Recipe: Light Carrot Cake

It was my birthday this week and my mom was in town to celebrate. Just like when I was a kid, she offered to make any birthday cake I selected. I asked her to make a carrot cake with cream cheese icing – my favorite! With both of us trying to eat healthier, we manipulated a lighter recipe found online and ended up with a super delicious, moist, much lighter carrot cake that everyone loved, including my husband who usually avoids carrot cake like the plague!

This cake uses whole wheat flour and has only 2 tbsp. of oil, as opposed to 1 cup like most of the other recipes I have made. Nonetheless, it is surprisingly moist. I finished off the last piece a few minutes ago and despite four days in saran wrap,  it is still superb. Recipe after the jump.

Recipe: Light Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup plump raisins
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp canola oil
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated carrots, peeled
20 oz. can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (for topping)

For the frosting:
1 package (8 oz) Light Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, raisins, baking soda, salt, and spices; stir well with a whisk.

In a medium bowl, combine oil, eggs, and vanilla; stir well. Add grated carrots and pineapple; mix well. Fold wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, batter will be stiff and dry but keep folding it and it will all come together.

Spoon batter into an 8″ x 3″ cake pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for about 40-50 minutes, depending on pan size or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and cake is pulling away from sides of pan. Cool cake completely on a wire rack.

To prepare frosting, beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread frosting over top of cake. Garnish with chopped walnuts.

Thanks to Gina Homolka of Skinnytaste.com for the original recipe Super Moist Carrot Cake

 

Last modified: November 12, 2011