• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
101 Cooking For Two
  • 👨‍🍳RECIPES
  • 📋About
  • ❓FAQs/Help
  • 🛒Shop
  • 📮Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • 👨‍🍳RECIPES
  • 📋About
  • ❓FAQs/Help
  • 🛒Shop
  • 📮Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • 👨‍🍳RECIPES
    • 📋About
    • ❓FAQs/Help
    • 🛒Shop
    • 📮Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    🏠Home » Recipes » Healthy Recipes

    Healthier Low Fat Carrot Cake

    Mar 27, 2013 | Last Updated Apr 16, 2021 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.35 from 73 votes

    Wonderfully moist and almost good for you. At about 270 calories and 7 grams of fat, you get one of the best carrot cakes, plus it won't leave a pool of oil on the plate.

    slice of carrot cake on plate B

    Table of Contents
    • 📋Ingredients
    • ❄️Storage
    • 📖Low-Fat Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📖Recipe
    • Pro Tips
    • 💬 Comments

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Introduction

    I away thought carrot cake would be hard to make. Nope, it was relatively easy with a 3/10 skill level and just a little more work than a coffee cake. You can make this cake with these easy to follow step by step instructions.

    A normal recipe for carrot cake starts with a cup of oil. Read that as almost 2000 calories, and you have not added even a carrot yet. You can't do that very often.

    So I looked around a lot for just the right recipe. Many had "odd" ingredients. While I'm not an all-natural guy, it still needs to be reasonably natural ingredients.

    Many seemed to have roots in an old Weight Watchers cookbook that used pineapple and coconut. The best of those recipes was Super Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting by Gina at Skinnytaste.com. But I can never keep my fingers off a recipe but made only a few adjustments.

    I want two layers. Carrot cake "needs" to be two layers, so a bit of a change in baking. A few changes and options in ingredients, and since I was doing layers, I needed more frosting, so I changed that around a little.

    My Rating

    My rating system. Great 5 out of 5

    An easy 5. Much better than a lot of full-fat carrot cake. I like a carrot cake that has what I would term "good crumb" along with great taste.

    📋Ingredients

    The Flour

    It almost uses what you have. Some recipes used cake flour. Many use 100% all-purpose flour, and some a substituted some whole wheat flour. I like the nutty taste that the whole wheat adds, but adding more than 50% may get too much to the "pound cake" texture.

    The Pineapple

    Many recipes will use applesauce to help replace oil in recipes. The pineapple does the same thing here. It needs to be drained and in small pieces, so crushed is perfect here.

    There is minimal impact on the taste, but you can detect it. I like it.

    If you object to pineapple, some recipes use applesauce and you can Google those. I have removed applesauce as a suggested substitute. So use the pineapple for this recipe which I prefer.

    ❄️Storage

    Due to the frosting, this cake should be stored refrigerated for up to 3 days. Or frozen for 2-3 months.

    📖Low-Fat Recipes

    Healthier Chicken Enchilada Casserole in 60 Minutes

    Low-Fat Blueberry Scones

    Healthier Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

    Lower Fat Spicy Chicken Alfredo

    Low Fat Brownies

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    101's Best Recipes, Dessert Recipes, Healthy Recipes, Low Fat Recipes
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    Carrots and cake ingredients

    Preheat the oven to 350°, not convection. Look at all that good stuff.

    Coating baking pans with PAM

    Spray two 9" round baking pans with a good coat of PAM.

    shredding raw carrots

    Peel and shred 3-4 medium carrots to get about 2 cups of carrots. A little more or less should be okay.

    chopped walnuts on a black board

    Chop ½ cup of walnuts.

    draining pineapple over a sink

    Drain one 20 oz can of crushed pineapple.

    mixing shredded carrots into wet ingredients

    In a medium bowl, combine 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons oil, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix well, then add in the carrots, pineapple, and ¼ cup of the walnuts.

    mixing wet ingredient with carrots into dry ingredients

    In a large bowl, mix  1 ½ cup flour (I suggest ¾ cups each of AP flour and whole wheat flour) 1 cup sugar, ¼ cup flaked sweetened coconut, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix well. Now fold the wet into the dry and keep folding until all is incorporated.

