Healthier Homemade Carrot Cake

This cake recipe is my very own made up recipe; a baker’s creation. I made it a several times to tweak the ingredients to get it on the healthier side, and still be delicious enough for kids to love. It’s not an easy balance, but it’s important. My kids absolutely love it.

The Greek Yogurt adds that deliciously sour offsetting taste to the sweet buttercream frosting. Toasted almond chips finish that irresistible tasty slice of cake, which goes wonderfully with a cup of tea or coffee. Feel a little less guilty having a piece of this cake with loads of carrots. So, enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups (600 g) – all-purpose unbleached organic flour
1tbsp. (15 g) – ground cinnamon
1 tsp. (5 g) – baking soda
1tsp. (5 g) – baking powder
¼ tsp. (1.25 g) – nutmeg
¼ tsp. (1.25 g) – sea salt

6 large – eggs
1 cup (200 g) – sugar
1 tsp. (5 g) – pure vanilla extract
1 cup (250 g) – unsweetened apple sauce
3 cups (400 g) – grated carrots

Greek Yogurt Butter Cream Ingredients:
16 oz. (454 g) – cream cheese (softened)
1 cup (200 g) – sugar
2 sticks (226 g) – unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup (227 g) – any plain Greek Yogurt
1 tsp. (5 g) – pure vanilla extract

1 ½ cup (165 g) – toasted sliced almonds (walnuts or pecans)

Instructions:
1. Toast sliced almonds (or any chopped nuts) in the oven for 8 – 10 minutes at 350 F (180 C). Set aside to cool completely before topping the cake.

2. Peel, rinse and grate carrots. Set aside until ready for use.

3. Measure out all dry ingredients, mix them all together with a wire whisk. Set aside until ready for use.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 F  (180 C). Beat eggs and sugar on high for 5 minutes. Reduce mixing speed to medium/low and add vanilla extract and apple sauce. Mix for another minute or so.

5. Remove bowl from mixer stand and add mixed dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt) into egg mixture in 4 separate additions. Carefully mix the dry ingredients with each addition trying not to deflate air pockets as much. (I use a wire whisk to mix the first 3 and then a spatula for the last addition of dry ingredients.) Use a large spatula to mix in the grated carrots very carefully in 2 additions.

6. Divide batter evenly into 2 – 8” baking pans greased with butter (I use a digital scale to weigh batter in pans). Bake in preheated oven at 350 F (180 C) for 25 – 30 minutes. Remove from the oven; let them cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing the cake sponges from pans. Cool sponges completely before slicing and frosting. (If you’re short on time, you may bake the sponges the night before and frost them the next morning.)

Greek Yogurt Butter Cream Instructions:
1. Beat softened cream cheese and sugar on high for a minute, scraping down the cream on the sides of the mixer bowl half way through. Add butter, and beat again until combined.

2.  Then add Greek yogurt, beat again for about a minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl in the middle of mixing. Add vanilla extract and beat again for another minute.

Assembling instructions:
1. Slice each sponge cake in half. See HERE how I slice my cake sponges with a thread. Add about 2 cups of cream in between each sponge layer. Push some of that cream off the edges of the sponge, for easier icing of the sides of the cake.

2. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining cream. Top the cake with toasted and cooled nuts. Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours or overnight (I prefer to keep it the fridge overnight for a moister turnout).

Guys, this stuff is truly delicious! The benefit is that it’s a much healthier version than your original carrot cake. I know, at first, it may be kind of weird having vegetables in a cake, because a lot of us traditionalists growing up in this era are not used to this combination. But it is so good, you will want one piece for breakfast and one for dinner 😉

5 from 2 votes

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Healthier Homemade Carrot Cake

Prep Time

55 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

1 hr 25 mins

 

Course: Cake, Dessert

Servings: 12

Author: Valya's Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups 600 g – all-purpose unbleached organic flour
• 1 tbsp. 15 g – ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. 5 g – baking soda
• 1 tsp. 5 g – baking powder
• ¼ tsp. 1.25 g – nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. 1.25 g – sea salt
• 6 large – eggs
• 1 cup 200 g – sugar
• 1 tsp. 5 g – pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup 250 g – unsweetened apple sauce
• 3 cups 400 g – grated carrots
• Greek Yogurt Butter Cream Ingredients:
• 16 oz. 454 g – cream cheese (softened)
• 1 cup 200 g - sugar
• 2 sticks 226 g – unsalted butter (softened)
• 1 cup 227 g – any plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 tsp. 5 g – pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cup 165 g – toasted sliced almonds (walnuts or pecans)

Instructions

1. Toast sliced almonds (or any chopped nuts) in the oven for 8 - 10 minutes at 350 F (180 C). Set aside to cool completely before topping the cake.
2. Peel, rinse and grate carrots. Set aside until ready for use.
3. Measure out all dry ingredients, mix them all together with a wire whisk. Set aside until ready for use.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Beat eggs and sugar on high for 5 minutes. Reduce mixing speed to medium/low and add vanilla extract and apple sauce. Mix for another minute or so.
5. Remove bowl from mixer stand and add mixed dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt) into egg mixture in 4 separate additions. Carefully mix the dry ingredients with each addition trying not to deflate air pockets as much. (I use a wire whisk to mix the first 3 and then a spatula for the last addition of dry ingredients.) Use a large spatula to mix in the grated carrots very carefully in 2 additions.
6. Divide batter evenly into 2 - 8” baking pans greased with butter (I use a digital scale to weigh batter in pans). Bake in preheated oven at 350 F (180 C) for 25 – 30 minutes. Remove from the oven; let them cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing the cake sponges from pans. Cool sponges completely before slicing and frosting. (If you're short on time, you may bake the sponges the night before and frost them the next morning.)
7. Greek Yogurt Butter Cream Instructions:
8. Beat softened cream cheese and sugar on high for a minute, scraping down the cream on the sides of the mixer bowl half way through. Add butter, and beat again until combined.
9. Then add Greek yogurt, beat again for about a minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl in the middle of mixing. Add vanilla extract and beat again for another minute.
10. Assembling instructions:
11. Slice each sponge cake in half. Add about 2 cups of cream in between each sponge layer. Push some of that cream off the edges of the sponge, for easier icing of the sides of the cake.
12. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining cream. Top the cake with toasted and cooled nuts. Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours or overnight (I prefer to keep it the fridge overnight for a moister turnout).
13. Guys, this stuff is truly delicious! The benefit is that it’s a much healthier version than your original carrot cake. I know, at first, it may be kind of weird having vegetables in a cake, because a lot of us traditionalists growing up in this era are not used to this combination. But it is so good, you will want one piece for breakfast and one for dinner 😉

If you make this Healthier Homemade Carrot Cake recipe please share a picture with me on Snapchat, Instagram or Pinterest. Tag with #valyastasteofhome. I’d love to see your creations! 🙂

PS. To get beautiful and clean slices of cake, warm the knife in hot water and wipe between each slice. It takes a little more time, but is worth preventing a sticky mess. I hope you find this tip helpful with slicing all of your cakes. 

Looking for more delicious vegetable related desserts? Here are a few to choose from:
GREEK YOGURT CARROT ZUCCHINI BREAD WITH DARK CHOCOLATE CHIPS 
HONEY CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI MUFFINS

Kitchen items I used in making this recipe:
(if you need any of these items, simply press on the picture to order)