Many people, reading the name of this dish, mistakenly think that carrot cake is a diet cake. However, the high content of healthy vegetables in the composition does not reduce the detrimental effect for the figure of the other components of the cake. In fact, a flour product prepared according to the classic recipe is characterized by high fat content and calorie content.
It’s extremely difficult to call carrot cake diet! That is why the recipes presented in the article below are ideal for those who follow their figure, or simply prefer not to eat fatty and sweet dishes. These two diet versions of carrot pie contain a significantly lower amount of fat, which means that dessert will ultimately be less nutritious.
The benefits of carrots for the body
Carrots are a rich source of beta-carotene that can turn into vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is essential for the healthy functioning of the immune system and thyroid gland.
Carrot cake recipe
A diet carrot cake is obtained due to the fact that, firstly, we add less butter to the dough. Then we do not add oil to the icing at all. To ensure the moisture content of the cake layers, we use skim buttermilk and chopped pineapple. So, what foods are included in the diet carrot cake recipe?
- 600 grams of canned pineapple;
- 2 cups whole grain flour;
- 2 teaspoons of baking soda;
- salt to taste;
- 30 grams of ground cinnamon;
- 3 large eggs;
- 1½ cups granulated sugar;
- 1 cup skim buttermilk;
- ½ cup canola oil;
- a few drops of vanilla extract;
- 2 cups grated boiled carrots (4-6 medium carrots);
- ¼ cup unsweetened flocculent coconut;
- ½ cup toasted walnuts, toasted.
For the glaze we need:
- 350 grams of low fat cream cheese
- ½ cup icing sugar;
- a few drops of vanilla extract;
- 2 tablespoons of coconut flakes or flaky roasted coconut.
How to cook a dessert? Further instructions for cooking step by step.
Diet carrot cake: recipe with photo
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Cover the mold with a size of 25 x 35 cm baking paper. Drain the syrup from the jar of pineapple, send the fruit to a sieve and lightly press on them to release excess moisture. Leave ¼ cup pineapple juice.
Mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate container, beat with a mixer the eggs, sugar, buttermilk, butter, vanilla and ¼ cup pineapple juice in a large bowl, bringing the mixture to homogeneity. Mix chopped canned pineapples, boiled and grated carrots and ¼ cup coconut flakes.
Add dry and wet ingredients to pineapples, add chopped nuts. Pour the dough into the prepared container, evenly distributing it. Bake the cake for 35 to 50 minutes. In extreme cases, until the top crust is browned.
You can also check if the cakes were baked by piercing the center with a toothpick: if the dough doesn’t stick to it, then the diet carrot cake is ready. It remains to cool it.
To prepare the glaze, beat the cream cheese with sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Pour the chilled pie over the icing and sprinkle with toasted coconut. You can safely serve dessert to the table and enjoy the rich taste.
Tip
No buttermilk? You can make sour milk at home. To do this, mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar with 1 cup of milk.
Diet carrot cake: recipe with photo
The following recipe falls into the category of healthy and diet due to the fact that instead of white wheat flour, almond is used to prepare the dough. Almonds increase the level of protein in the recipe, and this nut is rich in vitamin E. So, the necessary products for baking cakes:
- 500 grams of raw carrots, grated ;
- 4 chicken eggs;
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract;
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon;
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg;
- 350 grams of almond flour;
- 60 ml of olive oil;
- 160 grams of pure maple syrup or honey;
- 150 grams of raisins;
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder (gluten free).
Glaze is prepared from the following products:
- 500 g of Greek yogurt or cream cheese;
- 6 tablespoons of pure maple syrup;
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
The sequence of actions during cooking diet carrot cake according to a simple recipe is as follows.
How to cook?
First, preheat the oven to 160 ° C. Combine carrots, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, almond flour, olive oil, maple syrup, raisins and baking powder in a deep bowl. Mix well.
Pour the cake dough into a mold pre-coated with baking paper. The diameter of the mold should be approximately 25 cm.
Bake for 80-90 minutes or until tender. If necessary, cover the cake with foil in the second half of the time necessary for baking to prevent burning.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 1 hour.
Prepare the icing as follows: mix cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla in a bowl and mix until smooth and creamy. Put the icing on the surface of the carrot cake and decorate it, if you like, with a small amount of walnuts. Done! Enjoy your meal.
Extra virgin olive oil gives carrot cake a luxurious flavor. In winter, it is recommended to add raisins to the dough, which gives the cake a pleasant sweetness, and also successfully combines with carrots and spices. You can also use fresh blueberries instead of raisins if you cook carrot cake in its season.