Posted Mar 01, 2020, Updated Apr 23, 2024
Carrot cake is one of my favorite, non-chocolate, dessert recipes – and this healthy carrot cake is just as delicious as it’s classic counterpart but lightened up.
This healthy carrot cake is a tried and true recipe that I have been making for years, and is a delicious spring dessert.
It’s a lightened-up version of everyones favorite! It has a fraction of the sugar and calories but doesn’t sacrifice an ounce of taste or texture. The moistness and sweetness come from replacing butter, oil and most of the sugar with applesauce and pineapple!
Also, try this classic carrot cake recipe or these carrot cake cupcakes!
Healthy Carrot Pineapple Cake: Substitutions
As always, here are a few potential substitutions you can make to ensure this recipe complies with your dietary needs!
Flour: This recipe calls for 1 cup of flour total. You can use 1 cup of all-purpose flour (and no whole wheat flour) or substitute the regular flour for all-purpose gluten-free flour. Granulated Sugar: I recommend using raw, organic sugar. However, if you’d like a refined sugar-free option you may substitute coconut sugar. Crushed Pineapple: I use canned crushed pineapple in this recipe, but you absolutely may use fresh pineapple and toss it in your blender to achieved that crushed texture. Cream cheese: If you are avoiding dairy simply choose a dairy-free cream cheese or omit the frosting all together.
How to Make Healthy Carrot Cake:
Let’s walk through making this carrot cake step-by-step, to ensure your success! First, I have a note about the size of this carrot cake recipe: Begin this recipe by mixing together the dry ingredients. This ensures that they are evenly distributed throughout the batter. In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients and stir until they are completely combined. Next, add the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout). Then gently fold the finely grated carrots into the batter. If you process or blend them to make them undetectable, add them with the wet ingredients above.
Bake & Cool
Line two cake pans and grease or butter the sides/bottom. I trace the cake pans on parchment paper, draw handles and cut them out for easy removal (see the photo below). Next, evenly distribute the batter between the two cake pans. Then bake them in a preheated oven for 25-35 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Then, let the carrot cakes cool in the pan for about 30-60 minutes before using the handles to lift the cakes out of the pan and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. I often put cakes in the freezer before frosting to reduce crumbs.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
What’s carrot cake without cream cheese frosting? It’s my all-time favorite (used on these cinnamon rolls), and I could seriously eat it by the spoonful. Make sure all the ingredients are room temperature before making the frosting. Also, if you want a thicker frosting (like if you plan on piping it on, as it is in these photos), use more powder sugar until it reaches your desired consistency!
Frost the Healthy Carrot Cake
Use some of the frosting to place between the two layers, and then decorate the carrot cake however with pineapple you’d like! I chose to use a Wilton 1M tip and make a rosette pattern for these photos, but I often just spread it on!
Cake Decorating Tools
I use the following tools to decorate this pineapple carrot cake:
Piping bags – I have both reusable and disposable piping bags and use them all the time. Piping tips and couplers – I recommend a great starter tip and coupler set. However the Wilton 1M tip and large coupler are my favorite – and can be used in so many ways.
Chill and Serve
To ensure the frosting hardens a bit and the cake is chilled, transfer the decorated cake to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight! If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
