Table of Contents
Introduction
As you are already used to, in order to offer you once again a healthy version of a classic dish, today I chose to present you a low sugar cream cheese carrot cake recipe, which can be successfully used as a dessert for the weekend or even a carrot cake birthday cake.
The particularity of this homemade carrot cake, in contrast with the classic one, consists in the use of a small amount of sugar, to obtain a strawberry jam with which we will syrup the batter. Apart from that, we will not use sugar either for the dough or for the cream cheese.
Another unique aspect is the fact that the cream cheese will be based on a mixture of heavy cream and ricotta, and we will not use mascarpone cream cheese, as in most cream cheese frosting recipes.
So, if you want to make a homemade carrot cake suitable for people who have a strict diet or you simply want to get a fabulous, but healthy and kidsfriendly dessert, I recommend you try this low sugar carrot cake recipe with confidence.
Jump to the Cream Cheese Carrot Cake RecipeWhat youβll need to make this homemade cream cheese carrot cake?
First of all, the list of ingredients needed to make this healthy and delicious dessert is extremely simple, including:
For the dough
- 100 g finely chopped walnuts
- 300 g grated carrots
- 250 g of flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4 eggs
- 150 g vegetable oil
- 100 g honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 50 g of orange juice (or applesauce)
For the cream cheese frosting
- 50 g white chocolate
- 500 g heavy cream
- 500 g of ricotta
- 100 g butter
- 2 tbsp of honey
For the fruit syrup
- 300 g raspberries
- 1 tbsp of brown sugar
Also, for assembly and baking, you will need 1 or 2 baking trays with removable bottoms. I used two round trays with a diameter of 20 cm, in which I baked 2 doughs, which I later cut, to obtain 4 layers of dough.
It is not mandatory to do the same, fortunately this is a versatile dessert and you can make it in 2, 3 or 4 layers, depending on your preferences.
If you want to make a simple carrot cake, without cream, I recommend you to try my kidsfriendly Chocolate Carrot Cake recipe, which is extremely fast, easy and delicious.
For the cream cheese carrot cake, I recommend preparing the dough a day before preparing the cream, because the batter is easier to handle after it has cooled completely, and if you let it rest overnight you can be sure that it has cooled.
Please keep in mind that the dough for the carrot cake is wet, because of the carrots that are used in its composition. So, don’t think that your dough is not baked enough. Even in the case of this type of dessert, you can confidently use the toothpick test to check if the top has been baked enough before removing it from the oven.
The toothpick test is extremely useful in the case of many desserts, such as bundtcake or fruit cake, as well.
Cream cheese carrot cake step-by-step recipe
I made this amazing cream cheese carrot cake using the Thermomix, to ease my cooking, but you already know you donβt need to own this useful kitchen gadget to achieve the same final result. Simply go for a mixer or a whisk and a bowl, and you will be able to craft this 4-layer carrot cake in your own kitchen, without effort.
Homemade Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Thermomix / Mixer / Whisk
- Bowls
- 2 Baking trays with removable bottoms
- 1 Pan
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Food chopper / Vegetable grater
Ingredients
For the dough
- 100 g finely chopped walnuts
- 300 g grated carrots
- 250 g of flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4 eggs
- 150 g vegetable oil
- 100 g honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 50 g of orange juice or applesauce
For the cream cheese frosting
- 50 g white chocolate
- 500 g heavy cream
- 500 g of ricotta
- 100 g butter
- 2 tbsp of honey
For the fruit syrup
- 300 g raspberries
- 1 tbsp of brown sugar
Instructions
- First, in order to make the batter for this amazing homemade carrot cake, we need to squeeze the oranges to achieve 50 g orange juice. To do this, you can use a manual citrus juicer;
- Preheat the oven at 180β (350β);
- Now line the trays with removable bottoms with baking paper and set aside;
- Itβs time to make the dough for the carrot cake. For this, grate the carrots. I used the Thermomix 5 SEC β SPEEED 5; Set them aside, into a bowl;
- Also, finely chop the walnuts. I use the Thermomix 10 SEC β Speed 8; Set them aside, into a bowl;
- Now, using a bowl, add the vegetable oil, eggs, orange juice, vanilla extract and the honey and mix them well. I used the Thermomix 1 MIN β SPEED 6;
- Into a different bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together;
- Now, using a sieve add this mixture gently over the composition made before;
- Incorporate these ingredients into the composition by using a spatula or with the Thermomix using 20 SEC β Speed 4;
- Add the carrots and the walnuts (reserve 1/3 of the walnuts for dΓ©cor) and mix them well with the batter by using a spatula or use the Thermomix 20 SEC β Speed 4;
- Pour the batter into the trays covered with baking paper and try to use the same amount for both trays;
- Bake the batters into the preheated oven for 50 MIN at 180β (350β);
- To make sure that the dough is properly baked, use a toothpick to test it. If you insert the toothpick into the dough and it comes out clean, that means the dough is baked enough.
