Healthier Carrot Loaf Cake

The 4th recipe!

Desserts, as we know, are awesome. But what if there’s something you love that can be made healthier and guilt-free? If you fancy carrot cake, then you’ve come to the right place!

So let’s craft it, shall we?

Ingredients

Makes ~10 servings

For the cake

• 120g whole wheat/spelt flour
• 1.5 tsp (7g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (6g) baking soda
• Spice mix of choice:
  • 2 tsp (6g) cinnamon/fall spice blend
  • 1.5 tsp (4.5g) cinnamon + 1/2 tsp (1g) nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp (3g) salt
• 60g chunky mix-ins (chopped walnuts, raisins, pecans, etc.)
• 200g carrot, roughly grated
• 2 eggs
• 100g Greek yogurt (ideally 5% fat)
• 40g (43ml) neutral/coconut/olive oil
  • Incl. ~2g for greasing baking tray
• 100g honey/maple syrup
• 1 tsp (4g) vanilla extract/paste
• 30ml (30g) (almond) milk/water

For the frosting

• 200g Greek yogurt (ideally 5% fat)
• 30g powdered sugar
• 1 tsp (4g) vanilla extract/paste

Garnishes & toppings (optional)

• ~10g Toasted coconut flakes
• Crushed nuts (walnuts, pecans, etc.)
• Fresh carrot flakes
• Whatever else you feel good with 😊

Required Utensils

Chances are that you already have most of what’s listed below. But as a student, I used to have basically nothing at hand, so all necessary items are listed below:

• Medium bowl, to hold all wet ingredients
• Large bowl, to hold all dry ingredients (and then batter)
• Weight scale, to measure ingredients (in grams)
  • Or use measuring cups if handy
• Measuring spoons (at least for teaspoon & tablespoon measurements)
• Cheese/vegetable grater (for grating carrots)
• Whisk, for initial mixing (can use spoon instead)
• Rubber spatula, for final mixing
• Metal loaf baking dish, around 27.5x14cm (9×5 inch dish also works!)
• Fine-mesh strainer
• Skillet (if toasting nuts on it)
• Oven thermometer, for extra accuracy 😛 (optional)

Instructions

1. In large bowl, add dry ingredients (except for mix-ins); whisk well breaking any lumps. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Coat baking dish with extra oil (or cooking spray) and set aside.
3. In medium bowl, whisk the eggs for 10 seconds. Then add remaining wet ingredients; whisk well and set aside.
   NOTE: If using coconut oil, add in only right before combining wet & dry ingredients, to avoid solidification before combining.
4. If using walnuts/pecans and they’re unroasted, chop into rough pieces and either roast them for 8-10 min in oven or heat on skillet for a few min, until fragrant.
5. Grate the carrots. Then add wet ingredients into bowl with dry ingredients, using rubber spatula stir gently till almost combined.
6. Add grated carrots & mix-ins; stir gently just enough to combine; DO NOT overmix.
7. Pour batter into baking dish and bake for 35 to 45 min. Toothpick/knife sliced in center should come out with small crumbs rather than liquid batter.
8. Remove baking dish from oven and let cool completely in dish (about 4 hours).
9. Line fine mesh strainer with a coffee filter or paper towel and place on top of a small bowl. Add yogurt and let it strain in the fridge while cake cools down.
10. When ready to assemble your carrot cake, in medium bowl mix well the strained yogurt, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Using decoration spatula or knife, decorate cake. Enjoy!
    • Optionally you can slice the cake in half (lengthwise, with top and bottom parts), and fill gap with 1/3 of your frosting!

Other Tips

• The cake’s frosting is not very shelf stable. Therefore I recommend frosting the cake within 2 hours before it should be eaten, as it quickly dries out and turns yellow.
• If possible, bake this cake a day or 2 before it’s eaten, as the flavors will have more time to settle and blend in!

Storage

Methods

• Whole: wrapped in plastic wrap (optionally on a plate)
• Slices: each wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil
  • Store slice wraps in air-tight bag (if freezing)

Shelf life

• Room temp: 1 day (unfrosted only)
• Fridge:
  • 5-7 days (unfrosted)
  • 2-3 days (frosted)
• Freezer: 3 months (best quality, assuming temp below 0°F/-18°C)
  • Recommended to freeze cake and frosting separately

Extras

I’ve got some extra things to share for this recipe 🙂

Other Variants

Below you’ll see other solid variants of this recipe that I’ve tried out!

First Publication

Fun fact, this is my 1st recipe to ever be published on the internet by a 3rd party. It was an older version at the time, but still was great!

Check out the post (and attached video) here.

Credit

Though this recipe has gone through many changes, it’s originally based on this one from Olena, so gotta thank her for that.

The base recipe was great, but I kept on making changes over time to my taste, and posted my favorite version here!

Got any questions or suggestions? Comment down below!

First posted on May 11, 2024.

Last updated on May 15, 2024.