Delicious Guilt-Free Carrot Cake

When I was a kid one of my favorite things to do was visit my grandmother. She was was a wonderful woman to know. When I would visit her she was always in the kitchen baking away. One of the things she baked was a cake I really loved to eat. Home made carrot cake. It was so good. And that was not all. She would make a Philadelphia Cream Cheese frosting to compliment the carrot cake.

But now I am a little bit older and have to watch those calories. Although I love that cream cheese frosting. So this week if you love carrot cake too here is a guilt free version of that beloved classic.

Ingredients:

• No-stick baking spray with flour
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar substitute
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup nonfat dry milk
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 large egg
• ¾ cup egg substitute
• 1 ½ cups finely grated carrots
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons golden raisins
• One 6-ounce can unsweetened crushed pineapple,drained
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, optional

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 10-inch spring-form pan with baking spray.

2) Sift the white and whole wheat flours into a large bowl. Add the sugar substitute, brown sugar, dry milk, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Stir to mix well. Using the medium setting of an electric mixer, beat in the oil, egg and egg substitute until the batter is smooth. Fold in the carrots, walnuts, raisins and pineapple.

3) Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan. Remove the outer ring of the pan and sift confectioners’ sugar over the top, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

We collected dozens of great heart healthy recipes for you – Here they are…