My secret ingredient to make the Best Carrot Cake is adding a can of crushed pineapple, which makes it SO moist with less added sugar.
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Best Carrot Cake Recipe
cI was recently asked if carrots are really in carrot cake – The answer is yes! Hence, the name! This cake also has coconut flakes and pineapple giving it such great flavor, texture and moisture with no butter. This healthier dessert is the best carrot cake for your Easter celebrations or any time of the year. Other Easter or spring dessert recipes I love are these Coconut Macaroon Nests, Hummingbird Cupcakes, and Easter Egg Cake Balls.
Carrot Cake Ingredients:
- Flour: Use half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour for extra fiber.
- Granulated Sugar or brown sugar can be used
- Coconut: Shredded sweetened coconut
- Baking Soda and Salt
- Cinnamon and Vanilla Extract for flavor
- Oil: I used canola oil, but coconut oil or vegetable oil works too.
- Eggs: You’ll need two large eggs.
- Carrots: Peel and grate carrots until you have two cups grated.
- Pineapple: Buy a 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple and drain the juice.
- Walnuts: Mix some chopped walnuts into the batter and top the cake with the rest.
What is cream cheese frosting made of?
This easy cream cheese frosting for carrot cake only has three ingredients:
- Cream Cheese: I like 1/3-less-fat cream cheese because it saves calories but still tastes good. You can use regular cream cheese, but I wouldn’t substitute fat-free. Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature, so it blends well.
- Powdered Sugar: Beat in a quarter cup of powdered sugar.
- Vanilla: A teaspoon of vanilla extract improves the flavor.
How to Make Carrot Cake
- Dry Ingredients: Whisk both flours, sugar, coconut, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
- Wet Ingredients: Combine the oil, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl and then mix in the carrots and pineapple.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. The cake batter will be stiff and dry, but keep stirring it, and it will all come together, no need to use a mixer but you can if you prefer. Fold in a quarter cup of walnuts.
- Bake: Spoon the batter into an 8” x 3” cake pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, and the cake pulls away from the pan’s sides. Let it cool completed on a wire rack.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat the room-temp cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled cake and garnish with the remaining nuts.
What is the best type of pan to bake a cake?
I baked this carrot cake in an 8-inch round cake pan, which I love because it’s three inches deep. Other cake pans you can use, a Bundt cake pan, a 9-inch springform pan, or a 13 x 9-inch pan. Just know the baking time will vary, so keep an eye on it and test it with a toothpick.
Most carrot cake recipes are lighter because they have much smaller serving sizes, so I cut the cake into 16 equal slices. If you use a different pan, the serving size might be slightly different.
Should carrot cake with cream cheese frosting be refrigerated?
Carrot cake will usually keep on the counter in a cool place for one to two days if un-frosted. If the cake has icing, refrigerate it right away, and it should last for five to six days.
How to Freeze Carrot Cake
Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is ideal for freezing. I like to freeze it sliced so I can pull out a piece or two as needed. However, you can certainly freeze the entire cake frosted. To thaw, put it in the refrigerator the night before.
Variations
- Flour: You can use all purpose flour or sub white whole wheat flour for the wheat flour.
- Gluten-Free Carrot Cake: I would try swapping all the flour for the same quantity of gluten-free Cup4Cup flour.
- Coconut Swap: Substituting the sweetened coconut for unsweetened may make the cake less sweet. I haven’t tested it, so you may need more sugar depending on your tastes.
- Not a coconut fan? Sub it with the same amount of raisins or dried currants.
- Allergic to pineapple? Try swapping the pineapple with grated zucchini and adding more sugar or using applesauce instead. I haven’t tested these changes, but if you do, let me know in the comments how it worked.
- No walnuts? Substitute them with the same amount of pecans or macadamia nuts.
- Frosting: If you’re dairy-free or want to reduce the calories/sugar, skip the icing.
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes: If you want to make cupcakes, bake them at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes. Check them with a toothpick to ensure they’re done.
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love
- Pineapple Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Strawberry No-Bake Cheesecake
- Banana Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- 5-Ingredient Almond Cake with Fresh Berries
- Easy Buttermilk Blueberry Cake
Super Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups grated carrots, peeled
- 20 ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, drained (or about 2 cups fresh)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, divided
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz 1/3 fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, coconut, baking soda, salt, and spices; stir well with a whisk.