    adding the batter into the prepared pans

    Divide into the two baking pans and spread reasonably smooth. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. About 30-35 minutes. Remove and allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Then invert pans on a cooling rack and remove them from pans and allow them to cool completely (at least 30 minutes).

    cream cheese with frosting ingredients

    While the cake is cooling, it is cream cheese frosting time.

    mixing cream cheese frosting in a white bowl with electric mixer

    Mix 8 oz of reduced-fat cream cheese (not fat-free), 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk. Beat on well. Slowly add 2 cups of powdered sugar while continuing to beat. You may need 1-2 more teaspoons of milk to get the texture you want.

    spreading frosting over the cake

    Place the first layer on a plate. Cover with about ⅓ of the frosting and spread evenly. Add the second layer and use about ⅓ on top and ⅓ on the sides.

    whole carrot cake with frosting and topped with nuts

    Add the final ¼ cup of chopped nuts to the top.

    graphic Subscribe to 101 Cooking for Two

    📖Recipe

    slice of carrot cake on plate B

    Healthier Low Fat Carrot Cake

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Wonderfully moist and almost good for you. At about 270 calories and 7 grams of fat, you get one of the best carrot cakes, plus it won't leave a pool of oil on the plate.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.35 from 73 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 16 servings

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 1 ½ cup flour - I use half whole wheat
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 2 teaspoons baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ¼ cup flaked sweetened coconut - Optional
    • ½ cup walnuts - divided chopped
    • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
    • 2 eggs - large
    • 2 tablespoons oil
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla
    • 3-4 carrots - about 2 cups shredded
    • 20 oz crushed pineapple - drained

    Frosting

    • 8 oz lower fat cream cheese - not fat free
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1 tablespoon milk - and a little more
    • 2 cups powdered sugar

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350°, not convection.
      Carrots and cake ingredients
    • Spray two 9" round baking pans with a good coat of PAM.
      Coating baking pans with PAM
    • Peel and shred 3-4 medium carrots to get about 2 cups of carrots. A little more or less should be okay.
      shredding raw carrots
    • Chop ½ cup of walnuts.
      chopped walnuts on a black board
    • Drain one 20 oz can of crushed pineapple.
      draining pineapple over a sink
    • In a medium bowl, combine 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons oil, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix well, then add in the carrots, pineapple, and ¼ cup of the walnuts.
      mixing shredded carrots into wet ingredients
    • In a large bowl mix  1 ½ cup flour (I suggest ¾ cups each of AP flour and whole wheat flour) 1 cup sugar, ¼ cup flaked sweetened coconut, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix well. Now fold the wet into the dry and keep folding until all is incorporated.
      mixing wet ingredient with carrots into dry ingredients
    • Divide into the two baking pans and spread reasonably smooth. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. About 30-35 minutes. Remove and allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Then invert pans on a cooling rack and remove from pans and allow to cool completely (at least 30 minutes).
      adding the batter into the prepared pans
    • While the cake is cooling, it is cream cheese frosting time.
      cream cheese with frosting ingredients
    • Mix 8 oz of reduced-fat cream cheese (not fat-free), 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk. Beat on well. Slowly add 2 cups of powdered sugar while continuing to beat. You may need 1-2 more teaspoons of milk to get the texture you want.
      mixing cream cheese frosting in a white bowl with electric mixer
    • Place the first layer on a plate. Cover with about ⅓ of the frosting and spread evenly. Add the second layer and use about ⅓ on top and ⅓ on the sides.
      spreading frosting over the cake
    • Add the final ¼ cup of chopped nuts to the top.
      whole carrot cake with frosting and topped with nuts
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    My Private Notes

    Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. Cut in half and make only one layer.
    2. You can make this in a standard 9X13 cake pan. It will take 5-10 minutes longer to cook. The endpoint is the toothpick test.
    3. Use the flour you have. I suggest half AP flour and half whole wheat.
    4. The pineapple only adds a minimal taste and it is nice. Some recipes use applesauce and you can Google those. I have removed applesauce as a suggested substitute. So use the pineapple.
    5. The carrot calls for 2 cups shredded. That can be a bit more or less.
    6. Due to the frosting, this cake should be stored refrigerated for up to 3 days. Or frozen for 2-3 months.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Calories : 260 kcal (13%) | Carbohydrates : 46 g (15%) | Protein : 4 g (8%) | Fat : 7 g (11%) | Saturated Fat : 2 g (10%) | Trans Fat : 1 g | Cholesterol : 28 mg (9%) | Sodium : 370 mg (15%) | Potassium : 161 mg (5%) | Fiber : 2 g (8%) | Sugar : 34 g (38%) | Vitamin A : 2040 IU (41%) | Vitamin C : 4 mg (5%) | Calcium : 43 mg (4%) | Iron : 1 mg (6%)
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Dessert
    Cuisine : American

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Originally Published March 27, 2013. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

    Dogs in yard with patches of snow
    « Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore
    Grilled Whole Baked Potatoes without Foil »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Neshamah

      April 28, 2021 at 2:15 am

      Made this for my husband's birthday. He's on a diet. I used monkfruit sweetener and 1/2 C. instead. I added 1/2 C. raisins soaked in vanilla and a little water. I also used nonfat cream cheese and 1/2 the sugar for the frosting. We'll see tomorrow!

      Reply
    2. HT

      January 10, 2021 at 3:56 pm

      3 stars
      I substituted pineapple with 2 cups apple sauce and the cake was very wet and dense and I needed to bake for 55 mins. I would also cut back on the tsp of salt. It’s ok not really a fluffy cake, more plum pudding texture.

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        January 10, 2021 at 4:47 pm

        Hi HT,

        Welcome to the blog and sorry you had an issue.

        I have removed that possible substitute suggestion although it was consistent with many other recipes. And I had better luck with it than you did, I prefer pineapple personally.

        Dan

      • Pat

        April 03, 2022 at 3:21 pm

        It's not OK to take off 2 stars when your own substitution caused a problem with the result.

    3. Sheila B

      September 30, 2020 at 10:03 am

      5 stars
      Made this the other day in a 9" x 13" pan. Didn't rise very much, but all the same, it was very delicious! I am calling them carrot cake brownies! I also used egg substitutes and artificial sweetener to make it more low fat and low sugar. Hubby really liked it. This is a keeper. Thanks.

      Reply
    4. Roland

      May 24, 2020 at 6:39 pm

      5 stars
      As we had a lot of carrots, was looking for a carrot cake recipe. Many recipes required a lot of oil, which I didn't want to do.
      Tried this recipe and it was awesome! Our kids even wanted seconds and have it in their lunch box.
      I skipped the nuts, and replaced the pineapple with apple sauce. It was a bit too wet, think 1 cup apple sauce is sufficient. Also decreased sugar to 1/2 cup.
      Didn't make the frosting to decrease sugar intake.

      Well done. Will make it again.

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Comment (Policy Link in Footer) Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    DrDan image Hi, I’m DrDan and welcome to 101 Cooking for Two, the home of great everyday recipes with easy-to-follow step-by-step photo instructions. About DrDan

    Popular Recipes

    • Pan Seared Oven Roasted Filet Mignon
    • Pan Seared Oven Baked Chicken Breast
    • Oven Baked Chicken Legs - The Art of Drummies
    • Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
    • How To Cook Sausage in the Oven
    • How to Cook Bacon in the Oven - Step by Step
    • Oven Pulled Pork - Low & Slow Pork Butt
    • Pan Seared Oven Roasted Strip Steak

    kitchen reference sheet graphic wide blue
    graphic of sites that I work with or have had recipes featured or referenced.
    SITES THAT I WORK WITH OR HAVE HAD RECIPES FEATURED OR REFERENCED.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top ↑

    About

    • About DrDan
    • Sign up for Emails
    • Contact
    • The Shop
    • Blog Business and Guest Posts
    • Helpful Links

    Top Content

    • Saved Recipes Collections
    • 101's Best Recipes
    • Recipe Index

    Policies

    • Comment Policy
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Copyright Policy

    Educational

    • Food FAQ
    • Kitchen Reference Sheets
    • Guide To Cooking for Two

    dogs by the pond

    COPYRIGHT © 2010-2022 101 COOKING FOR TWO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | BASED ON FOODIE PRO THEME