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Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake
Click stars to rate
35 ratings
Prepare this fresh take on carrot cake, and your guests will hop to it.
healthified recipe

Our healthified recipe brings out the natural goodness in Carrot Cake. With smart substitutions to keep it sweet and moist, it has 70% less fat and half the calories of the original.

Cake:
3-layer cake > 2-layer cake
Eggs > fat-free egg product
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil > 1/3 cup canola oil
Added 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
Added 1/4 cup fat-free (skim) milk 
2 cups all-purpose flour > 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Frosting:
Cream cheese > 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)
1/2 cup butter > 2 tablespoons butter or no-trans-fat 68% vegetable oil spread stick
1 cup chopped pecans > 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Nutritional Highlights

Calories
640  (before)

300  (after)
Total Fat
38 g (before)

10 g (after)
Saturated Fat
11 g (before)

2 1/2 g (after)
Prep Time:30 min
Start to Finish:2 hr 10 min
makes:16 servings
Cake
1/2 cup fat-free egg product
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1/4 cup fat-free (skim) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded carrots (about 4 medium) 

Frosting
4 oz (half of 8-oz package) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), softened
2 tablespoons butter or no-trans-fat 68% vegetable oil spread stick, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 to 2 teaspoons fat-free (skim) milk
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1  Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottoms only of two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix egg product, oil, pumpkin, 1/4 cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla with electric mixer on low speed until well blended.
2  Add all remaining cake ingredients except carrots. Beat on low speed 30 seconds or until well blended. Stir in carrots. Pour batter evenly into pans.
3  Bake 28 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Carefully run knife around sides of pans to loosen; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
4  In medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. On low speed, beat in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until smooth. If necessary, add milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until frosting is desired consistency. Spread frosting between cake layers and on top. Sprinkle with pecans.

Nutritional Information

1 serving: Calories 300 (Calories from Fat 90); Total Fat 10g (Saturated Fat 2 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 10mg; Sodium 190mg; Total Carbohydrate 50g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 39g); Protein 3g % Daily Value Vitamin A 70%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 6%; Iron 6% Exchanges 1/2 Starch, 3 Other Carbohydrate, 2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices 3