- In a medium bowl, combine oil, eggs, and vanilla; stir well.
- Add grated carrots and pineapple; mix well.
- Fold wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, batter will be stiff and dry but keep folding it and it will all come together. Fold in 1/4 cup chopped nuts.
- Spoon batter into an 8" x 3" cake pan coated with cooking spray.
- Bake at 350° for about 40-50 minutes, depending on pan size or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and cake is pulling away from sides of pan. Cool cake completely on a wire rack.
- To prepare frosting, beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread frosting over top of cake.
- Garnish with remaining chopped walnuts.
Best cake ever, My friend is a carrot cake lover and knows her cakes. I made this for her birthday and she just loved it so much. She said this was the best carrot cake she ever had! I agree with her. So moist and delicious !
I made two cakes yesterday using a Bundt pan and an angel food cake pan; each baked at 350 for 40 minutes. One for a neighbor and the other for my son. I also used one cream cheese icing recipe for both cakes. They look delicious! Thank you for another great recipe and thanks to folks who share tips. I made certain that the pineapple was drained.
Not one to comment on stuff but that crushed pineapple is PURE genius. I am shocked at the moist level this cake has with only 2 tablespoons of oil in the cake. I subbed the raisins for the coconut and added some King Arthur cake enhancer for insurance. Went so well that I did it again using half KAs sugar alternative and it was a home run. Using a 9 X 13 pan my wife was able to enjoy a huge 3 x 4 piece of carrot cake with only 250 calories in it. A true guilt free game changer.
I made this and subbed 1 3/4 c unsweetened applesauce for the pineapple… Cake was delish..a bit brownie like texture but that could be the apple sauce or the size I used for my carrots…..I used the extra fine side instead of the regular shred side..lol but the flavor of the cake was delicious,! Thank you
Hi Gina, Thanks again for this recipe! I have made this 3 times and always a winner. My sister-in-law asked me to make one for her but asked if I could put raisins in it. If so, what amount and type would you suggest? Thank you!!
Hi Gina! I’ve been making this cake for like three years now, but last year and this year the carrots have turned green! Do you know what could be causing that? I looked on the internet and perhaps too much baking soda? Can I use less baking soda? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as the flavor is great, but it doesn’t look very appetizing to have your carrots turn green!
So strange!
So delicious! Did I change it? Yes, but only slightly. Nut allergies here so did not add them and instead used a fourth cup of golden raisins. I also added grated orange rind to the frosting.
This recipe is indeed moist! We were out of walnuts so I sprinkled more coconut on the top. It’s sort of healthy, so it doubled as breakfast this morning for my 7 year old! Kid and adult approved.
Perfect!
I made this for Easter, and used unsweetened coconut and Swerve granulated sugar for the cake, and Swerve confectioners sugar for the icing. It was so delicious! I made two cakes and stacked them. It got rave reviews from my family!
Just what I was looking for! A healthy lower sugar and fat birthday carrot cake served on Easter. I made this in a spring form pan and it worked perfectly!
rave reviews from our house! not too sweet, super moist! i made this for my partner and he loved it–that’s the best compliment i can give you. (he’s a super picky eater!)
I love a carrot cake that has pineapple in it! Can’t wait to make this!
Hi Gina, gave this a try (first carrot cake) and tastes phenomenal? However, it was a tad mushy in middle even though it passed the stick test and pulled easily away from the edge at 50 minutes baking. Used spring form 8″ pan. Any suggestion of what I may do better? Longer bake? Thank you so much for sharing this. Have a great day.
Sounds like it needed a longer bake, although if the pineapples weren’t drained enough that could be the issue.
Thank you Gina, my first thought was the pineapples as they did seem a bit still very juicy when I added. I also used an 8″ pan. Will be giving it another try this week for visiting friends on weekend. Thank you again for the delicious cake recipe. Cheers!
I truly believe that your issue was that the pineapple was not drained enough, what I do is put it in a strainer, and keep pressing on it until no more of the pineapple juice is released, it happened to me the first time when I didn’t drain it correctly and I also bake it in a 9 inch pan for 50 minutes, it was the best carrot cake we’ve ever had.
Thank you Sally! I wam going another round this week with it. When I use frozen spinach in dishes I always do the press method in strainer to get it strained well. Will do the same on pineapple. The one I did tasted great it was just a little soggy. Looking forward to round 2!! 🙂
Absolutely delicious and moist! It was a big hit for Easter dessert.
