My search for a full flavor low calorie carrot cake was much more challenging than I expected. My goal was to find a recipe that yielded a generous portion of cake for under 200 calories. Carrots are healthy and it would only make sense that carrot cake is low in calories. That myth was shattered when I came across a series of recipes that asked for piles of butter, veggie oil, and brown sugar. Until I came across one that asked for none of the above (well only brown sugar). Instead it asked for 1 cup of sugar free apple sauce (50 calories) instead of vegetable oil (1940 calories), one 8 oz. can of crushed pineapple (150 calories) instead of a stick of butter (810 calories), and 1/4 cup of low fat butter milk (30 calories) instead of 1/4 cup of regular milk (37 calories... hey it's still 7 calorie saving). I only did one minor tweak to this recipe... I substituted the 1.25 cups of brown sugar (1037 calories) with 2 cups of Splenda for baking (200 calories). The result? A moist cake with layers of flavor at only 170 calories! I attribute that to the combination of apple sauce, crushed pineapple, and carrots. Who knew the combo of fruits and veggie can make one big happy dessert :)
Lets not forget the last but not least missing part to every delicious carrot cake... the cream cheese frosting. Most cream cheese frostings asks for butter and powder sugar (and of course cream cheese). It's hard to substitute any of those items w/o compromising the flavor. I've played around with different combinations but I believe the recipe below is the best w/o compromising the rich deliciousness.
Lets not forget the last but not least missing part to every delicious carrot cake... the cream cheese frosting. Most cream cheese frostings asks for butter and powder sugar (and of course cream cheese). It's hard to substitute any of those items w/o compromising the flavor. I've played around with different combinations but I believe the recipe below is the best w/o compromising the rich deliciousness.
Ingredients
Carrot Cake-
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 egg whites
2 cups Splenda for baking
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13-inch x 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine flours, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk. In another bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar slowly, followed by the applesauce, buttermilk and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and stir until just moist. Stir in the pineapple, carrots, raisins and walnuts. Spoon batter into baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting-
1 8oz package of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
3 tbs of lite Cool Whip
1/4 cup of powder Sugar
1 cup of Splenda
1 tbs vanilla extract
Using the paddle attachment for the mixer beat cream cheeses together with Cool Whip and Vanilla. Add in powdered sugar and Splenda until desired consistency. Spread over cooled cake.
Carrot Cake-
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 egg whites
2 cups Splenda for baking
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13-inch x 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine flours, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk. In another bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar slowly, followed by the applesauce, buttermilk and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and stir until just moist. Stir in the pineapple, carrots, raisins and walnuts. Spoon batter into baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting-
1 8oz package of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
3 tbs of lite Cool Whip
1/4 cup of powder Sugar
1 cup of Splenda
1 tbs vanilla extract
Using the paddle attachment for the mixer beat cream cheeses together with Cool Whip and Vanilla. Add in powdered sugar and Splenda until desired consistency. Spread over cooled cake.
