Healthy Vegan Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Moist, dense, and flavorful, this Healthy Vegan Carrot Cake actually is the healthy dessert you always thought you were eating. Topped with a creamy, high protein frosting, your taste buds will thank you after having this yummy cake!

Moist, dense, and flavorful, this carrot cake actually is the healthy dessert you always thought you were eating. Topped with a creamy, high protein frosting, your taste buds will thank you after having this incredible cake!

Moist, dense, and flavorful, this Healthy Vegan Carrot Cake actually is the healthy dessert you always thought you were eating. Topped with a creamy, high protein frosting, your taste buds will thank you after having this yummy cake!

We’ve all probably come across an infographic showing us how something we’d generally consider as healthy, like a container of yogurt or a granola bar, actually has more sugar than a donut!

Moist, dense, and flavorful, this Healthy Vegan Carrot Cake actually is the healthy dessert you always thought you were eating. Topped with a creamy, high protein frosting, your taste buds will thank you after having this yummy cake!

Well, I feel like carrot cake is in a similar boat. People might think of it as a healthier choice over other cakes because it has a vegetable in it after all, am I right!?

Vegetables aside, this vegan carrot cake actually IS healthy! It’s full of complex carbs, protein, omega-3s, and calcium, while also having a significantly lower amount of added sugar compared to a traditional carrot cake.

Moist, dense, and flavorful, this Healthy Vegan Carrot Cake actually is the healthy dessert you always thought you were eating. Topped with a creamy, high protein frosting, your taste buds will thank you after having this yummy cake!

The only similarities between this healthy vegan carrot cake and a traditional cake are the taste! This cake tastes anything but “healthy”. The wholesome ingredients and spices give the carrot cake tons of flavor. Worried about a gross, dry cake? No worries! It is super moist and dense.

I opted to only add raisins to the carrot cake, but feel free to mix in anything you’d like, too. It would be delicious with walnuts, pecans, or even some pineapple chunks.

This nutrient-dense cake is amazing on its own, but once you top it with the cream cheese frosting your taste buds will scream “thank you!”  It’s creamy and light, but without being loaded down with sugar. It will be hard, but hopefully some of the frosting will make it to your cake before you eat it all by the spoonful 😉


Yields 16 slices

Healthy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Vegan; Lower Sugar; High Protein; Egg Free; Soy Free; Oil Free

45 minPrep Time

25 minCook Time

1 hr, 10 Total Time

Recipe Image
Save RecipeSave Recipe

Ingredients

    Cake
  • 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal
  • 4 Tbsp water
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • ¼ cup protein powder , vanilla or unflavored (whey or vegan alternative)
  • 1/8 cup coconut flour
  • 1/8 cup granulated sweetener of choice
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ cup Vanilla Icelandic yogurt (like Siggi’s, although any type of dairy or non-dairy yogurt will work)
  • ¼ cup honey (or agave)
  • ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • ¼ cup milk of choice
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 ½ cup shredded carrots
  • ½ - ¾ cup raisins
  • Frosting
  • 3 oz cream cheese (regular, light, or non-dairy)
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar of choice
  • ½ cup yogurt, vanilla (I used Siggi’s, although any type of dairy or non-dairy yogurt will work)
  • ¼ cup coconut milk (regular or light)
  • ½ tsp vanilla paste
  • ½ tsp lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp brown rice flour (or any sweeter tasting “flour” such as coconut or almond)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a 9” round cake pan.
  2. For the cake: In a small bowl, combine the flaxseed and water to create a “flax egg”. Set aside.
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, protein powder, coconut flour, sweetener, baking soda and powder, spices, and salt.
  4. In a separate large bowl, combine the yogurt, honey, applesauce, milk, vinegar, and flax egg.
  5. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until fully incorporated. The batter will be a thicker consistency (not runny).
  6. Fold in the carrots and raisins.
  7. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 24-26 min. or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely.
  8. For the frosting: in a large mixing bowl, cream together the cream cheese, sugar, yogurt, milk, vanilla paste, and lemon juice.
  9. Stir in the flour.
  10. Once cake is completely cooled, spread the frosting over the top of the cake using a rubber spatula.
  11. Slice and enjoy while your taste buds say “yummmm”.

Notes

Update: I originally made this recipe in 1 - 9" round pan, but you can also bake it in 2 - 6.5" round pans like in the pictures.

7.8.1.2
22
https://HealthyHacks.net/healthy-vegan-carrot-cake/


Some products I used for this recipe:

Healthy Hacks myprotein soy protein powder Healthy Hacks myprotein brown rice protein powder


You might also like:

Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake

Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake - gluten free; vegan; low FODMAP

Maple Banana Walnut Scones

Maple Banana Walnut Scones - vegan, gluten free, low FODMAPs

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will make a commision if you click through and make a purchase. 

10 Replies to “Healthy Vegan Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting”

  1. I had this for breakfast, without the icing! MMMMMMMMMMM
  2. Will gluten free flour or Coc. flour or Almond flour be used instead of whole wheat flour?
    1. I'm pretty confident a gluten free baking mix would work. Oat flour might also work. I wouldn't recommend subbing the whole amount of whole wheat flour out for coocnut flour, though.
  3. What could I substitute for powdered sugar? Trying to keep my sugar intake low...thanks!
    1. Hey Amira! There's not really a good substitute for powdered sugar, but you could use a sugar-free powdered sugar alternative.
  4. I just ate a piece of this and it's every bit as good as it looks! YUMMMM
    1. Yayyy! Glad you like it!
  5. Hi Kaylie! This looks amazing! I was wondering if I can substitute the protein powder? I don‘t really want to buy protein powder because I wouldn‘t use it for anything else after this, thanks! ❤️
  6. Hi Kaylie! This looks amazing! I was wondering if I can substitute the protein powder? I don‘t really want to buy protein powder because I wouldn‘t use it for anything else after this, thanks!
    1. Hey Michelle! Thanks so much! :) I haven't tried swapping the protein powder out, but it should still work if you swap it out for more whole wheat flour.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.