Can you omit the nuts and coconut to make it less calories or would it mess up the cake if you omit it ?
should be ok
Wow, glad I finally did this. I used a spring form pan that was more like 9 inches so watched the time, done in 40 to 43 minutes. I used swerve –a combo of white and brown for the sugar and cut it back to .75cup total. Added a .25 teaspoon each of nutmeg, ginger and 1/8clove, as I love spice. Did use everything else but no nuts on top and only half the amount of icing–just to save a bit and it was wonderful. Thank you for a great festive cake recipe.
GREAT!!
Can I use only Whole Wheat Pastry Flour from Sunrise Mills?
Thank you for not adding any artificial sweetener to this recipe. I am slowly weaning off of them and cutting my sugars in half. I plan on making this yummy sounding cake very soon!
I made this for a gathering of about 15 people and everyone raved about it saying that THIS is how carrot cake should taste 😊
AWESOME!!
Almost as good as my very high cal carrot cake! Now, I make this and have a slice without guilt …. So yummy!!!!
Definitely a favorite and quicker to make when I grate enough carrots for a second cake! I appreciate being able to keep it healthier with carrots and pineapple; would like to use less sugar.
Hi Gina,
Thanks for all the great recipes! This is one of my favorites. However, I don’t think the WW point total is correct. When I click the WW button, their site lists 12 points for crushed pineapple packed in juice, drained. That should be 0 points. Also, the recipe on the WW site lists 1 c of 10x sugar in the cream cheese icing, but your recipe only calls for 1/4 c. This makes a significant difference in the points total.
I’d hate to see a WW member pass up this fabulous recipe because of the higher point total. I know you must be very busy, but it would be great if this could be corrected.
Thanks again!
Hi Renee! Thanks for letting me know, I’ve fixed the sugar and it is now 9 points. From my understanding a fruit is not zero points if it is canned in juice. Glad you enjoy this recipe. 🙂
All WW counters will count the pineapple as 12 points because it has been crushed or macerated, thus allowing you to chew less which is part of zero points. All fruit that has been blended, crushed, or macerated will have points.
If you check WW canned pineapple in juice is NOT zero points. It’s several point for a half cup alone. So I could imagine 20 oz. would be 12 points. Only fresh pineapple is zero points.
Its the same points when I use canned. I will switch it now in the app so you can see.
Super delicious ! I used 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup swerve snd 1/3 cup allulose in the cake recipe— reduced heat to 325 and baked 10 minutes longer. For the frosting used a similar mix of powdered confectioners, powdered allulose and powdered swerve. Came out fantastic!
made this delicious cake for my moms birthday. i had to modify it based on diet restrictions and what we had. no nuts or coconut, I chopped up pineapple rings and drained them, added raisins and used a mashed banana instead of oil. it turned out perfect and so delicious. the only other thing i’d do is add more spice like maybe some pumpkin pie spice and ginger. I love a really spiced carrot cake. i’d say this recipe is the perfect base for whatever modifications a person would want! so wonderful!
This is the best guilt-free carrot cake recipe and easily one of my favorite cakes overall! The only thing that I change is using only half the sugar, I feel like 1 cup is way too sweet. Tip for europeans who can’t find crushed pineapple: Buy normal canned pineapple and roughly chop it up in a food processor.
I made this for a birthday party. Everyone loved it and were shocked to know it was a healthy take on carrott cake. The pinneapple left the cake moist and overall it was easy to make (this coming from someone who’s never made a non-boxed cake before!)
I’m thinking of making this as cupcakes. How many would it make, what temperature, and time?
I’ve done this multiple times! For me, it makes 17 cupcakes (when filled 3/4 full with batter), and I bake at the same temperature for about 24 minutes.
I was so excited to make this cake but realised after it had been the oven for 5 minutes that I’d totally forgotten the sugar!!! So to make up for that I sliced the cake through the middle horizontally and added more icing. It’s still got a slightly salty tang but the texture is great and it’s so filling! I also really enjoyed drinking the juice from the crushed pineapple. Yum!
Swapped out the sugar for All-Purpose In The Raw Zero Calorie Sweetener Blend 1:1
and Lakanto Sugar Free Powdered Monkfruit Sweetener.
It rocked !