- Remove the trays from the oven and leave the dough to cool at least 30 minutes before taking it out from the trays;
- Then, place the doughs into a cool place and leave them to rest until the next day. If you are in a hurry, allow the dough to cool for 2-3 hours and then cut each dough into half;
- The next day, cut the two doughs into half, to achieve 4 dough layers for your cream cheese carrot cake;
- Now, cook the fruits syrup, because this one has to cool before using it when assembling the 4-layer carrot cake;
- Place a wide saucepan on the stove and heat it;
- Then, add the rinsed raspberries and add the sugar;
- Mix well and let the syrup bind for 15-20 minutes, on low heat;
- Meanwhile, make the cheese cream frosting;
- For this, you need to use the butterfly whisk of the Thermomix, or a mixer;
- Pour the heavy cream and beat it well, until it hardens. I used the Thermomix 3 MIN β Speed 3.5; Place the cream into a bowl;
- Now, melt the chocolate with the butter and 30 g of heavy cream. I used the Thermomix 4 MIN β 50β (120β) / Speed 2;
- Leave this cream to cool before proceeding;
- Once the cream is completely cool, pour the two creams made earlier into the bowl and start adding the ricotta cheese and incorporate it by using 2 MIN β increase SPEED from 1,5 to 3;
- Add honey and mix 1 MIN β Speed 3;
- Now that all the textures and ingredients are done, letβs start to assembly the carrot cake;
- Using one of the trays with removable bottom, place a dough sheet on the base;
- Add a generous amount of raspberry syrup on top of the dough;
- Now, add a generous layer of cream cheese;
- Repeat this process until you reach the top layer od carrot cake dough. On top of it, we will use only cream cheese frosting and sprinkle the remaining chopped walnuts;
- Place the 4-layer carrot cake into the refrigerator overnight;
- The next day, you can remove the cream cheese carrot cake from the tray and cut it to enjoy a delicious and wonderful slice;
Nutrition
Different types of cream cheese frostings
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, this homemade carrot cake recipe is an atypical one, because I chose to use ricotta and heavy cream for the cream cheese. In addition, I chose to syrup the batter with raspberry syrup, because I wanted to obtain a healthy and low sugar carrot cake.
If you are not excited to try this version of sugar free carrot cake, then you can go for the classic version, in which you add sugar to the carrot walnut cake dough.
Also, if you are a walnut lover, there are several recipes based on walnuts that I recommend you to try, like the Brown Sugar Chewy Walnut Cookies or the Hungarian Beigli Walnut Roulade.
In addition, for carrot cake icing you can choose the classic combination between whipped cream, mascarpone and cream cheese. Surely in this way you will get a cream cheese frosting for the carrot cake that is creamier and easier to spread. I also used this version, using the same batter as in this recipe, but this time I wanted to do something different.
You can also replace the fruit syrup I used for syruping the batter with the classic sweet or salty caramel, and I guarantee that the result will be absolutely fabulous. But for this you have to use more sugar, and I wanted to prepare a low sugar carrot cake for Sofia’s birthday.
So, depending on your preferences and needs, you can experience different combinations of tastes and textures, sweeter or sour.
The cream cheese frosting is also important for decorating the dessert. So, use your imagination to create unique decorations, with fruits, with chocolate or by dusting the surface of the cake with ground nuts or cinnamon. I chose the simple version, in which I just spread cream cheese frosting, because I used toppers that Sofia chose especially for her birthday cake.
If you love cream cheese, I definitely recommend you to also try this amazing Baked Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache recipe.
Baking and Assembly
Baking and assembling this cream cheese carrot cake is simple, it doesn’t take much time and it doesn’t require special skills.
Basically, you have the freedom to use as many layers of dough as you want. My recommendation would be to use at least 3 layers of dough, because thus alternating 3 layers of dough with 3 layers of cream cheese, the final result will be delicious and extremely attractive.
I chose to prepare a 4-layer carrot cake, because I used the dough baked in two trays, which I cut in half, thus obtaining 4 layers of the batter.
But this is a personal option, in the end everyone can proceed as they prefer, or as it seems easier for them.
Assembly, as I specified in the steps of the recipe, involves placing the layers in a certain order, namely a dough layer, on top of which we will add the fruit syrup and then a layer of cream. By repeating this process, we will get an appetizing and delicious carrot cake slice, which conquers you from the first sight and melts your heart form the first bite.
I recommend that you use one of the trays with a removable bottom used for baking the dough, for assembly, and leave the assembled cake in that form, until the next day, to allow the cream cheese frosting to harden.
Only the next day I recommend you to release the ting of the tray and cut this cream cheese carrot cake so that you can enjoy a healthy, delicious and extremely attractive slice of this amazing dessert.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How to make cream cheese carrot cake frosting?
As I already said, cream cheese for carrot cake can be made in several ways, having as basic ingredients a cream cheese or a sweet cheese, such as ricotta and heavy cream. So, whether you choose to use ricotta, mascarpone or another type of sweet and/or creamy cheese, all you have to do is mix the cheese with heavy cream and add sugar or honey, to taste.
Can you make cream cheese carrot cake muffins?
Yes, absolutely! You can use the same dough that I used for this recipe, which you can bake in muffin forms. At the end, decorate the carrot cake muffins with cream cheese frosting and, if you wish, you can add fruit syrup for extra taste or you can use fresh fruits for dΓ©cor.
Is cream cheese carrot cake healthy?
From my point of view, this cream cheese carrot cake recipe is a healthy one. I say this because I have used simple, healthy ingredients and have considerably reduced the amount of sugar, practically, apart from the sugar used to obtain the raspberry syrup, we can say that this is a sugar free carrot cake recipe.
Is cream cheese carrot cake a kids friendly dessert?
Yes, considering the fact that this cream cheese carrot cake was made without added sugar, it is definitely a kid friendly dessert or suitable for people who follow sugar-free diets.