Irresistibly moist and secretly healthy carrot cake… This recipe is so good, you’re going to want to eat it again for breakfast the next morning!
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I am the girl who eats carrot cake all year.
If you haven’t tried my recipe yet for Healthy Carrot Cake Cupcakes, that post continues to be one of the most popular recipes on my blog…
So I guess I’m not the only one who eats carrot cake year-round!
Since the carrot cake cupcakes have been so popular, I knew I wanted to get an actual healthy carrot cake recipe up on the blog this year.
With Easter less than a week away, today seems like the perfect time to share this moist and incredibly delicious healthy carrot cake, loaded with sweet cinnamon and carrots.
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!
The carrot cake above is topped with my Cream Cheese Greek Yogurt Frosting – which I even successfully made vegan!
It also tastes amazing topped with melted coconut butter (one of my favorite ways to eat carrot cake), or the cake is so perfectly spiced and flavorful that you might want to simply eat it unfrosted.
Above – watch me make the healthy carrot cake
The recipe was adapted from my Vegan Carrot Cake.
Healthy Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- 1 packed cup shredded carrot (200g)
- 1/2 cup applesauce (120g)
- 1/3 cup oil, or sub applesauce only if you don’t mind a gummy texture (60g)
- 2 tsp white or apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups spelt, white, or Bob’s gf flour (180g)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup sugar, xylitol, or evaporated cane juice (65g)
- 1/16 tsp uncut stevia OR 2 additional tbsp sugar
- optional shredded coconut or chopped walnuts
- optional 1/2 cup raisins
Instructions
- *For a double layer cake, simply double all ingredients and bake in two pans.Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and line an 8-inch square or round pan with parchment. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients and let sit at least 10 minutes or fridge overnight. In a separate bowl, stir together all remaining ingredients. Pour wet into dry, then stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Pour into the prepared pan, and smooth down evenly. Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. The carrot cake tastes much sweeter and better-textured the day after it’s made, and leftovers can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or even sliced and frozen. I frosted the cake with about 1/2 cup of the frosting recipe linked under the second photo in this post – If using a preservative-free frosting like the one I used, it’s best to frost directly before serving.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Easter Recipes:
What kind of oil do you use?
Just made this and turned it into cake balls! Mixed 2/3 cup of frosting with the crumbled cake mix rolled into balls and freeze. Coat with melted white chocolate (mixed with a little coconut oil).
Mmm, mmm, mmm!
I was wanting to try the cupcake version of this for my little girl’s birthday tomorrow. I searched all the comment sections to see if I could find the answer… Can I use king Arthur’s unbleached all purpose whole wheat flour? I don’t have spelt flour or any of the ones listed above. Also, can I use coconut palm sugar in place of sugar & stevia?
You sure can! I did with that exact flour and it was amazing. I also used coconut sugar too!
Could I sub oat flour?
You can always experiment as long as you are ok taking a risk. Be sure to report back if you try!
I simply can’t thank you enough for this recipe! I was recently diagnosed with Pancreatitis and I thought I’d never be able to have something like this again. To suit my diet, I used whole wheat flour, coconut sugar and extra applesauce instead of fat. It was the most moist and delicious carrot cake I have ever had. Thank you again, this recipe definitely showed me a bright side!
I’ve made this and the batter was quite dense. Is this right ? I expected to be a but runny :s
made this cake last weekend and was a huge hit, will be making again today! thanks!
Hi Katie, what would be the time required if I double the recipe? I made one but it’s not enough for everyone around. It also comes out a bit dense. Not sure if it’s because I added some pecans to the batter.
What flour did you use?
Hi Jason,
I used Bob’s Red Mill unbleached pastry flour
Hi Jason,
I used Bob’s Red Mill unbleached pastry flour.
Pastry flour is completely different from regular white or spelt flour, so that would definitely make it dense.
Thanks. We don’t have Spelt flour where I live, and I don’t use regular white flour. I’m ordering some Spelt flour online and will try again to see whether it makes a difference. To note, the 2nd time I tried this recipe I used less pecans and it did come out less dense.
I used whole grain, whole wheat flour and yes, the cake was dense but incredibly delicious! I also made frosting using coconut oil, vanilla and icing sugar and it tastes incredible. Every recipe I try from your site turns out–every one! Thank-you so much.
Was googling a vegan carrot cake recipe and stumbled upon your website. I want to try to make this with pineapple chunks though. Do you think it will bake well? If so, how much do you think I should add? Thank you in advance!
Yes! Just use crushed pineapple instead of the applesauce 🙂