So moist that it loses any cake texture. It is more like a steamed pudding.
Did you remember to drain the pineapple? Mine was very much cake like.
My cake batter was also super runny from not draining the pineapple enough, and also from the carrots shedding water during the grating process. I ended up adding nearly an extra cup of flour to get it to the right consistency and it came out amazing.
Can sugar substitute be used?
Swapped out the sugar for All-Purpose In The Raw Zero Calorie Sweetener Blend 1:1
and Lakanto Sugar Free Powdered Monkfruit Sweetener.
It rocked !
Made this tonight. Fabulous! Carrot cake is my favorite and this one is as good as any I’ve had. I’m especially impressed with the nutritional information considering it includes a generous amount of cream cheese frosting.
Made this last night for book club who are all excellent bakers. Made it exactly as written but baked it in a bundt pan and used a cream cheese glaze instead of the icing and it was fantastic. Book club loved it. Thanks!
Perfect!
This carrot cake is amazing! Love everything on your site ♥️👏🏼
Thanks Kayley!
Can you freeze this cake ( without icing of course)
You can freeze it, I would ice it and then freeze it. I have done that with several other carrot cakes, not this particular recipe. They thaw out fantastic, perfect with a cup of coffee for an indulgent breakfast. She also mentions freezing it in this post.
I would like to make this cake in a 9×13 or a bundt pan because my round cake pan is not 3 inches deep. What are the baking times for the different pans?
I did not have cream cheese on hand, so I used cool whip, added about half a pack of sugar free white chocolate pudding and then some of the pineapple juice from the crushed pineapple……YUMMO! Definitely will be making this cake again. Good stuff. Next time I might add raisins too…..not sure if anyone else has done that?
Thanks for the good recipe.
I made this today for Easter dinner. Moist and delicious! Another winner, thanks Gina
Thanks Kyra!
DELICIOUS! I used 20 ounces of unsweetened apple sauce in lieu of pineapple, as I went to two grocery stores the Friday before Easter and both were out of crushed pineapple. I did not make any other changes to the cake recipe. The next time I make it I’ll stick to the applesauce bc it is so good and just sweet enough. I planned on making the icing, but it is so moist and tasty without it that I think the icing may overpower the flavor of the wonderful cake and this omitted it.
Made this into cupcakes (and little baked doughnuts) for this Easter. I’m going to halve the cream cheese frosting and only frost about 8 for a family dinner tomorrow night> Thanks for this great recipe, my 2 year old and I ate “doughnuts” for breakfast this morning and he loved them!
How did you adjust the time for cupcakes instead of the full cake? I really want to make these.
I’m making this for Easter and am on WW. Has anyone tried this recipe using Monk Fruit instead of sugar in the cake and the frosting? Looking to see if I can get the points down a little more. Thanks! Happy Easter.
I used maple syrup I get from a co worker that makes it, instead of the sugar. And for the frosting, instead of cream cheese, I used cool whip, added about half a pack of sugar free white cholate jello pudding and some of the pineapple juice from the crushed pineapple…..it was delish!
Yes, I use monkfruit sugar blend all the time for this cake and it’s great!!
Hi just a question I’m not a cook and I may have messed this up but I added baking powder instead of baking soda and the video has coconut oil and the actual written recipe says canola oil does it matter?
I used unsweetened coconut, a smaller can of pineapple and left out the nuts. And yet the WW calculator gives me 8 points per slice, Even with 16 slices in the cake. I haven’t tried it yet (it’s in the oven!)
Hi Amanda! The only accurate way to determine any recipe’s SmartPoints® value is to plug the ingredients into the recipe builder on the Weight Watchers website (Click on “My Foods,” select “Recipe,” and click “Create a recipe.”) which does not count fruits and vegetables in recipes in the calculations as they are now 0 points.
The SmartPoints® calculator isn’t meant for recipes and will often give you the wrong points (usually higher) because it’s counting the fruits and vegetables. So if you see a recipe with a SmartPoints® value that’s different from what the calculator tells you, now you know why.
Can I use gluten free flour or a mix of different flours in stead of the ones in this recipe?
Wondering the same thing
Same – anyone try gluten free flour?
I was wondering the same thing! If substitute for gluten free flour, any adjustments need to be made to the other ingredients? I’m excited to try this for Easter!
I typically find it may need a few more minutes in the oven. But otherwise I think it would be fine.
