Healthy Carrot Cake Recipe

This carrot cake recipe makes a moist tasty 8 inch round layered cake that is covered in delicious cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup apple sauce
2/3 cup buttermilk
3 cups fresh carrots, shredded
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

Cream Cheese Frosting
(2) 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
6 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

*Optional - orange colored gel paste
1/2 cup walnut pieces

Directions

Carrot Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper, grease the paper and dust lightly with flour.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the two types of flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the eggs, brown sugar and apple sauce until smooth.

Add the buttermilk and beat in. Mix in the carrots and crushed pineapple until well combined.

Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and beat in until well combined.

Divide the batter into the two cake pans and place into the preheated oven.

Bake 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool the cakes for 10 minutes in the pans, then remove, peel off the parchment paper and cool to room temperature on the racks.

The Cream Cheese Frosting

Using an electric mixer and a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy and light.

Add in the confectioners' sugar one cup at a time. You can add more or less to get your desired consistency.

Beat in the vanilla.

Assembly

Trim off a small bit of the tops of the cakes. Place the trimmed parts into a small bowl and break into small crumbs for garnish.

Place the bottom layer of cake on a cake plate, frost the first layer then place the second layer of cake on and frost the tops and sides.

Garnish the sides with the cake crumbs.

Optional:

Reserve a bit of the frosting. Add orange colored gel paste and mix in. Place into a piping bag and form the carrots.