Whole Grain Carrot Cake

The promised carrot cake has come!  Cream cheese frosting needed a buddy, so carrot cake came along.  And not just any carrot cake.  Whole grain carrot cake!

If you're wondering why in the picture above the cake says, "Welcome baby Rafael!", let me explain.  Last summer, my sister had her first baby!  (Remember these cupcakes?)  His name is Rafael.  And just because he is my nephew and I love him so much, I inserted a picture of him below.  In my most humble and unbiased opinion, I think he's one of the cutest babies ever 😉😍.

Moving on to the carrot cake....  Don't think that just because a cake has carrots in it, it somehow must be healthy.  I wish that was the case!  However, many carrot cakes are full of white flour, white sugar, and unhealthy oils.  I'll show you how,in today's recipe, all of that changed.

1.  Instead of White Flour, Whole Wheat Flour

There is a time and place for desserts with white flour, like the cupcakes I mentioned earlier in this post.  However, since carrot cake is a naturally denser and heartier cake, adding whole wheat flour complements that.  It also adds more fiber, which makes each slice more satisfying and makes it suitable for breakfast.  Yes, I have eaten this cake with frosting for breakfast.  YOLO!  Same with these cookies.

2.  Instead of Lots of White Sugar, Just a Tad

Although I would have loved if this cake was free of refined-sugar, sadly, it could not be 😢.  The texture of the cake would have been off.  However, this cake does not have a lot of white sugar in it (2/3 cup), which makes it a lot healthier than many of its counterparts.

3.  Instead of Unhealthy Oils, Olive Oil

Although all oils are fat, not all oils are equally good for you.  If you're wondering why, I'll tell you.  But beware:  I'm gonna nerd out a little bit 🤓.  According to the Mayo Clinic, the main fat that olive oil is monounsaturated fatty acids, which is considered a healthy fat.  Make sure that when you make this cake, you use a light-tasting olive oil.  Olive oil used for cooking is musky and fruity,making it overpowering for most desserts.  The light-tasting olive oil is more like canola oil in its mild taste.

So that's it!  For the original recipe click here.

Whole Grain Carrot Cake

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 T. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 4 large eggs
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup light-tasting olive oil
• 2 heaping cups carrots, grated and peeled

1.   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour. baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and then add the sugar, applesauce, and olive oil, mixing until combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir just until combined.
5. Then, fold in the carrots, again only until combined.
6. Pour the batter into a greased 9-by-13 pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean,
7. Enjoy.  The cake stays moist for several days.