I make this every year for Easter. Aside from using all AP flour because I don’t keep WW flour around the house, I make no changes or subs. I love that its a small cake, great texture and flavor.
I can’t wait to try this!
How can I make this gluten free?
This cake is fabulous!! Followed directions as best I could. We don’t have a 20 oz can of pineapple so I had to wing it. Beautifully moist. I shared with my friends and they couldn’t believe is was low cal/low fat. Thank you so much!
great base recipe. made a few changes. 3/4 cup white whole wheat and 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour. 3/4 cup sugar. replaced the pineapple and coconut with 8 ounces of natural applesauce and 1/4 cup greek plain yogurt. added walnuts just to the batter and not for the top. I like cream cheese frosting and didnt like this one it needed some more heft so I added some plain greek yogurt to the frosting instead of the normal butter which is what cream cheese frosting usually has 1 teaspoon vanilla 4 ounces cream cheese and 1/4 cup yogurt 2 cups powdered sugar. i only had full fat cream cheese so thats why i reduced the sugar and took out walnuts coconut (and pineapple bc my family wont eat it). 211 calories and 9 ww points. i guess its better than 28 WW points but would love to get it down a little more. however bday cake for DH so thats what they wanted!
Can you make these into cupcakes? I wanted to healtlhier version of cake for my friend’s birthday who is on weight watchers. Thanks
How many points would this be if you cut out the frosting?
This cake is perfect
Is there any changes I should make if I want to make this cake into cupcakes instead? What temp and time would you suggest for cupcakes?
Best carrot cake recipe I’ve ever made. Thank you!!
Just delicious. Several carrot cake lovers in our card group. Brought this for dessert and requests for the recipe and many compliments. THANK YOU again for lightening up a classic recipe.
Gina, I’ve made this as a cake and loved it. (Truth be told, I’ve never had a bad recipe from you.) I’d like to make this recipe as cupcakes this time. How long should I bake them for? Also, do you think they’d freeze well?
What is the serving size? How many slices out of the 8×3 cake pan = the nutritional value please and ty
Serving size is 1 slice, 16 servings. Nutritional info is listed under the recipe. 🙂
Excellent! Will make again for sure.
Hi just wondering if I can sub the granulated sugar for brown sugar as it’s what I have on hand.
Cheers 🙂
In the video it says coconut oil but, in the recipe it’s canola oil what is it supposed to be coconut oil or canola oil? Would like to make this cake for my mother for Mother’s Day and want to make sure to use the right ingredients. Thank you 😊
Canola.
Can this be made with almond flour?
I just made this with substituting the pineapple with 1 cup applesauce. It turned out great!!!! I also used gluten free flour. I didn’t have any powdered sugar so we ate it without the frosting. Defiantly a keeper!
Hi – did you use all 3 cups of gluten-free flour? Which brand did you use?
It’s only 1.5 cups total of flour not 3 cups
This is my question too. Did you try it?
Since I can’t go out an shop normally with Covid-19 I was wondering can I use vegetable oil and just regular flour (all I have in the house right now)? Also can I make these in muffin tins? How long would I bake them for? Thanks, They sound so delish
Can you make these into cupcakes? I wanted to healtlhier version of cake for my friend’s birthday who is on weight watchers. Thanks
Sure!
Can this be made with powdered stevia or with agave? Thanks!
can we use frozen pineapple vs canned? the shelves at the store are bare when I looked for canned pineapple? Or can we just omit the pineapple all together?
What if we don’t have whole wheat flour? Do we just do another 3/4 of all purpose flour?
Thanks, Gina! Love all your recipes. xo
I’m in love with this recipe!! Thanks 😊 Just one questions, does the cake turn out better with coconut oil or vegetable oil ?
Can I sub oat flour for whole wheat flour?
I just made this case and it appears very dense and heavy. Is that normal?
Going to make this cake this weekend for Easter – can’t wait! I have a ton of unsweetened coconut in my pantry. Can I use that instead of sweetened coconut?
You can, but it may need more sugar.
This is obviously really late but for you or anyone else wondering like I was, I looked it up and if you use unsweetened coconut, just add 1 teaspoon of sugar per 1/4 cup of coconut to sweeten it. 🙂
The video shows coconut oil but the ingredient list says canola oil. Are these interchangeable?
yes they are
This looks amazing! Can you use fresh pineapple vs canned?
