I love this reduced fat version of carrot cake because it uses such good ingredients; whole wheat pastry flour, olive oil, and lots of carrots. It’s a fun way to get more vitamin A! The batter is thicker than usual, so I just used my hands to pat it into the pan. You can also try this version of carrot cake using 3 cups of the fiber leftover from juicing carrots and other veggies.
Ingredients:
2 egg(s)
4 oz(s) crushed pineapple
1 cup(s) brown sugar -- mix w/ raw sugar, or reduce by 1/4
1/2 cup(s) olive oil
2 1/2 cup(s) whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch ground cloves
1 lb(s) carrots -- shredded
8 oz(s) cream cheese
1/4 cup(s) honey
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of 13x9 pan.
2. Combine eggs, pineapple and sugar in mixer bowl until smooth. Add olive oil and mix.
3. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to mixer bowl gradually while beater is moving on low speed. Fold in carrots.
4. Dump batter into baking pan and spread out evenly. Bake 20 min., then check with toothpick in center. For pans smaller than 13x9 check at 17 min. If it does not come out clean give it another few minutes until it does. (Be careful not to over or undercook this one by checking every minute after 17 minutes because ovens are different and the lack of sugar and fat makes it more vulnerable to drying out.) Cool 10 min., run knife around edge and turn cake onto baking sheet or platter.
5. To make frosting, soften cream cheese to room temperature, then blend in mixer bowl with honey. Add a few more Tbsp. of honey to reach desired sweetness, or thicken with powdered sugar for a firmer consistency. Frost cake when completely cooled.
*I tried a version with even less olive oil just for fun, but it’s still sitting on the counter, so stick with what’s there.
(adapted from Cook’s Country “Reduced Fat Carrot Cake”)
