Carrot, Fruit & Nut Cake

with cream cheese glaze

A super moist, flavourful, decadent cake that tastes much naughtier than it is.

This cake/ loaf is one of the best cakes I have ever eaten. It is super moist and decadent, packed with flavour and warm spices and it is a better option for you than a traditional carrot cake! Using applesauce in lieu of white sugar and replacing the thick cream cheese frosting with a lighter glaze still packs the punch you need while not blasting the calorie count into the stratosphere. Give this cake a try, you will be pleasantly surprised with the luscious crumb and delicious flavours. Dare I say… you could have cake for breakfast!

Step 1

Prep your ingredients

Cake

• 1.5 cups chopped toasted pecans (divided), toast your pecans in a dry pan over low heat until fragrant.

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup melted coconut oil, you can also use vegetable oil

• 4 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 cup smooth unsweetened applesauce

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2.5 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 2 cups grated carrots (about 4 large)

• 1 cup raisins

Cream Cheese Glaze (Optional)

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 1/2 cup butter, melted

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 cups icing sugar

• 2 tablespoons milk (more if needed)

Step 2

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease two non-stick loaf tins with coconut or vegetable oil.

If you don’t have non-stick loaf tins, line them with parchment paper so the cakes come out easily.

Step 3

Combine the brown sugar, eggs, apple sauce, vanilla and coconut oil in a bowl.

Step 4

Mix well to combine. Using top-notch kitchen help is a good option here.

Step 5

Sift together the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, flour, baking soda and baking powder. You can sift everything directly into the wet ingredients.

Gently mix everything together until just combined. Overmixing will result in a tough cake.

Step 6

Dump in the raisins and carrots.

Fold them through the mixture until combined.

Step 7

Gently fold in the chopped, toasted pecans.

Mix just to combine.

Step 8

Divide the mixture between the two prepared loaf pans and smooth out the tops.

Step 9

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 - 45 minutes.

Check the cakes by poking the center with a wooden skewer. If the skewer comes out relatively clean, the cakes are ready. If there is gooey batter on the skewer, the cakes need more time.

When the cakes are cooked, let them cool 10 minutes in the loaf pans before turning them out to cool completely on the counter.

Serve!

Serve as is with no icing OR go ahead and make the glaze.

To make the glaze:

Stir together the ingredients until they are smooth. The glaze should be a thick syrup-like consistency.

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups icing sugar

2 tablespoons milk (more if needed)

When the cakes are cool, drizzle the glaze over the cakes. Pour as much or as little as you like.

Top the glaze with the remaining toasted pecans.

Let the glaze set for a few minutes before slicing and enjoying.

Print

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Carrot, Fruit & Nut Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

( 0 reviews )

Yield: -20 slices+

Author: Emma Cerulli

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 55 Min

This is the most incredible carrot cake I have ever had. It is the healthier alternative to a traditional carrot cake with all the flavour and decadence packed in.

IngredientsUSMetric

Cake

• 1.5 cups chopped toasted pecans (divided)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup melted coconut oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup smooth unsweetened applesauce
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cups grated carrots (about 4 large)
• 1 cup raisins

Cream Cheese Glaze

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk (more if needed)

Instructions

Making the Cakes

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease 2 non-stick loaf pans with coconut oil. (Use parchment paper if not non-stick)
3. Whisk together the oil, eggs, apple sauce, brown sugar & vanilla until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices.
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until just combined.
6. Fold in carrots, 2/3 of the toasted pecans and all the raisins. Don’t overmix batter.
7. Divide batter between two loaf pans and bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes. Test the center with a skewer to see if the cake is done.
8. When cake is cooked, let cool 10 minutes before flipping out of the pan.
9. Cool completely before frosting with glaze.

Making the Glaze

1. Whisk everything together to make a thick glaze. It should look like a thick syrup.
2. Drizzle cake with glaze and sprinkle with remaining chopped pecans.
3. Serve immediately or refrigerate overnight to set the glaze.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

387.63

Fat (grams)

23.94

Sat. Fat (grams)

13.9

Carbs (grams)

42.34

Fiber (grams)

2.24

Net carbs

40.09

Sugar (grams)

22.25

Protein (grams)

4.35

Sodium (milligrams)

249.06

Cholesterol (grams)

55.31

Nutrition info is only an estimate, provided by a third-party service.

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carrot cake, breakfast cake, dessert, brunch

brunch, breakfast, baking, desserts

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