I am trying fresh right now. I crushed in food processor. I will let you know how it turns out.
I used fresh in mine because I didn’t have enough canned. I used the food processor to crush it and then drained some of the juice. It turned out amazingly!
Happy Easter Gina and everyone baking.
I made 1/2 the recipe, 8 very light and moist gluten free cupcakes
1. I used 6 oz very ripe mango instead of pineapple. I pureed it . I was able to obtain a box of mangos but very ripe.
2. No coconut
3. Pecans instead of walnuts.
I baked them for 24 minutes.
4. Used near dead carrots
My family loved the recipe . Everyone stay well and safe
What is your recommendation for making this gluten free? All purpose GF flour or almond flour suitable? Thanks!
I made this cake yesterday. It was amazing!!!! Will definitely make it over and over again.
Could I use gluten free flour and how much? Thanks for sharing!!
This is my question too. Did you try it?
Can i sub pineapple for applesauce?
I would love to know that too!
I’m wondering if I could use a different sized pan and how I would adjust the cooking time? Possibly a 9×9 or 9×13′ pan??
Looks great! How many servings in the cake? If I made it into muffins, how many muffins would it make? thanks!
I made it into 24 generously sized mini muffins. I baked for 17 minutes and they came out perfect!
can i leave the pineapple out and replace it with carrots?
Yes! Would love to know this too!
I haven’t tried, if you do let me know how it comes out!
I love so many of your recipes! I have a weird question. I’m the only one in my family who eats carrot cake and I have very little space in my freezer. Can I freeze the batter? If I want to make it in like 8 oz ramekins how long would I likely cook it for?
I think it would be better to freeze the baked cake in slices.
@Gina – I’m planning to make this for husband’s 40th this weekend. What is the baking time for cupcakes? And can I substitute Splenda for granulated sugar? If so, how much Splenda should I use?
I never thought I liked carrot cake, but after having purchased an absurd amount of carrots, and not knowing what to do with them, I turned to this recipe, and was so pleasantly surprised. The cake was extremely moist and had great flavor. This has definitely turned me around on carrot cakes!
Love this recipe! I’ve made it for years and always get rave reviews. Most carrot cake recipes are loaded with oil and taste like oil. I can’t believe this one only has 2 TBLS. I use olive oil. I rarely have coconut on hand, so I go without, and I use only 1/2 cup of sugar and it is perfectly delicious. I found that draining the pineapple through a strainer while I put the rest of the cake together helps prevent too much juice getting in. One time it didn’t cook well as I hadn’t drained it enough. I’m baking one right now for my husband’s birthday today…a Christmas baby. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Can you substitute vegetable oil for the canola oil? Thank you.
How much is one servin?
I was a bit concerned that flavor would have to be sacrificed to keep this low calorie, but it was honestly the best carrot cake I’ve ever made. I made it for some very health conscious family members and they loved it. Based on another commenters recommendation, I did sweeten up the frosting a bit with three packets of Stevia. It was just delicious!
AWESOME!!!
The most amazing carrot cake..The cake was super moist and had just the right amount of sweetness to it. I didn’t even do the cream cheese……The cake didn’t need it…..Thank you
The most delicious, satisfying carrot cake. I’ve been asked for the recipe numerous times after bringing it to various functions.
Can i substitute pineapple for 1/2cup Applesauce & 1/2cup Greek yogurt ?, and if so what would be the measurements.
I would really like to hear your suggestion.
Just made this today it is absolutely delish. I used all whole-wheat flour and didn’t put the frosting on as I’m trying to be extra good for the next few weeks so instead I used fat free vanilla quark. The cake was so moist and flavorful. I will be making this again and again I just know it. Thanks you. 😊
I made this for work and it got RAVE reviews. Apparently everyone where I work loves carrot cake and they said this was the best carrot cake they’d ever had. Everyone commented that it was moist and dense. I admittedly added a few other spices because I am pathological in my need for cinnamon to be accompanied by clove, allspice, cardamom, and nutmeg at least. I also used some FF cream cheese for a little extra frosting and a bit of pineapple juice. I LOVE this recipe and will use it again.
Super moist and delicious cake. Personally I thought the frosting needed sweetened up a bit. Next time I’ll use Truvia to cut down on calories while sweetening it. Love this website. Thank you so much for all your hard work.
