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Looking for a smaller carrot cake? Celebrate spring with this easy carrot cake recipe featuring a few healthier swaps.
I’m not sure how carrot cake became a classic for springtime, but I’m not complaining!
We love carrots for snacking and cooking, so whoever first decided to turn it into sweet treats is a genius in my book.
Each spring I love whipping up carrot cake scones, carrot cake cookies, and of course, carrot cake itself!
This is a great small cake for celebrating with just a few people, or for enjoying all on your own.
Need to eat gluten free? Try gluten-free carrot cake instead.
Easy carrot cake
This recipe is perfect for my family because it makes just one layer, so there’s no worry about trimming, stacking, and frosting perfectly. Plus, it’s just the right amount to have a sweet treat but not have leftovers for days.
I like making treats a little healthier sometimes, so similar to my zucchini bread this recipe uses applesauce instead of apple or butter.
I also use whole wheat flour along with the all-purpose flour, which gives it a bit of a nutty taste. The final cake is lovely in texture and kid-approved.
Adding lemon zest to the frosting brightens it up, bringing the sunshine of the spring inside. It’s just what you need to welcome the season!
Ingredients for carrot cake
Full list of ingredients with quantities is located in the recipe card.
You’ll need:
- Eggs
- Applesauce (use unsweetened)
- Turbinado sugar
- Grated carrots
- White whole wheat flour
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Salt
- Neufchรขtel cheese (lowfat cream cheese)
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon
- Walnuts
I recommend shredding the carrots yourself rather than buying the pre-shredded bag at the store. This way you can shred the carrots as fine as you like, and you will retain the moisture in the carrots. The storebought shredded carrots can often be dried out, so make sure to get a fresher package if you do need to go this route.
How to make this recipe
First, preheat the oven to 350ยฐF. Lightly coat an 8-inch cake pan with nonstick spray. If you line it with a parchment round, it will be even easier to release the cake from the pan.
You can also bake this in two 6-inch pans for a layer cake, or use a square baking pan.
Set out your cream cheese to soften while the cake is baking and cooling.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then add the applesauce and sugar. Stir in the grated carrots.
Use another bowl to sift together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until completely incorporated. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to get everything mixed and prevent any pockets of flour.
The batter will be thicker than a regular cake batter. Scoop it into the prepared cake pan and spread in an even layer to the edges.
Bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
It’s important to let the cake cool fully before frosting, otherwise it can melt into the cake. Depending on the temperature in your kitchen, this can take an hour or more.
When you’re ready to frost the cake, combine the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Zest the lemon into the bowl, then beat everything together until completely smooth. Taste and add more sugar if desired.
Spread the frosting onto the cooled cake (an offset spatula makes this very easy) and top with chopped or halved walnuts.
Storage tips
Due to the cream cheese frosting, this cake can be left at room temperature for up to 2 hours, but after that it should be stored in the refrigerator.
Store the cake covered, preferably under a cake dome, to prevent it from drying out.
FAQ
Make this easy carrot cake and welcome spring into your kitchen!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star review below!
It means so much when you enjoy my recipes, so let me know how it goes and leave a comment if you have any questions.
Carrot Cake with Lemon Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 ounces neufchatel cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF. Lightly coat an 8-inch cake pan with nonstick spray and line with a parchment round.
- In a large bowl, beat together eggs, applesauce, and sugar, then mix in carrots.
- In another bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, then stir into carrot mixture until completely mixed in. The batter will be thick.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and spread to the edges in an even layer.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- To frost, beat together neufchatel cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest until smooth. Frost cake and top with walnuts, if desired.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.
About Megan
I learned how to cook by exploring seasonal ingredients, and you can too! Meal time shouldn’t be stressful or complicated, and with fresh ingredients and easy methods, Iโm here to help you enjoy the time spent in the kitchen.ย Read moreโฆ
My favorite Spring tradition is going to the Bronx Zoo after a long Winter, the baby animals have begun to be out and about and the temperature is just right, to spend an entire day there.
Baking with fresh fruit!
My spring time favorites are baking with my daughter and working in our yard!
Planting flowers!
My favorite spring tradition is dying Easter eggs with our children and then having a little Easte egg hunt on Easter morning!
Spring- planting flowers!!
I love it cause u can open the doors and air the house out, for a fresh clean smell.. then all of the pretty flowers blooming bring the pretty looks and the nice smell..just everything full of life..
I love cleaning out clutter, getting flowers in the ground and the fresh air!
I’m on vacation here in Florida, but when I return to Ireland next month, I certainly intend baking that gorgeous Carrot Cake of yours. Neufchรขtel cheese is not a cheese I’m familiar with. Maybe we don’t have it in Ireland. Thank you for recipe.
@Ursula, neufchรขtel is a lighter version of cream cheese, so you can certainly swap it out for the standard cream cheese in the recipe, if that is available! Unfortunately, I’m not sure what else would be equivalent.
I love planting my garden seedlings that I’ve started indoors before the weather warms up.
LOL, we don’t get ‘spring’ here in Thailand. Thais call the three seasons ‘hot, hotter and hottest’ and at our current temperatures of more than 104 degrees every day, we’re hoping this is the ‘hottest’ it’s going to get.
The cake looks amazing, btw, and I’ll definitely be trying it.