Is carrot cake healthy? Yes and no. I’ll show you how and why in this article.
Carrot cake is healthy because adding carrots to cake batter means incorporating the health benefits of eating carrots in sweetness and fluffiness. It is not very healthy because as delicious as it is, carrot cake is a calorie bomb.
Carrot cake is a great treat that has been around for many years, making it one of the most desirable cake flavors in recent times. If you’ve had carrot cake, you’ll agree that it’s irresistible.
As a result, you must learn about the health benefits and risks involved in eating carrot cake before you go for one more slice. Continue reading to see full details.
What is carrot cake?
Carrot cake or passion cake is a sweet American cake made with carrots, spices, and chopped walnuts.
It is a mixture of carrots and batter covered with cream cheese frosting and carrots made of marzipan. The cake batter also includes ground, mixed spices like cinnamon and ginger, and nuts like walnuts or pecans.
Fruits like pineapple, raisins, and coconut shreds can also be used naturally to sweeten the cake.
Carrot cake, which gained popularity during the 20th-century health craze, is seen as a healthy choice because it uses vegetable oil rather than shortening. And of course, it contains carrots which are healthy vegetables.
Is carrot cake healthy?
Yes, it could be.
Although carrots and nuts are healthy ingredients, carrot cake is also packed with sugar and fat. Your piece of cake could have anywhere between 300 and 600 calories depending on its size.
Is fried carrot cake healthy?
No, it is not. Although fried carrot cake has a modest amount of energy, it is high in unhealthy fats, cholesterol, and sodium. But it is low in protein.
Is black carrot cake healthy?
No, it is not. Black carrots are very high in carbs and have almost no green vegetables. In comparison to white carrot cake (which has 51g of carbs), it provides 77g of carbs.
Also, 1 plate of black carrot cake has 100 calories (566 calories) more than the white variety (466 calories).
Is homemade carrot cake healthy?
Homemade carrot cake is healthier than the commercial variety. It does not contain the chemicals, sorbents, and preservatives that make the commercial variety unhealthy.
When making your cake at home, you can use less sugar and healthier ingredients.
Is carrot cake healthier than chocolate cake?
With walnuts, carrots, and the absence of chocolate, carrot cake is often acknowledged to be healthier than chocolate cake.
Carrot cake, however, tends to have the same amount of sugar, butter, and cream as a typical chocolate cake.
Almost any cake can be transformed into a healthy alternative by changing a few ingredients.
Is carrot cake vegan?
Carrot cake can be vegan if you leave out non-vegan ingredients. The basic ingredients that make carrot cake what it is (carrot, walnuts, and cinnamon) are already vegan.
Make other modifications like replacing dairy ingredients with non-dairy alternatives. For instance, use almond or coconut milk instead of dairy milk.
Use vegan butter instead of dairy butter too. Replace eggs with flaxseed egg (flaxseed meal with water).
Health benefits of carrot cake
- Carrot cake contains natural sugars and is also high in fiber.
- Carrot cake often has raisins, walnuts, and pineapples, which are high in vital vitamins and antioxidants. Raisins are beneficial in the treatment of incontinence, acidosis, anemia, fever, and sexual weakness.
- Pineapples, used in the layered cake, are high in manganese, which is needed to build bone fragments and soft tissues that support bone growth in children and bone strength in adults.
- Carrots have vitamin A, which aids in night vision.
- Vitamin C aids in the treatment and prevention of common colds.
- Aside from enhancing the quality of breast milk, carrots also make skin look better and lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
Disadvantages of carrot cake
Although carrot cake has healthy ingredients, it also holds a variety of sugar and fat. A piece of the cake could have anywhere between 300 and 600 calories depending on its size.
Carrot cake should be avoided or consumed sparingly by people with the following conditions because of its high fat and sodium content:
- Obese and fatty
- Diabetes patients
- People who use Weight Watchers and have hypertension
- Individuals who lead sedentary lifestyles
DIY plain carrot cake recipe
Learn how to make your healthy carrot cake using this homemade recipe:
Ingredients for the carrot cake
- 250 grams or two cups of all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 tablespoon of baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon powder
- 1/8 teaspoon of ginger root
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 0.5 teaspoons of salt
- 180 ml or 3/4 cup of vegetable or canola oil
- 4 large eggs
- 300 grams or 1.5 cups of light brown sugar
- 100 grams (half a cup) of granulated sugar
- 125 grams (half a cup) of unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups (300 grams) of lightly packed, grated carrots
Instructions for carrot cake
- Set the oven’s temperature to 350°F (177°C).
- Two 9-inch round cake pans should be well-sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. For easy removal, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and set the pans aside.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl before being set aside.
- Also, stir the oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce, and vanilla extract in a separate, large mixing bowl.
- The grated carrots should be combined thoroughly with the wet ingredients after being added.
- Mix the batter with a mixing bowl or rubber spatula just until combined after adding the wet ingredients, being careful not to over-mix it.
- Between the two prepared cake pans, distribute the cake batter equally.
- Then, bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes and take it out
- Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake to see if it’s baked thoroughly. The toothpick should come out clean if it’s all set and ready.
- Afterward, take them out of the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool in the pans for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove the cakes from the pans after 10 minutes of cooling. Put them on the cooling rack to cool completely.
- Serve or wrap the cake tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
FAQs
Is carrot cake truly made with carrots?
Yes, it is. The ingredients in carrot cake include carrots, spices, and walnut pieces. Marzipan carrots and creamy white cheese frosting are often used as garnishes.
What does carrot cake taste like?
Carrot cake is moist and has a rich taste. Most of its flavor comes from brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and carrots.
Ginger adds the most delicious zing, but it isn’t overpowering. The cake is dense, but each forkful tastes super soft and extra lush.
Can you eat carrot cake on a diet?
Carrot cake can form a healthy part of your diet if you eat it in moderation. Although it contains nuts and carrots, it also packs a lot of fat and sugar. If you want to eat carrot cake on a diet, eat it in small quantities every other day.
Why is carrot cake so high in calories?
Carrot cake typically has more saturated fat than fruit cake because of its icing, which is frequently made from cream cheese. The calorie content is higher due to the higher fat content.
Conclusion
Due to consumers’ perceived advantages of consuming vegetables with their heavily caloric baked goods in the 1980s, carrot cake increased in popularity. As a result, it is one of the most widely consumed American desserts today.
Carrot cake offers a lot of positive health benefits, but it also has some unhealthy ingredients that are bad for the body over the long term.
Therefore, you should consume carrot cake in moderation to avoid health risks. Now that you know the health benefits of eating carrot cake, find out how long you can keep it out to prevent spoilage.
Thanks for reading.