The best carrot cake ever!! Hands down!! Used 3/4 cup maple syrup instead of the sugar.
This is SO good! I made it for a party of friends and no one guessed it was a “skinny” recipe! This is my new go-to favorite!
Hi, can I omit the pineapples? Thanks.
Wow, this was so good. I made it for Easter and everyone loved it, No one would have a clue it was from a “skinny” website. Will definitely do this one over and over. SO moist and flavorful. It is very dense which is great because you don’t need a big piece. Just a skinny slice will be enough to satisfy so for those of us who are in the WW program, you can do this one without any guilt.
This was very good, light and moist and came out perfectly! I omitted the coconut because I didn’t have any. The only thing I would change next time is cut back on the sugar. It was a bit too sweet for my taste.
Can I substitue sugar for maple syrup. I don’t like to use granulated sugar, I prefer using natural sweeteners. i know the calorie count is the same but refined sugar is out of my diet.
It was such a pleasure to be able to make this healthy for my dad and gluten free for me and another family member for Easter. Thank you, Gina! I’ve never made carrot cake for my dad, one of his favorite desserts. He watches his diet, so this was perfect. And Cup 4 Cup worked beautifully as a gluten free substitute for the two flours. The cake was moist and hard to tell it wasn’t a wheat-based flour. Twenty four hours later and the entire cake is gone. That’s a huge success.
Made this for Easter dessert. I made it in a bundt cake pan. It came out beautiful. Can’t wait to make again. Bonus was my toddler ate it and didn’t even know he was eating vegetables! I will also be making as muffins without the frosting. Perfect!
Can I just use all all-purpose flour? Don’t have whole wheat on hand. Also, will a 9 x 9 pan work? Can’t wait to make this! Thanks!
How can I turn this gluten free? Can I use one-to-one GF flour?
The cake is very yummy, but I can’t quite get past the frosting. I love cream cheese frosting and this substitute didn’t really do it for me so I prefer to eat the cake without of the frosting.
I made just a couple adjustments.
1. Gina’s video says to add coconut oil, so I did. The recipe does not specify.
2. Since my family doesn’t like the texture of coconut, I substituted dried currants.
3. I used 1/2 C sugar and 1/4 C Truvia.
4. I baked it in a Nordic Ware (the smaller size) 10-cup fleur de lis bundt pan at 350 for 50 minutes, since it makes about 6 cups of batter.
Great Recipe!
Any idea what the baking time would be for a 9 inch pan?
Saw this on IG and am excited to make for Easter! Question, can I substitute almond flour for the whole wheat flour and if so, would it be 1:1 or a different amount?
Sorry, I haven’t tried it with almond flour.
No worries! I ended up picking up whole wheat flour. This was a HUGE hit with my family! The only change I made to the cake recipe was to swap applesauce for the eggs to accommodate a vegan and baked in an 11×7 glass baking dish so I could cut some off for the vegan prior to adding frosting. I did cheat and add a bit of butter and extra powdered sugar to the frosting though!
Can you substitute gluten free all purpose flour?
what is the cooking time if I make in a 9×13 pan?
This looks delicious. Have you (or could you) made this into cupcakes? Thanks!
Yes, I don’t see why not!
I just made them into a cupcake and they turned out wonderful.
Can’t wait to try your healthier version of our favorite cake. I use dark brown sugar because of the way it carmalizes as it bakes, making the cake have a wonderful flavor to it , plus I use grated fresh nutmeg as well as cinnamon , but less than amount of cinnamon. I feel that it really adds that pow! Of flavor to it. I also tried 1/2 white, & 1/2 Brown sugar. Can’t wait to make your cake. Thanks !
Hi Gina, thank you so much for this recipe. Carrot cake is my favorite and since I’m on WW thought I would have to give it up for a while. I use King Arthur Flour and there are two types of wheat flour, one is a white wheat and the other a heavier wheat. Which would you recommend? Thanks.
I prefer the white whole wheat. Enjoy!
This recipe sounds wonderful, quick question, the video shows Coconut oil being added, the written recipe states canola oil. Which one…or does it matter ?
It does not matter.
Can this be made gluten free? If so what’s the substitute for the flours?
I found a really nice GF cake mix (Betty Crocker)
that I used instead of the dry ingredients here. Turned out great!
