The cake is essential to any celebration, from weddings to graduations. The traditional version is not a healthy treat. It’s loaded with sugar and saturated fat, lacks vitamins and minerals, and has a high-calorie count.
It doesn’t stop us, however, from enjoying it. According to Grand View Research, the global cake market was worth 42.94 billion U.S. dollars in 2019 and is expected to grow.
You can have both your cake and eat. To do this, you can swap out unhealthy ingredients such as olive oils, Cottage Cheese, Greek Yogurt, and Dark Chocolate for some healthy alternatives. ).
Below is a collection of healthy and delicious cake recipes that fit into a variety of diet plans, from a healthy diet to stricter approaches such as keto and gluten-free.
Healthier Carrot Cake
Despite its vegetable name, carrot cake is not considered a healthy option. This is due to the cake’s high saturated fat content, calorie count, and fluffy cream cheese frosting.
With a few simple ingredient swaps, the nutritional profile of this dessert looks much better! According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, using Cottage Cheese or Applesauce instead of Butter will add calcium, protein, and fiber in places where saturated fat would be present. Greek Yogurt can also be used in place of Cream Cheese to make a frosting that is lower in calories without sacrificing flavor.
Ingredients
1 cup 2 percent fat cottage cheese
Unsweetened applesauce, 1/3 cup
Maple syrup, 1/3 cup
Three large eggs
Half a cup of low-fat milk (1 percent) or any milk you like
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract divided
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp of baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
Half a teaspoon of kosher salt
2 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tsp of ground ginger
1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
2 cups of finely grated carrots
Divide 1 cup of unsweetened coconut shredded into equal portions
Chop walnuts into 1 cup
1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
Half a cup of powdered sugar
Directions
1Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of round cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
2Place cottage cheese in a blender and blend for 30 seconds or until smooth. Pour cottage cheese into a bowl, and add applesauce and maple syrup. Add eggs, milk, and two teaspoons of vanilla.
3Place both types of flour in a large bowl. Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Mix until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the well created by the dry ingredients. Stir gently until moistened. Be careful not to overmix. Fold in the carrots, 1/4 cup of coconut, and walnuts.
4Pour the batter into the cake pan, and bake it in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is lightly browned. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool.
5Mix together Greek yogurt powder, the remaining teaspoon of vanilla, and sugar. Pour the glaze over your cake, and top it with the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut.