Defiant Health & Fitness (Christy Seguin)
Today's recipe----Lower-calorie CARROT CAKE!
As you all know, I also have a business called "Cakes ROCK!!!" where I indulge my creative passion of sculpting really rockin' cakes. Of course, there is nothing 'healthy' about cake, but there are some that are fewer calories than others. This is my recipe, put together from the best of several other recipes I have tried, for a really good lower-calorie & lower-fat carrot cake (NOT LOW-fat, mind you, but low-ER!), that will fool just about anybody. I get rave reviews on it.
Now, adding icing will up the calories big time, especially if you use cream cheese, buttercream, etc. The nutritional information is just for the cake.
Don't omit the cayenne pepper. It's the secret ingredient that brings the flavor out amazingly! (I got that from the Sweet Genius himself, Ron Ben-Israel.) The zucchini has something in it that makes a wonderful binding agent, giving a great texture, & is undetectable as far as flavor.
Lower-Calorie Carrot Cake
3 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 Tbs Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp salt
6 eggs
7 oz carrot baby food (2 Gerber packs)
1 Tbs vanilla flavoring
1.5 cups packed dark brown sugar
1.5 cups granulated white sugar
¾ cup coconut oil, melted
1 pound shredded carrots (peeled)
½ pound shredded zucchini (peeled)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional)
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices & salt in large bowl. If using the nuts & raisins, toss them in the flour mixture until well-coated. Set aside.
With mixer on medium speed, beat eggs, oil & sugar until smooth & creamy, approximately 3 minutes (don't skimp on this). Add carrot baby food & vanilla & beat well. Fold in carrots & zucchini.
Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, mixing on low speed & scraping sides of bowl as necessary. Mix until well-blended. Batter will be thick.
Grease & flour your 8" cake pans (Makes either 2 thick or 3 thinner 8" layers), & line the bottom with butter wrappers or parchment paper to ensure it won't stick. Spread the batter in the pan, filling no more than 2/3 & bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, approximately 50-60 min for 8” cakes.
Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack to cool.
Serves a minimum of 25, which is the number I used for the nutritional calculations.
Per serving, for cake only (with raisins & walnuts--omit for fewer calories): 267 calories, 40 grams carbohydrates, 11* grams fat, 5 grams protein
*without walnuts, 8 grams fat
As you all know, I also have a business called "Cakes ROCK!!!" where I indulge my creative passion of sculpting really rockin' cakes. Of course, there is nothing 'healthy' about cake, but there are some that are fewer calories than others. This is my recipe, put together from the best of several other recipes I have tried, for a really good lower-calorie & lower-fat carrot cake (NOT LOW-fat, mind you, but low-ER!), that will fool just about anybody. I get rave reviews on it.
Now, adding icing will up the calories big time, especially if you use cream cheese, buttercream, etc. The nutritional information is just for the cake.
Don't omit the cayenne pepper. It's the secret ingredient that brings the flavor out amazingly! (I got that from the Sweet Genius himself, Ron Ben-Israel.) The zucchini has something in it that makes a wonderful binding agent, giving a great texture, & is undetectable as far as flavor.
Lower-Calorie Carrot Cake
3 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 Tbs Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp salt
6 eggs
7 oz carrot baby food (2 Gerber packs)
1 Tbs vanilla flavoring
1.5 cups packed dark brown sugar
1.5 cups granulated white sugar
¾ cup coconut oil, melted
1 pound shredded carrots (peeled)
½ pound shredded zucchini (peeled)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional)
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices & salt in large bowl. If using the nuts & raisins, toss them in the flour mixture until well-coated. Set aside.
With mixer on medium speed, beat eggs, oil & sugar until smooth & creamy, approximately 3 minutes (don't skimp on this). Add carrot baby food & vanilla & beat well. Fold in carrots & zucchini.
Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, mixing on low speed & scraping sides of bowl as necessary. Mix until well-blended. Batter will be thick.
Grease & flour your 8" cake pans (Makes either 2 thick or 3 thinner 8" layers), & line the bottom with butter wrappers or parchment paper to ensure it won't stick. Spread the batter in the pan, filling no more than 2/3 & bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, approximately 50-60 min for 8” cakes.
Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack to cool.
Serves a minimum of 25, which is the number I used for the nutritional calculations.
Per serving, for cake only (with raisins & walnuts--omit for fewer calories): 267 calories, 40 grams carbohydrates, 11* grams fat, 5 grams protein
*without walnuts, 8 grams fat
