Delicious and Moist Lighter Carrot Cake Sheet Cake with a Light Cream Cheese Frosting
While Carrot Cake sounds healthy, it's still a dessert. It can pack on some calories, but hey, it's a delicious and moist cake! This recipe cuts way back on fat grams and calories, by reducing the amount of eggs and oil. I was dubious, but once I finished baking the cake and frosting it-- I was smitten. The cake was moist, indeed, and it satisfied both my sweet tooth and bathroom scale. Weight Watchers 2025 = 12 points per serving
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Lighter Carrot Cake Sheet Cake with a Light Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 35 minutesminutes
Cake Cooling Time 2 hourshours
Total Time 2 hourshours50 minutesminutes
Servings 16
Author Debby - www.AFeastfortheEyes.net
Ingredients
For the cake:
Vegetable cooking sprayI prefer Bakers Joy Baking Spray
2 ½cupsunbleached all purpose flour12 1/2 ounces
1 ¼teaspoonsbaking powder
1teaspoonbaking soda
1 ¼teaspoonsground cinnamon
½teaspoonground nutmeg
⅛teaspoonground cloves
½teaspoontable salt
3large eggsroom temperature
1cuplight brown sugar7 ounces
1cupgranulated sugar7 ounces
½cupvegetable oil
1poundcarrotsabout 6 medium, peeled and grated (about 3 cups)
½cupgolden raisinsoptional
For the frosting (optional):
12ouncesNeufchatel 1/3 less fat cream cheesesoftened, but still cool
1½cupspowdered sugar
1tspvanilla
Instructions
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with vegetable oil spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper.NOTE: I decided to frost the cake in the pan so parchment paper isn't needed.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugars together in a medium bowl until they turn thick and creamy, 1 to 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and slowly whip in the oil until thoroughly combined and emulsified, 30 to 60 seconds.
Sift half the flour mixture over the batter and gently mix in.Repeat once more with the remaining flour mixture and continue to whisk the batter gently until most of the lumps are gone (do not overmix). Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in the carrots and raisins (if using).
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking (do not overbake). Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a wire rack and remove the parchment paper. Flip the cake right-side up, and cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours, before frosting (if desired) and serving.NOTE: I frosted the cake in the pan.
For the frosting:
Be sure to mix the frosting by hand—an electric mixer or food processor will turn the frosting soupy.
Mix the cream cheese and vanilla together in a large bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the confectioners’ sugar and stir until thoroughly combined and smooth.Refrigerate for an hour, then frost the cake.
Notes
You can either use the large holes of a box grater or the large holed shredding disk in a food processor for grating the carrots. Use a metal cake pan, not a glass or Pyrex pan, for best results.Recipe source: America's Test KitchenMakeover calories: Before 370 After 250Fat: Before 22g After 8gSat. Fat: Before 2.5g After 1g