I know a lot of people think of carrot cake as being healthy…well, it contains carrots! But that’s just like saying that wine is good for you because it’s made from grapes! I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s just not true.
My usual carrot cake recipe contains 115ml of vegetable oil, and 115g of sugar. I figured there had to be a healthier recipe.
Today I think I cracked it. It wasn’t exactly the best looking carrot cake I’ve made, but it was tasty. I’d even go as far as to say I prefer it to my regular recipe!
I’m not saying that this recipe is calorie free, but the ingredients work out better for you. It also contains carrots, and we all know how wonderful they are 😉
Healthier Carrot Cake
Ingredients:
2 tbs melted coconut oil
250g ground almonds
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp bicarbonate soda
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
3 tbs golden syrup
3 medium carrots, grated
50g raisins
50g chopped walnuts
Filling:
200g full-fat cream cheese
100g greek yoghurt
50g icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
If you want to make the cake healthier you could bake it as a tray bake and omit the filling.
Method:
- grease and line two 23cm cake tins (or one 20 x 40cm baking tin if you are making a traybake.)
- combine the ground almonds with the salt, soda, cinnamon and nutmeg
- in another bowl beat the eggs then add the golden syrup and coconut oil and mix well
- add the carrots, raisins and chopped walnuts to the egg mixture
- mix the egg mixture into the dry ingredients
- pour into the cake tins and spread out evenly
- bake in oven, pre-heated to 180C/gas mark 6, for 30 minutes
- leave to cool while you make filling
- mix together all the ingredients for the filling until smooth and creamy, place in fridge until cake is cooled.
- fill the cakes with 2 thirds of the filling mix and then sandwich them together
- use final third of filling to spread on top of the cake and decorate with walnuts if you wish.
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| cake mix ready for oven |
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| cooling cakes |
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| Carrot Cake |
It’s very rustic looking, but it tastes amazing!
Hmmm, we love carrot cake. I am not sure about replacing caster sugar with golden syrup. I know that it is much less (over a third), but it is the most processed form of sweetener. I guess for me it is all about everything in moderation.
you could use maple syrup instead, which I believe is a little healthier? I'm just not so keen on it.
ooh i think it does look very appetizing indeed. What brilliant health swaps to include coconut oil and having the ground almonds in there – yum! x
Oh I'm sorry but I've never been tempted by carrot cake – not when there's vanilla and chocolate around! Far too healthy for me 😉
omg carrot cake is one of my most loved cakes, my neighbour makes it for me fortnightly religiously , this is a great chance for me to try it myself thank you
I do like a bit of carrot cake now and then but have never actually made it. Thanks for the recipe.
I've never been a big fan of carrot cake. I don't know what it is, but it's something with the texture. I'm not a big cake eater apart from I love making them 🙂 Maybe I should try out your recipe for my sister in law's birthday coming up as she likes carrot cake and also try to live healthy. 🙂
Mookieslife
I adore carrot cake – it is my guilty pleasure although never attempted to make it
I'm not a fan of carrot cake unfortunately, but that does look very nice!
Ooooh I love Carrot Cake, that and Beetroot and Chocolate. I always tell myself they are 'healthy' haha. Thanks for the recipe x
I absolutely love carrot cake and this looks delicious but sorry I'm staying in my grapes/wine bubble lol
Cake, but healthier sounds good to me! I love carrot cake and already feel slightly virtuous by choosing that over a slice of chocolate fudge cake – and your recipe makes it even healthier still!
Oooh I love cake in all its forms and this looks like a particularly fine one! Love it has raisins too! x
cake I loves me some cake. Love how you put a healthy spin on it – less guilt then lol x
Oh this is superb Anne and I love carrot cake, it's one of my favourites (after coffee and chocolate!). It's making me very hungry, it looks delicious.
I hope you're doing alright? Thank you so much for today it was really kind of you, I need all the help I can get LOL! x
Yum, love carrot cake. never made it myself though, Thanks for posting sounds delcious. Simon