Can this be made in advance? and frozen? I’m thinking of doing this as cupcakes for a very large crowd for Easter and would like to make ahead.
Cakes are frozen frequently. You totally should be able to without any problems. Just take out to thaw in fridge the day before.
This looks delicious. Have family members who can’t eat pineapple. What could I use instead of pineapple?
maybe applesauce instead of pineapple for moisture?
Can you tell me the calories without the frosting? Has anyone done the cupcakes and figured out the calories with and without frosting? Want to make this so bad!
This was amazing! My mom loves carrot cake, and I was pretty sure she would be unimpressed with a lighter version. She said this was one of the best carrot cakes she’s ever had, and I agree. It was so moist and tasty. This is my go to now whether I’m looking for a “skinny” dessert or not!
I made this today and love it! My kids like it too. I used all white whole wheat flour and baked in a spring form pan. The frosting is so easy, too.
I have made this cake several times and it is a hit! So tasty!
I made this last week and put the cupcakes in the freezer. I took it out yesterday and it was my morning snack. It was fabulous. Thank you
How long did you bake cupcakes for?
Seriously the best carrot cake ever!! I feel like it is some healthier than any other recipe. Low in sugar and super moist. a Must try!!
I hate it
5stars!! I made this cake for my Mom’s 94 birthday and wrote on the top, then decorated it with tiny pansies. We had 16 guests and Voila! it was gone!! Everyone commented that it was moist and delicious and I bragged about Skinnytaste recipes to all present! ?
This was yummy!! Easy to make and the cake was delicious with the pineapple. I don’t even think you need the cream cheese frosting. They would make great muffins. Will definitely make again!!
I dd it today, it was very good but it’s normal to taste the baking soda in the cake a little?
I cannot describe how amazing this was! I made it for Easter last Sunday and used the same recipe to make muffins today. Minus the frosting , each muffin has 4 points of deliciousness
Sorry second question …how long to cook in muffins?
Leslie McCain
GINA: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! This Carrot Cake was Delicious!! Have not seen my out of state sis and brother-in-laws in 5 years. ( divorce removes an ex, but not the love of some in- laws. ?) I really wanted to end the week-end with a super desert. All my kids and grand kids and sister came for dinner and I made this Carrot Cake for dessert and EVERONE raved over it!!! I’ve made several of your recipes .. loved them all. This is a keeper. So easy. Moist. Sweet but not super sweet. I baked this in a 7” X 11” glass baking dish for 30 minutes. Perfect! I will make this to bring to other get togethers since I know it’s so good and easy to prepare. I did send the few pieces left home with family since I knew I would devour them when all had left. Although it is a Skinnytaste recipe, I’m dealing with weak will power and I know who would finish them off!! ?. Again a 5 STAR recipe!!!!
Thanks Lynn!
I made this cake last night. It is absolutely delicious! One sixteenth piece was quite satisfying. My husband loved it as well. I am on Weight Watcher’s and it is nice to have cake and not have it be too many points! I will defintely make this recipe again.
Soooo good!! Subbed out honey for sugar (2/3 cup) and olive
oil for oil. Wish I could post a pic !!! Made in a bumdt pan and
cake was a total cutie!!!
I am a bakeaphobic. Your recipes have given me confidence like no other and I feel good that the recipes are made from healthful ingredients.
Made this for Easter brunch as a layered cake. Much to the surprise of my doubtful family (I have not baked anything for dessert in 20 years) they loved it! They couldn’t believe how moist it was, delicious and nutrition friendly.
Thanks Gina!
Hi Gina,
I made this cake last night and am SO excited to try it today!! Thank you for your recipes! Two questions:
1. I didn’t change anything in the cake recipe and, like someone else mentioned, the middle of my cake sunk down about 15-20 minutes after I took it out of the oven. A toothpick came out clean and the edges were pulling away from the pan, so I’m pretty sure it was cooked all the way…any idea why that happens and how to prevent it?
2. How do you store this? Does it need to be refrigerated?
Thank you! I LOVE your recipes!!
Frosted and ate the cake so wanted to revise my comment: even though the toothpick came out clean, the middle of the cake was totally mushy and uncooked, and the edges were cooked perfectly. So I assume more cooking time? Just not sure how else to measure done-ness if the toothpick truck doesn’t work! But-delicious still!! The frosting is to die for! Anyone else experience this?