Carrot cake has been the perennial favorite of both young and old alike for years. Although it’s actually been around since the 1940s, it began popping up on restaurant menus and bakeries across the country in the 1960s. It was considered a very earthy, natural cake but in those days no one really focused on how fattening it really was. Hey, its’ got carrots in it!  The hard cold facts are, 1 slice of this dreamy cake from a place such as Cheesecake Factory has a whopping 1549 calories and 24 grams of fat! This skinnier remake is still higher in calories than most of the cakes I share, but much lower than a regular slice. Each slice has 352 calories and 9 grams of fat. It’s really very yummy!
Ingredients
Ingredients for Cake:
- 1 cup applesauce, unsweetened
- â…“ cup canola oil
- 2 eggs, I like Egg-Lands Best eggs
- 3 egg whites
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 (16 oz.) can crushed unsweetened pineapple, not drained
- 2 cups carrots, shredded
- â…“ cup walnuts, chopped
- ¼ cup coconut, shredded
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 6 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese (¾ of an 8 ounce pkg.)
- 2¼ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons reduced-fat milk or 1 tablespoon more, if desired
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Coat a Bundt pan with cooking spray.
- Using an electric mixer or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, add applesauce, oil, eggs, vanilla and both sugars. Mix until blended.
- Mix in flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- Add pineapple, carrots, walnuts, and coconut. Blend until thoroughly mix.
- Pour cake batter into coated pan. Place in oven and bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let cake cool for about 10 minutes. Carefully remove from pan. Cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting: using a mixer, whip the cream cheese until smooth. Add powder sugar, milk , vanilla and mix until smooth. It should be quite thick.
- Frost the cake. Run a fork over the frosting to make decorative lines.
- Store in refrigerator.
Notes
Serves 16 (each serving 1 slice, 1/16 of recipe)
Food Fact
The inspiration for carrot cake seems to date back to Medieval Europe. Puddings featuring carrots were a common dish.  Many food historians believe that they were the predecessors of the mouthwatering cake we enjoy today.
Healthy Benefits
Carrots are one of the best sources of vitamin A. Pineapple is low in fat, calories and sodium. It contains vitamins C, folate, and iron. Walnuts are a nice source of fiber, magnesium, and a bit of vitamin B6. Although high in fat, it’s mostly polyunsaturated which helps lower total cholesterol.
Prep Tip
To save time, buy a bag of shredded carrots.
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUSÂ 10 Â
Food Fact
The inspiration for carrot cake seems to date back to Medieval Europe. Puddings featuring carrots were a common dish.  Many food historians believe that they were the predecessors of the mouthwatering cake we enjoy today.
Healthy Benefits
Carrots are one of the best sources of vitamin A. Pineapple is low in fat, calories and sodium. It contains vitamins C, folate, and iron. Walnuts are a nice source of fiber, magnesium, and a bit of vitamin B6. Although high in fat, it’s mostly polyunsaturated which helps lower total cholesterol.
Prep Tip
To save time, buy a bag of shredded carrots.
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUSÂ 10 Â
| Skinny Facts: for 1 slice 352 calories, 9g fat, 5g protein, 64g carbs, 2g fiber, 322mg sodium, 43g sugar |
| FAT FACTS: for 1 slice of Cheesecake Factory’s carrot cake 1549 calories, 24g fat, 183g carbs-These are the only numbers we could find published. |
Skinny Facts
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 352kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 5gFat: 9gSodium: 322mgFiber: 2gSugar: 43gPlus Points: 10
Ive just started cooking muffins. My first was morning glory. The ingredients of this cake and the morning glory muffins are very, very similar. Less oil and more sugar is the main difference. The results for the MGS have always been excellent, so it follows to reason that this cake should also be great, but I must continue my search for carrot muffins.
Good luck with your search!