A small, healthier carrot cake
Ingredients
1/2 cup grated carrot (juice squeezed out)
1 egg
3 tbsp Greek yogurt
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup oat flour
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
Pinch salt
2 tbsp walnuts or pecans
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Grate carrots until you get about 1/2 cup after juice is pressed out.
Mix in egg, yogurt, and vanilla.
Add flour*, sugar, soda, powder, and salt.
Fold in nuts.
Pour batter into a small loaf tin and bake for 25 minutes. Check to see if the top is no longer wobbly in the middle. Your loaf may need a couple more minutes.
Notes
Carrots
I used a cheese grater to finely grate 9 baby carrots. Next, I put the shreds in a cup and pressed them down with my fingers to release the juice. Then I had about 1/2 cup of grated carrot. It is important to squeeze the juice out because it will affect the consistency of the bake. I didn't get all the juice out by pressing the carrots in a towel -- some juice is ok. I pressed out about 3 tbsps of carrot juice, which I drank.
Oat Flour
If you don't have oat flour, grind up 3/4 a cup of oats in a blender or food processor. I used old fashioned oats because they're gluten free, whole grain, higher in protein, and tasty. You can use any type of flour you'd prefer.
Coconut Sugar
Coconut sugar isn't necessarily any healthier than white sugar, but I like the taste. Coconut sugar has a caramel flavor. Feel free to use any sugar alternative you want, such as granulated sugar, stevia, or monkfruit sweetener.
Pumpkin Pie Spice
If you don't have this, just sub with 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, and 1/8 tsp nutmeg.
Refrigerate
Refrigerate the loaf after baking it! It will spoil after a few days if you don't keep it cool.
Calories
Baked goods are often high in sugar, fat, and carbs. As someone who bakes often, I have to watch how much I eat. I love to eat. I do. I also love to have a healthy body. That being said, I appreciate when a recipe states a calorie count. So I've decided to provide that for you.
Total calories in the cake: 621
Divide that number by how many slices you cut the cake into. I cut 8 slices, so each slice is 77 calories.
Photos!
Our wet batter and dry ingredients.
A beautiful, cracked, nutty top.
Slap some butter on there!
This recipe was born when I looked in the fridge and saw a sad bag of 9 baby carrots. I decided to transform them into a delicious little loaf. The Greek yogurt makes this cake soft and moist. The pumpkin pie spice and the carrots marry together perfectly. The walnuts add a pleasant crunch. I'd like to think this recipe is healthier than other carrot cakes. Carrots are a vegetable high in vitamin A and fiber. Oat flour is gluten free, protein packed, whole grain, and easy to make. The Greek yogurt adds some protein, calcium, and iodine. The nuts add more protein. The only thing to make this recipe better might be using a zero calorie sugar substitute, which I want to try sometime. All in all, I think this is a clean treat perfect for breakfast or a snack.
Love,
Rachel