Healthy Carrot Cake with Low Fat Cream Cheese Frosting
This healthy carrot cake recipe uses low-sugar ingredients like almond flour, low glycemic sugar substitute, carrots, and raisins. It's topped off with a low-fat cream cheese frosting and a few salted nuts to give it a nice crunch.
2 ¼cupssuperfine almond flour(not almond meal - I use Bob's Red Mill brand)
2teaspoonsbaking powder
1.5teaspoonsground cinnamon
¼teaspoonsalt
3cupsgrated carrots
½cupraisinsoptional
½cupchopped pecanscashews, or other nut of your choice.
1cupErythritolor other cup-for-cup sugar substitute
½cuppacked brown sugar substitute(or use 1/2 cup Erythritol plus 1.5 tsp. molasses)
6tablespoonsunsalted buttersoftened
4largeeggs
1teaspoonvanilla extract
4ouncesbuttermilk
cooking sprayor butter (to grease the cake pan)
For the Frosting:
6ouncescream cheesesoftened
2tbspplain Greek yogurt
2tablespoonsunsalted buttersoftened
½teaspoonvanilla extract
⅛teaspoonsalt
3cupspowdered Erythritolor powdered sugar
For Garnish (optional):
¼cupchopped pecanscashews, or other nut of your choice.
Instructions
Heat oven to 350° F.
TO PREPARE CAKE
Whisk together almond flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Add grated carrot, raisins, and chopped nuts, tossing to combine.
Place Erythritol, brown sugar substitute, and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately into sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Spread batter into a 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan coated with cooking spray or butter. Bake at 350° for 24-28 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake completely in the pan, on a wire rack before frosting.
TO PREPARE FROSTING
Place softened cream cheese, yogurt, butter, vanilla extract, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar substitute, beating at medium speed until combined (don't over mix). Spread frosting evenly over top of the cake. Sprinkle evenly with toasted nuts, if using.
Because dairy products are used, this cake should be kept refrigerated.