I’ve made a good lot of carrot cakes in my time. Anywhere from traditional to gluten-free, and a few others along the way. There’s a few things I’ve learned in my carrot cake making journey. One is that you always ALWAYS need a good simple cream cheese frosting with it. And two is that it needs to be chunky.
I like my carrot cake loaded up with plenty of the good stuff. Carrots, raisins, pineapple, coconut, and yes… even nuts!
I based this ultimate carrot cake off of the one that I made for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. It’s an ingredient heavy cake, just like most carrots cakes are, but I promise you that the cake itself is rather easy to make. No overly complicated instructions.
For me, I like my carrot cake to be loaded with almost as much stuff as actual cake. And I also think a carrot cake should be layered. Why? Because it’s not only more impressive, but it' also gives that extra bit of cream cheese frosting in between to break up the density of the cake with some sweetness and tang.
I lightened this cake up by swapping out some of the sugars for natural sweetener substitutes. I also used a light butter in the frosting (since it’s not a butter cream frosting.) There’s also reduced fat milk and cream cheese in there to finish it off.
I’ll be honest in saying that this is one of my all time favorite cakes. In fact, I had this cake for breakfast for a few days in a row now. That’s the adult thing to do, right? It’s full of fruits and vegetables!
TheSkinnyFork.com Who doesn't like a good carrot cake? This carrot cake is chunky and loaded up with raisins, nuts, carrot, coconut, and pineapple too! Just the way a GREAT carrot cake should be! Prep Time: 15 Minutes • Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Servings: 16 • Serving Size: 1 Slice • Calories: 370 • Fat: 24 g • Saturated Fat: 9 g • Carb: 81 g • Fiber: 2 g • Protein: 5 g • Sugar: 18 g • Sodium: 281 mg
Cake:
• 2 C. All-Purpose Flour
• 2 Tsp. Baking Soda
• 2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
• 3 Whole Large Eggs
• 3/4 C. Reduced Fat Butter Milk
• 3/4 C. Vegetable Oil
• 3/4 C. Sugar
• 3/4 C. Natural Sweetener
• 2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 2 C. Shredded Carrots
• 1 C. Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
• 1 C. Chopped Walnuts or Pecans (Optional)
• 8 Oz. Crushed Pineapple in Juice
• 1 C. Raisins
Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 3 C. Confectioners' Sugar Substitute
• 8 Oz. Reduced Fat Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
• 1/2 C. Light Butter, Room Temperature
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and lightly coat the inside of two 8” or 9” cake pans with non-stick baking spray; set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the 2 C. flour, 2 Tsp. baking soda, 2 Tsp. cinnamon, and 1/4 Tsp. salt.
In a large bowl or the base of a stand mixer, beat together the 3 eggs, 3/4 C. milk, 3/4 C. oil, 3/4 C. sugar, 3/4 C. sweetener, and 2 Tsp. vanilla.
Add in the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until just combined.
In another medium bowl, mix together the 2 C. shredded carrots, 1 C. coconut flakes, 1 C. (optional) nuts, 8 Oz. pineapple, and 1 C. raisins until well blended.
Using a large wooden spoon, stir the carrot and raisin mixture into the batter until just combined.
Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared cake pans and place in the oven to bake for 30-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean!
Once done, remove the cakes from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
While the cakes are cooling, beat together the 3 C. confectioners’ sugar substitute, 8 Oz. cream cheese, 1/2 C. butter, and 1 Tsp. vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
When the cakes are cooled, turn one out onto a serving plate and layer with frosting.
Top with the second cake and frost with the remaining cream cheese frosting as desired.
Enjoy right away or cover and store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Step-by-Step Photos:
Nutritional Claims: Kidney Friendly • Pescatarian • Peanut Free • Tree Nut Free • Soy Free • Fish Free • Shellfish Free • Pork Free • Red Meat Free • Crustacean Free • Celery Free • Mustard Free • Sesame Free • Lupine Free • Mollusk Free • Alcohol Free
