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slice of healthy carrot cake on a white plate with walnuts in background

Healthy Carrot Cake (the most amazing texture!)

Author Erin Dooner
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 17 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
This healthy carrot cake recipe is incredibly moist and nobody will believe it’s whole wheat! Recipe includes a less sugary cream cheese frosting. This recipe can also be made with all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour.

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 2 cups (250 grams) flour see notes
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 4 large eggs 50 grams each out of shell
  • 1 cup (200 grams) coconut sugar or granulated sugar, see notes
  • 3/4 cup (183 grams) unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1/2 cup (118 ml) olive oil canola oil or another vegetable oil would work fine
  • 14.5 ounces (410 grams) carrots grated and peeled, see notes

For the frosting: (see note below)

  • 18 ounces (510 grams) cream cheese room temperature, see notes
  • 4.5 tablespoons (63 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) powdered sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C and grease three 8″ pans or line them with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
    2 cups (250 grams) flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and then add the sugar, apple sauce, and olive oil and mix until combined.
    4 large eggs, 1 cup (200 grams) coconut sugar, 3/4 cup (183 grams) unsweetened apple sauce, 1/2 cup (118 ml) olive oil
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir just until combined.
  • Then fold in the carrots, again only until combined.
    14.5 ounces (410 grams) carrots
  • Bake for 13 – 17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. I accidentally had the fan on so these minutes could be off. It might be longer, but just check it at 13 and see how it is.
  • Let cool for 5 minutes in the pans, and then turn onto a wire rack to cool.
  • Don't frost until the cake is completely cooled, about 2 hours.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together with an electric hand mixer at medium speed until well combined. It's okay if it looks a little crumbly.
    18 ounces (510 grams) cream cheese, 4.5 tablespoons (63 grams) unsalted butter
  • Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until totally combined and then beat in the salt and vanilla. Frost the cake with about 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup per layer and the remaining frosting on the sides. If you bake the cake and prepare the frosting in advance and want to refrigerate the frosting, note that it gets quite firm, like a cream cheese tart filling. If that happens, just bring it to room temperature, stir and then frost. The frosting firms up once refrigerated so if you want the softer frosting texture (rather than a cream cheese tart filling kind of texture), let the cake come to room temperature before serving.
    1 1/2 cups (180 grams) powdered sugar, pinch salt, 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Notes

  • For the flour, you can use whole wheat flour, white whole wheat flour, whole spelt flour, all-purpose flour or for a gluten-free version, 2 cups (276 grams) Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour.
  • Note that it's best to weigh coconut sugar! Some brands are light and coarse, and some brands (like the one I use) are very fine and dense.
  • I used the fine grater of my food processor. I can’t say if this would work if you grate them coarsely. It might lose some of its moisture. Mine was almost like a puree.
  • This is enough frosting to frost it like in the pictures, with about 2/3 cup on top of each layer and some frosting for the sides. If you just want to frost the top of each layer, use:
    • 12 ounces cream cheese
    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 1 cup of powdered sugar
    • a pinch of salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
  • We have a different type of cream cheese in the US that's firmer and meant for baking, rather than for toast, like in Europe. For 8 ounces (225 grams) of cream cheese, buy a 300-gram package (the stuff at Aldi, Lidl, etc. works just as well as Philadelphia), put it in the center of a clean tea towel or cheesecloth, and squeeze out the liquid until you have 225 grams of cream cheese. You can now make cream cheese frosting without issue. So for this recipe, buy 675 grams of cream cheese and squeeze out the liquid until you have 510 grams.
  • This recipe was updated on 3/14/18 with a new frosting recipe. The previous one called for:
    • 8 ounces (225 grams) cream cheese
    • 6 ounces (170 grams) Greek yogurt
    • 1/2 – 1 cup (60 – 12 grams) powdered sugar.
  • Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's carrot cake recipe.
  • The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 6gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 400mgPotassium: 207mgFiber: 3gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 4884IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 1mgNet Carbs: 34
Tried this recipe?Tag me today! Mention @texanerin or tag #texanerin! Thanks. 🖤