I have another colossal bag of carrots in my fridge.
I have shared my love of carrots before. Think back a few weeks to Carrot and Raisin Salad. I still believe all that I said about carrots… but there are still carrots left! We cannot let them spoil. Quite simply, that cannot happen.
Now I dream of carrot cake. But not just any carrot cake… the healthy, low sodium, low fat and cholesterol, yet full-of-fiber kind. The kind of carrot cake that I serve to my family for breakfast. If they think they are eating cake, that’s ok. I know this is healthy cake. I’m serious. Healthy cake. After you read the recipe, you will see what I mean.
Ingredients
- Flour- all purpose - 1 cup
- Flour- whole wheat- 1 cup
- Baking power- low sodium/no sodium- 2 teaspoons
- Baking soda- sodium free- 2 teaspoons (use 1 teaspoon if using regular baking soda)
- Ground Cinnamon- 2 teaspoons
- All Spice-1 teaspoon
- Ground Flax- 4 Tablespoons Ground
- Olive oil- 1/2 cup
- Applesauce- unsweetened 1/2 cup
- Brown Sugar - 1 1/2 cups packed
- Raisins or other small dried fruit- 1/2 cup
- Vanilla Extract- 2 teaspoons
- Water- 3/4 cup
- Carrots- grated- 3 cups
I want to be sure you know about low sodium baking products.
This might be a new idea to your old way of thinking… from before you decided to take charge of your health and reduce the sodium in your life. A lot of the sodium in baked goods come from the baking soda, the baking power, the added salt, and the eggs. You can use sodium free baking soda substitute, reduced sodium baking power or sodium free baking power, and omit the salt. From a baking chemistry perspective, I rarely find a recipe that doesn’t turn out well without the added salt.
Then there’s the eggs. As with this cake, the eggs aren’t there. Flax in a ratio of 3 tablespoons water to 1 tablespoon ground flax is a healthy alternative. Remember, sodium can be spent like money on a day of shopping. You just have to decide where and when it’s worth spending. Most large eggs are around 60 mg of sodium each. This makes flax worthy of your consideration.
The icing on the carrot cake!
I don’t always frost this cake. Sometimes a sprinkle of powdered sugar does just as well. If I do use a thin layer of frosting, I use an 8 ounce package of cream cheese, 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whip all this together in a mixer and spread over the cooled cake. This cake reminds me of quick bread in it’s consistency. It just doesn’t always need frosting, especially for breakfast. Is the coffee ready yet?
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