Healthy Carrot Cake

* This is a sponsored post for Hermesetas *
Carrot cake has to be up there on the top tier of cakes, along with chocolate fudge cake and lemon drizzle. But this is Healthy Carrot Cake. It's next level!

You would presume that as it has carrot in it, it is basically a health food but sadly not! But, with a few swaps (such as using Hermesetas Granulated Sweetener) in this recipe you can have yourself a healthy and lower calorie carrot cake that doesn't sacrifice on taste.

Jump to:

• Why should you try it?
• Ingredients
• Step by step
• How is this healthy?
• Using sweetener
• Yogurt cake icing
• Will this make muffins?
• FAQs
• Extra tips
• More cake recipes
• Healthy Carrot Cake

Why should you try it?

Ingredients

Step by step

One: Preheat the oven to 170°C/350°F. In a bowl, add the flour, pecans, Hermesetas, raisins, orange zest, salt, baking soda and all spice and mix well.

Two: In a separate bowl, add the carrot, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Three: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well.

Four: Grease a 10 inch spring form tin and pour in the mixture. Put in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.

Five: Whilst the cake is cooking, make the icing by mixing together the yogurt, maple syrup and vanilla.

Six: Remove the cooked cake from the oven and allow to cool fully.

Seven: When the cake is completely cooled, add the icing and sprinkle on the orange zest and pecans.

How is this healthy?

The thing about healthier versions of our favourite cakes is that they tend to be really dry and disappointing. This cake is neither. It's a really moist and delicious carrot cake that has been lightened up, as it has no butter or cream in it and a few other healthy swaps - such as using sweetener.

Using sweetener

Well, you know we are all about mental health here, and a little bit of what you fancy in moderation is good for that. But, as well as this cake having vegetables in it, there is no butter or cream in it either. Not that those ingredients are unhealthy in themselves, but we have made some swaps that have extra benefits or lower in calories. We also skipped the cream cheese frosting for a fat free yogurt frosting.

Another lower calorie swap we have made is using Hermesetas Granulated Sweetener, which we have been loving using in all our baking and hot drinks at the moment. We made and amazing iced mocha with it the other day too!

What is Hermesetas?

Not only is Hermesetas lower in calories than using sugar in our baking, but it can help to control blood sugar too. Studies show that frequent rises in blood glucose levels after meals, due to a ‘nibbling’ eating pattern, can put us at risk of metabolic diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease^[1].

This is thought to be because constant stimulation of blood glucose and insulin suppresses fat burning in the body, affects appetite, boosts inflammation and increases the risk of weight gain.

NHS Choices^[2] says: “Like sugar, sweeteners provide a sweet taste but what sets them apart is that, after consumption, they don’t increase blood sugar levels“. I find that because of this I don't have the sugar crash a couple of hours later and an energy slump. I find my energy levels a lot better when using sweetener, not to mention it is saving me a lot of calories.

You can use low calorie sweeteners in all your favourite recipes and they make a great sugar swap. Switching sugar to low calorie sweeteners like Hermesetas can reduce your daily calorie intake by 10% and lead to a statistically significant weight loss of 0.2kg (o.44lbs) a week. Have you tried making our Healthy Chocolate Raspberry Brownies using Hermesetas yet?

Not sure how to use sweetener?

Along with this recipe, take a look at all the Delicious Sweet Treats over on the Hermesetas website.

Yogurt cake icing

Let's talk about the icing of this cake for a minute. I could eat the "icing" out of the bowl with a spoon and to be honest, I did. It is that good, but so much healthier than regular butter cream or cream cheese frosting. It's made with yogurt! A little bit of maple syrup for taste and some orange zest and you have yourself and epic frosting/icing.

The cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in the allspice in this cake give it a real Christmas feel to it, so I think this is going to be made a lot more in a few months time. But it's never too early for healthy Christmas baking. I promise that I will hold off on the Christmas posts until October. That will be restrained for me though.

Will this make muffins?

We have made this in to a full cake, but they work really well as muffins too. Just divide the mixture in to muffin cases and bake for around 20 minutes until the muffins have risen and set.

FAQs

Extra tips

• Turn these in to muffins instead so they are easier for little hands to eat. Just put the mixture in to muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes.
• Add some extra vegetables in swapping half the carrot for courgette (zucchini). You will need to squeeze out the excess liquid first.
• We have added pecans, but you could keep it classic and use walnuts instead.
• Raisins add a nice extra touch of sweetness and texture to the cake, but you could use other dried fruit too. Try dried cherries or cranberries to mix it up a bit.

More cake recipes

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[1] Blaak EE et al. (2012) Obes Rev 13: 923-984.
[2] www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/the-truth-about-artificial-sweeteners.aspx