So I’ll start by giving full credit here to my hubby, who whipped up this AMAZING carrot cake yesterday whilst I was out at CrossFit. It’s SO good that I had to post and share this wonderful recipe to all those that love to eat clean but still get that sweet sugary hit. After indulging quite a bit over Thanksgiving, we were both craving a sweet to follow our Sunday dinner! Ross is a dab hand at baking so I put in a request for a clean recipe that was free from added sugar and butter so we can treat ourselves, GUILT FREE. He adapted a recipe from a fellow bloggers site – Amy’s Healthy Baking. 

I had another slice earlier and I’m blown away at how bloody good this cake is. It’s moist, fluffy and sweet with warm spices. I guarantee a lot of happiness when eating this cake! 

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour – be exact with measurements

• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp baking soda

• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly

• 1 large egg, room temperature

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• ½ cup maple syrup

• ¼ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

• ¼ cup nonfat milk

• 3 medium carrots, grated

• 1 small orange (cut in half and squeezed)

• Large handful walnuts

• Large handful raisins

Frosting ingredients:

• 8 oz nonfat ricotta cheese

• 3 tbsp plain nonfat Greek yogurt

• 2 tbsp agave

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat your baking tin with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray.

For the cake, whisk together the flour and next 5 ingredients (down to and including the salt) in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup and Greek yogurt, thoroughly mixing with a whisk until it’s lump free. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, stirring just until incorporated, Add in more milk if the mixture is too dry. Fold in the carrots, walnuts and raisins and add the squeezed orange juice. 

Spread the batter into the tin, and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, using a knife insert it into the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean it’s ready. Ross’s needed another 10 minutes or so to cook right through. Cool in the tin before removing the cake from the tin. Cool completely to room temperature before adding the frosting. 

To prepare the frosting, stir together the ricotta cheese, Greek yogurt, agave, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Spread on top of the cake and let it set for at least 1-2 hrs. We couldn’t wait beyond the 2hrs mark! We put it in the fridge overnight and I swear it tastes even better today and the frosting has really set. 

The frosting is really sweet and balances the cake out perfectly. Enjoy a slice with a hot cuppa!! YUM!!