* 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!
Healthy Carrot Cake
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.
Healthy Carrot Cake Recipe
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.
Full disclosure here, until about 2 years ago I had never had carrot cake before. *pauses to wait for you to finish being shocked*. I think it was one of those things that I had convinced myself that I didn’t like, before I even tried it.
But, I gave it a go when we were in Prague as it was everywhere and I loved it! I have seriously been missing out all this time. I mean, it has a vegetable in it, so you can count it as one of your 5 a day, right? Well, I don’t see why not!
What Makes This Carrot Cake Healthy?
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 yoghurt 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.
Can You Freeze Carrot Cake?
We are just trying to focus on calories in vs calories out at the moment, and adding more fruit and vegetables to our meals and Hermesetas Granulated Sweetener has been a big part of that (and the carrot in this cake). Carrot cake actually freezes really well, so that means portion control is easy. Just put a slice in a container and pop it in the freezer.
Cake Frosting Made With Yoghurt
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 yoghurt! A little bit of maple syrup for taste and some orang 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.
Healthy Carrot Cake 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.
Ingredients Needed To Make This Healthy Carrot Cake
- For the cake:
- 250g Plain flour
- 8 pecan halves
- 2 tbsp fresh orange zest
- 1 large carrot, grated
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp all spice
- 50g Raisins
- 6 tbsp coconut oil
- 10g Hermesetas Granulated Sweetener
- 4 medium eggs
- 80ml milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- For the icing:
- 6 tbsp 0% Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- A few pecans and a bit of orange zest for decorating
How To Make Healthy Carrot Cake – Step By Step
One: Preheat the oven to 170°C/350°F
Two: In a bowl, add the flour, pecans, Hermesetas, raisins, orange zest, salt, baking soda and all spice and mix well.
Three: In a separate bowl, add the carrot, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla.
Four: Mix well.
Five: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well.
Six: Grease a 10inch spring form pan and pour in the mixture. Bake for 40 minutes (not shown)
Seven: Whilst the cake is cooking, make the icing by mixing together the yoghurt, maple syrup and vanilla.
Eight: When the cake is cooked and completely cooled, add the icing and sprinkle on the orange zest and pecans.
Some Other Sweet Treats To Try:
Chocolate Pie
Healthy Gingernut Biscuits
Apple and Cherry Crumble
Mint Chocolate Dessert
Some Extra Tips For Making This Healthy Carrot Cake
- 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.
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DON’T FORGET TO RATE THE RECIPE ↓
Healthy Carrot Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 250 g Plain flour
- 8 Pecan halves
- 2 tbsp Fresh orange zest
- 1 Large carrot, grated
- 0.5 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp All spice
- 50 g Raisins
- 6 tbsp Coconut oil
- 10 g Hermesetas Granulated Sweetener
- 4 Medium eggs
- 80 ml Skimmed milk
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
For the icing:
- 6 tbsp 0% Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp Maple syrup
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
- A few pecans and a bit of orange zest for decorating
Instructions
- 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.
- In a separate bowl, add the carrot, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well.
- Grease a 10inch spring form pan and pour in the mixture. Bake for 40 minutes (not shown)
- Whilst the cake is cooking, make the icing by mixing together the yoghurt, maple syrup and vanilla.
- When the cake is cooked and completely cooled, add the icing and sprinkle on the orange zest and pecans.
Nutritional Information
~ This Healthy Carrot Cake is a commissioned recipe for Hermesetas ~
~ Thank you for supporting the brands that make it possible for us to run this site ~
~ We love creating delicious recipes that show healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring ~
~ All opinions are our own ~
[1] Blaak EE et al. (2012) Obes Rev 13: 923-984.
[2] www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/the-truth-about-artificial-sweeteners.aspx
Hazel says
This cake is the MOST revolting cake I’ve ever made! Waaay too much Allspice in the cake (maybe the recipe writer meant mixed spice instead?!), and waaay too much vanilla extract in the icing (maybe the recipe writer meant 1tsp, or even 1/2 tsp, instead of tbsp?!). Also was tough and rubbery but not cooked in the middle. All in all a seriously gross, anaemic disaster that went in the bin. What a disappointment. Back to bbcgoodfood, silly me for deviating!
Dannii says
I’m really sorry to hear that you are disappointed in the cake and would love to help figure out what went wrong. Firstly, the icing should be 1 tsp, instead of 1 tbsp, so that is a typo. Apologies and thanks for pointing it out. But the all spice is correct. Carrot cake should have a strong spice flavour, but maybe that comes down to a personal preference?
I am not sure how it can be tough and rubbery, but not cooked though? Cooking times are always a guide, depending on your oven, so should always be checked with a skewer first. As you can see from our photos, our cake is cooked all the way through and it was lovely and moist too.
Again, I am sorry that you were disappointed with it, but it was triple tested before posted.
Tricia Covic says
Was wondering if I can use Spelt & almond flour in this recipe
Dannii says
You could, but it would make it a little dry.
Allison - Celebrating Sweets says
I wish I had a big slice of this RIGHT NOW!