Ever since I’ve known Jabel, he has always requested this carrot cake for his birthday. So I’ve been making this cake for the last 6 years for his birthday. It never disappoints and it’s one of the best “no fail” cake recipes that I’ve ever made.
I started off originally with a cake recipe I found online. I didn’t care for the huge amounts of sugar and the amounts of unhealthy oils and other ingredients, so I switched it up by using healthy oil and organic or more of the clean, natural ingredients. I replaced the sugar with my stevia baking blend and succanant. The result has been absolutely fantastic and even brings raving compliments from all the “non-cake” people. 🙂
The best part, in my opinion, though, is that the frosting is also sugar free. It’s creamy, it’s delicious and you’d never know that it’s only made with real, healthy ingredients. 😉
Since I wanted to make it extra special for Jabel’s birthday, I took the liberty to drizzle it with caramel sauce and add a few little confectionaries on the top. Since the cake and frosting in itself isn’t loaded with sugar, the caramel sauce added a nice little touch of sweetness to it. I also added some crushed, mixed nuts to provide some crunch and a few blueberries for added color and interest.
Lets just say it definitely “took the cake” and Jabel was more than happy to eat his share. 🙂 And judging by the way it disappeared at the party, I’d say it was genuinely fantastic! 🙂
Best Ever Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
The best decadent carrot cake you could ever wish for. Not too sweet and yet full of all the flavor and texture that will satisfy your sweet tooth.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces crushed pineapple
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup stevia blend
- 1 cup succanant
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- FROSTING
- 1 stick butter- room temperature
- 2-3 , 8 ounce boxes of cream cheese
- milk or water or pineapple juice
- pure stevia
- chopped pecans or walnuts for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2, 9 inch, round cake pans ( or a 13 by 9 pan) and set aside.
- Drain the liquid from the pineapple and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the pineapple and eggs. Add sweeteners, oil and vanilla. Fold in the dry ingredients until well mixed. Add shredded carrots and chopped pecans or walnuts.
- Divide evenly into the round cake pans. ( or 13 by 9 pan) Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cake is done.
- For the round cakes, remove from the oven and let the cakes cool completely before removing from the pan. Once cooled, use a butter knife to go around the edges of the cake. Turn the pans upside down onto a flat platter or cake stand. Tap the pans lightly to help loosen the cake to remove from the pans. Once removed, set them aside while you make the frosting.
- For the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add the amount of sweetener that you prefer. ( my pure stevia only takes about 1/4 teaspoon to make it sweet enough) Add milk, water or pineapple juice to the frosting until its the right spreading consistency. Beat it until it has a very smooth, creamy texture.
- To frost the round cake, put one layer onto a cake platter and spread frosting onto it evenly. Put the other round cake on top and continue to frost the top and outside edges of the cakes. Garnish Options: Caramel sauce, chopped walnuts or pecans, assorted peanuts, chocolate candies, blueberries, or carrot pieces.
Notes
This cake is intentionally made with healthier, organic ingredients. The limited sugar in both the cake and frosting makes it less "heavy" and more of a light dessert. The frosting is sugar free unless you add a little bit of pineapple juice. Either way, it is a delicious way to eat frosting without all the sugar. 🙂
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 14 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 608Total Fat: 53gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 31gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 469mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 3gSugar: 10gProtein: 9g
Nutrition information is not guaranteed accurate.
hubby birthday is the 7th next month, i think i will make him this, instead of the the chocolate he usually gets. he will be turning 62 this year. and i know he loves a good carrot cake. looks yummy.