, my printer doesn’t do red and blue ink so
i have to go back an fill in the blenks after its printe. Ti;me consuming. Sorry, I’m old and not a techy. I do love the recipes. Thanks
Gramma L.
I truly appreciate your interest in my recipes, Linda! It really means a lot that you’d want to try making them. I’m happy to help explain how to print them, if you’d like!
The best way to print the majority of my recipes is to click on the blue printer icon in the top right corner of the recipe box. (It has the word “Print” underneath in pink letters!) When you click on that, a new internet browser tab or window should open. There, the recipe will appear in black text (or very dark gray). There won’t be any red or blue words! (The red words are actually links. If you click on any of those, you’ll see the exact ingredients and equipment that I use!)
Some of the recipe boxes for my other recipes are formatted a little differently. In those, you’ll either find a big blue button that has white letters spelling out “Print Recipe” directly above the ingredients list (here is an example of a recipe formatted like that!) or the word “Print” in red letters directly above the recipe title inside of the recipe box (here is an example of a recipe formatted like that!). If you click on either of those, it will also bring up the recipe in a new browser tab or window, and the recipe will be displayed in black or very dark gray text as well.
Does that make sense? Let me know if you have any questions — I’m happy to help! 🙂
Have you made this recipe as muffins? I am curious about how/if the cooking time would change.
I haven’t tried making this exact recipe as muffins, but I do have a zucchini oatmeal muffins recipe here! You could easily use half zucchini and half carrot to make them, if you’d prefer. I also have a carrot zucchini muffin recipe here (made without oats). Perhaps either of those would be easier options for you than trying to modify this recipe? 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of those muffins or this snack cake if you try making either of them, Linda!
Thank you for your reply. I did see those recipes but they called for stevia, which I would prefer not to use, and the maple syrup substitute is way more than how much is in this recipe. Thanks, though!
It’s my pleasure, Linda! You’re also welcome to try making this recipe as muffins, if the amount of maple syrup is too much in my two other recipes. You should get around 12 muffins out of the batter, and I’d recommend baking them at 350°F. I don’t know exactly how long they’ll take, but I’d recommend checking on them after around 20 minutes. They may take longer, but they’ll be done when the centers feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. 🙂
Hi, I love your scientific sharing about baking!! Do you have any thoughts on egg replacement options in your recipes for vegans? Whenever recipes claim warm water with ground flax seeds are a substitute for eggs, it never works for me. Thanks!
My brother is actually allergic to eggs, and Ener-G is my favorite egg substitute! Ener-G is a shelf-stable powder that keeps for ages. It works perfectly as an egg replacer in nearly all of my recipes, including this one! For my recipes, use 1 ½ teaspoons Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water for each egg white (and you’ll need an additional ½ tablespoon of coconut oil or vegan butter for each egg yolk, although that doesn’t apply to this particular recipe!).
I’d love to hear what you think of this oatmeal cake if you try making it!
Hi I wanted to make zucini oatmeal squares but I bake for a type 1 diabetic sensitivity high any type real sugar blood sugar goes very high can’t cover for that with insulin too concentrated. In the instructions which I love so clear an detailed an I formative says maple syrup pure or agave or honey. Not sugar free syrup which I would have used. I guess this recipee not for me was excited try it
You’re so thoughtful and sweet to want to make this for someone else, Rita! That person is really lucky to have you in their life. 🙂
If the only way you’re able to make this snack cake is with sugar free maple syrup, then you can do so. The cake will collapse some while cooling and turn out denser. Although the texture will be different, the flavors will remain the same!
Otherwise, I have some other sugar free recipes with similar flavors that might be of interest to you. I’ll include those below!
• zucchini oatmeal muffins
• carrot oatmeal muffins
• carrot zucchini muffins
If you end up making this snack cake — or any of these other recipes — I’d love to hear what you think of your baked treats!