Usually every Easter I make my grandmother’s Pound Cake recipe that I have modified. It makes a double loaf sized portion and since it is only the 5 of us this Easter, I was a little reluctant to have all the cake leftover for me to eat. 

Granted I could half the recipe, which I have done before. This year I decided to indulge myself by making a carrot cake but this time a low-fat carrot cake recipe with all the same flavors.

 

Next to chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, Carrot Cake is my other favorite.
What you need for a Low Fat Carrot Cake Recipe

I have only made it one other time. I saw a recipe in cooking light magazine. I took a poll of the family and surprisingly it was unanimous, we would change things around this Easter and have Carrot Cake. I was not going to say no as it is my favorite.

 WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE CRUSHED PINEAPPLE

If you can get past the long list of ingredients, which you probably have on hand, it is surprisingly easy and no mixer required. I did not have crushed pineapple.

No worries, just drain the can pineapples you may have on hand very well and then mash in the food processor or with a fork. I already had the food processor out to shred the carrots so no extra clean up!!

WHAT CAN I USE TO SHRED THE CARROTS FOR A CARROT CAKE?

• FOOD PROCESSOR
• KITCHEN AID SHREDDER
• BOX GRATER

Make sure and check your oven as it baking. I had already reduced the baking time 5 minutes, but 5 minutes before the timer went off, I started smelling the cake. When I finally got around to looking in, about 2 minutes before the timer, the cake was pretty browned. No worries, the yummy frosting will cover up any imperfections.

WHAT TYPE OF FROSTING FOR A CARROT CAKE?

One of the main reasons I love carrot cake is because it uses Cream Cheese Frosting. 

WHAT CAN I TOP MY CARROT CAKE WITH?

Although the recipe suggests topping this cake with shredded carrot, I love the look of the marzipan carrots you often see at the grocery store. Not ever worked with marzipan, I decided to try something else. Little carrots made out of orange and green chocolate discs. 

I traced some carrots on the back of parchment paper and then melted the chocolate discs in freezer bags in the microwave. Cut a little notch in the corners and started creating!

 

 

Here is the delicious, moist and pretty cute slice on a plate

 

\Although we are not serving it until tomorrow I wanted to take the picture and of course, take a bite!!

I am hopeful the cream cheese frosting will harden up slightly. I have not covered it yet and if you did there would be quite the mess.

Happy Easter and Passover to all my wonderful readers!

 

Adapted From Cooking Light Magazine

 

 

 

Low Fat Carrot Cake Recipe

 

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups grated carrot
• 1 1/2 cups canned crushed pineapple, drained
• Cooking spray

Frosting:

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Additional grated carrot (optional)

Chocolate Carrots

• Orange Melting Discs
• Green Melting Discs

 

Have you ever made carrot cake before