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Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Snack Cake! Only 100 calories & SO easy to make! It really does taste like carrot cake -- I'm OBSESSED! And my picky family gave it 2 thumbs up! | easy snack cake | healthy snack cake | carrot snack cake | healthy clean eating snack cake

Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Snack Cake

© Amy's Healthy Baking
Yields: 1 cake, 16 squares
This healthy snack cake has all of the same irresistible components as traditional carrot cake — cozy spices, sweet carrots, and a comforting texture — but it's much easier to make! (And it's secretly healthy enough for breakfast, too!) Leftovers will keep for one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
5 from 6 votes
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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
  • 2 cups (180g) freshly grated carrots (peeled first – and 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.
  • Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 24-28 minutes or until the center feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before slicing and serving.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: 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 will dry out your cake and give it a crumbly texture — especially the oats! They act like little sponges and soak up moisture from your cake batter.
 
IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: This cake isn't overly sweet — and that's intentional! It's meant to have the sweetness level of muffins, rather than a regular "dessert" cake.
 
For a sweeter flavor, increase the maple syrup by an additional 2 tablespoons (½ cup total), and decrease the milk by 2 tablespoons (6 tablespoons instead).
 
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s important to let the cake cool completely to room temperature before slicing and serving. This is because the cake’s structure hasn’t fully set until it has fully cooled. Do not cut the cake while it’s still warm!
 
OATS NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Instant oats are also known as "quick cooking" or "one minute" oats. They're smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats, and they only include one ingredient: oats! (They're not the same thing as what's sold in individual packets with flavors like apple cinnamon or maple brown sugar.) You can find them right next to the old-fashioned rolled oats at the grocery store.
 
In a pinch, to make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned rolled oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times. (You’ll also use instant oats in all of these cookie recipes of mine, too!)
 
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour.
 
EGG WHITES VS WHOLE EGGS: You must use both egg whites. The protein in the egg whites, along with the protein in the Greek yogurt, also helps prevent your cake from collapsing while cooling. If you didn’t use both of the egg whites, your cake would sink some, especially in the center, and turn out pretty dense and somewhat soggy in texture. (But the flavors will remain the same!)
 
If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 2 whole eggs, and decrease the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
 
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup. Do not substitute sugar free maple syrup. Your cake will collapse and turn out somewhat gummy.
 
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
 
IMPORTANT CARROTS NOTE: Do not substitute store-bought pre-shredded carrots (also called "matchstick" carrots). They’re thicker and drier, and they don’t soften properly while baking. I promise it’s worth the extra effort of grating your own!
 
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For the gluten free flour, I recommend the following blend: ¾ cup (90g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.
 
{gluten free, clean eating, low fat}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.