Carrot cake happens to be my husband Saba’s absolute favorite, but the extra sweet, frosting-topped American version never quite did it for me. I love the Italian’s take on carrot cake, which has a strong orangey almond flavor and no butter. This healthy carrot cake recipe takes the same lighter, frosting and butter-free approach, but keeps carrot cake’s classic warming spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger. I took inspiration from my Apple Olive Oil Cake, using olive oil which keeps the cake tender for days and imparts a lovely nuance to the flavor. Whole wheat flour adds a rustic quality, and honey and dates means there’s no refined sugar. (I do like a final dusting of powdered sugar but feel free to leave that off if you’d like.) Greek yogurt adds the perfect tang to balance the sweetness. I could eat this healthy carrot cake for breakfast lunch and dinner! The best part: it freezes well so you can keep it on hand for healthy snacking.
Carrot Cake Ingredients
Whole wheat flour, extra virgin olive oil, dates, and honey not only make this carrot cake more wholesome, it also gives it a richer flavor. You’ll need:
Olive oil: A smooth extra virgin variety with a pleasant flavor is essential (suggestions below). Greek yogurt enriches the cake and adds a subtle tang to balance the sweetness. Milk: Both whole milk or reduced fat milk will work here. Honey sweetens the cake without adding refined sugar. Use the highest quality honey you can get your hands on–I love the Greek wildflower honey from our shop, but a dark honey like manuka would also work well. Eggs bind the cake. Whole wheat flour adds a nutty, wholesome flavor to both sweet and savory baked goods, from blueberry muffins to pizza dough. Baking powder makes the cake rise. Kosher salt: Even in sweet recipes, a small amount of salt brings out the flavor. Flavor-makers: Ground cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger add warming, sweet spices reminiscent of pumpkin spice. Look for ground green cardamom like the one from our spice shop (as apposed to black, which has a savory flavor). Carrots: Smaller varieties tend to be sweeter. Medjool dates: Taste like bursts of honey! Dates are also good for you: they’re high in fiber and packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals (see the USDA for the full breakdown). Walnuts add a lovely tender, buttery crunch. Powdered sugar: A small sprinkling of powdered sugar ties everything together with no frosting necessary, but you can add a drizzle of honey in its place if you’d like to avoid refined sugars all together.
Ingredient Spotlight
I love, love, love baking with extra virgin olive oil, weather with this healthy carrot cake recipe, Italian Apple Olive Oil Cake or Orange Cardamom Olive Oil Cake. It not only boasts healthy fats and antioxidants, it gives the most tender crumb, a lovely fruity flavor, and it stays moist for days. That said, olive oil has a much more dominant flavor than the fats you would typically bake with like butter or neutral oil. A low quality oil will likely make your cake taste bitter and overpower the nuanced flavors of the spices and carrots. While a robust, peppery oil like our Spanish Hojiblanca is delicious for savory recipes or salad dressings, for example, I would not recommend it for baking. I typically use either our Arbequina from California or Italian Nocellara, both of which are buttery-smooth and rich but not too bitter or peppery.
READ MORE: How To Taste Olive Oil: A Step-By-Step Guide To Go From The Basics To The Pros TRY IT: See our selection of Extra Virgin Olive Oils at our shop
How to Make this Healthy Carrot Cake Recipe
A few simple swaps takes carrot cake from overly sweet and loaded with sugar to full of wholesome flavor. And with no frosting to whisk and set, it’s even easier than the original!
Get ready. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper (or coat well with olive oil). Combine the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup honey, and 1/3 cup milk. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, and whisk to combine with each addition. Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt, cardamom, and ginger. Make the batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix gently with a wooden spoon until just combined. Finish the batter. Gently fold in 2 cups finely grated carrots, 6 finely chopped dates, and 1/3 cup chopped walnuts. Pour the carrot cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake. Bake in the heated oven until a toothpick inserted in center of the cake comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely in the pan. Finish and serve. Sprinkle on a light dusting of powdered sugar, if desired. Cut into 9 or 12 square pieces. Enjoy!
How to Serve Healthy Carrot Cake
This carrot cake is delicious on its own, perhaps with coffee or Black Tea as an after-dinner treat or morning indulgence. If you’d like to dress it up, toast it in your toaster oven or oven until warm. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt, drizzle of honey, chopped walnuts, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
How to Store Carrot Cake
This healthy carrot cake has no frosting, so you can store it at room temperature. Allow it to cool completely and store, wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
Freezing Instructions
Once cooled completely, cut into squares in the tray. Cover and freeze in its baking tray (if it’s freezer safe) or transfer to a freezer-safe tray. Let it freeze until solid (about 4 hours). Then remove and wrap each square individually in plastic wrap and a final layer of aluminum foil. Thaw the pieces you need in the fridge overnight. Browse all Mediterranean recipes.
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