Nothing brings us back like a classic dessert like carrot cake. Regular carrot cake may sound healthy, it does contain shredded carrots after all, but don’t be fooled! A slice of a traditional two-layer carrot cake with cream frosting contains as much as 854 calories, 480 of which come from fat. Shocking, isn’t it?
If you are on keto or any type of low-carb, high-protein diet then you are probably watching your carbohydrates intake. The good news is, you can always whip up a low carbohydrates version of this timeless favorite using the freshest ingredients! If the craving for carrot cake hits, try any of these delicious low carb carrot cake recipes:
Sugar-Free Low Carb Carrot Cake
This is the classic version of carrot cake that you’ve always loved, made better! It’s so moist, dense and delicious, you’ll never know that it’s gluten-free and sugar-free!
Ingredients:
For the cake
¾ cup Erythritol (or your choice of low carb sweetener)
¾ cup Butter
1 tbsp. Blackstrap molasses (optional)
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
½ tsp. Pineapple extract (optional)
4 large Egg
2 ½ cup Almond Flour
2 tsp. Gluten-free baking powder
2 tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Sea salt
2 ½ cup Carrots (grated, measured loosely packed after grating)
1 ½ cup Pecans (chopped; divided into 1 cup and ½ cup)
For the sugar-free cream cheese frosting
4 oz. cream cheese (softened, cut into cubes)
2 tbsp. butter (softened, cut into cubes)
½ cup powdered erythritol
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. heavy cream (or more if needed)
Instruction:
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans and line them with parchment paper. Grease the bottom and the sides of the pans so the batter won’t stick or burn during baking.
Whip the softened butter and erythritol together in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. If you’re adding molasses, beat the molasses into the butter and erythritol mixture. Then, pour the vanilla extract, and pineapple extract. Add the eggs and beat them one at a time. Set the batter aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients: almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt. Stir in the dry ingredients into the batter until it’s lump-free and well blended. Add the grated carrots at this point then fold a cup of chopped pecans. Reserve about ½ cup of the chopped pecans for later.
Pour the carrot cake batter into the lined baking pans. Give the pans a little shake to even out the batter before sticking in the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the center is bouncy. Once the cakes are done baking, take them out of the oven and let them rest for 10 minutes before letting them cool completely on a wire rack. Prepare the cakes for the frosting!
For the frosting
To make the sugar-free cream cheese frosting, soften the cream cheese and butter then cut them into cubes. Using a hand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and butter until airy and fluffy. Add the powdered erythritol into the mix along with the vanilla extract then mix well. Pour in the heavy cream and beat again until the consistency is smooth and creamy!
Once the cake has cooled completely, you can go ahead and dress it with sugar-free cream cheese frosting then top with the reserved chopped pecans.
Low Carb Carrot Cake Bites
What's better than a slice of classic carrot cake? How about snacking on a handful of vegan, low carb carrot cake bites? This recipe is perfect for dieters looking for a gluten-free, sugar-free, oil-free and low-carb version of carrot cake. With only about 27 calories apiece, these carrot cake bites make the best guilt-free snack! This recipe yields about 15 pieces of carrot cake bites.
Ingredients:
½ cup coconut flour
½ cup + 1 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
4 tbsp. Lakanto Classic Monk Fruit Sweetener or your choice of granulated low carb sweetener
1 medium carrot, peeled, finely chopped or shredded
4 tbsp. reduced fat shredded coconut
Instruction:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the coconut flour, water, applesauce, and vanilla extract then stir until well blended. Spoon in the cinnamon powder, sweetener and shredded carrot then mix to combine. Cover the mixing bowl with cling wrap then stick in the fridge for 15 minutes. This will help bind all the ingredients.
After 15 minutes, take the low carb carrot cake dough out of the fridge. The dough should be malleable at this point. Roll the dough into 15 equal-sized cake balls.
Pro Tip: Apart from making carrot cake balls, you can turn this recipe into carrot cake muffins!
Pour the shredded coconut in a small platter and start rolling each ball until evenly coated. Serve and enjoy!