The Best Healthy Carrot Cake For a Crowd

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This is hands down the best carrot cake for a crowd. It’s perfectly sweetened with warm spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Walnuts, coconut, and raisins give it a crunch and fresh carrots give the cake it’s bold orange color. The almond and coconut flour creates its light and fluffy texture.

Is this recipe good for large groups?

Whether you’re having a big family reunion, holiday get-together, company party, or even a birthday, your guests will be impressed. Nothing transforms a party like a yummy homemade dessert. There’s something so festive about this carrot cake and your guests will be sure to appreciate the effort you put in to make this scrumptious treat.

This cake is incredibly easy to make. You just need one large batch of batter for multiple cakes. This recipe has 16 servings, but you could easily duplicate the quantity as much as you need to. If you would like to double this recipe and create a layered cake you would just need another 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

You don’t need anything special to make this recipe as it uses simple and easy to find ingredients that most grocery stores carry. It’s also a very affordable option as many desserts for large groups tend to get spendy.

Is this carrot cake healthy?

This is not your everyday average dessert. I remember eating my grandma’s homemade carrot cake when I was a child and ever since it’s been my favorite. She could whip up just about anything from scratch and it would taste amazing every time. Not all carrot cakes are created like my grandmas though. With all of the sugar, flour, and butter they normally have, most of them are too heavy and sweet for me.

I thought I would swap the traditional ingredients out for ingredients like monk fruit, coconut oil, almond flour, and coconut flour. Unsweetened coconut flakes are a welcome surprise inside of the cake.

This carrot cake comes out moist with just the right amount of sweet and spice every time I make it. This cake is topped with a decadent homemade greek yogurt frosting with vanilla extract, sweetener, and coconut flour. Trust me, you won’t even miss the cream cheese frosting.

Even though this is a healthier carrot cake, you won’t even be able to tell the difference. I put it to the true test and asked my co-workers to give it the taste test. I didn’t tell them it was a healthy carrot cake until they raved how tasty it was.

How do you shred the carrots?

I would recommend using whole carrots and shredding them yourself. You can certainly use store-bought shredded carrots if you are in a time crunch, but I’ve found when I shred them myself, it brings out the carrot flavor more which makes the cake naturally sweeter.

To shred your own carrots, first cut the ends off and peel them. I chopped them into 1-inch pieces and used my Ninja blender to pulse the carrots into small pieces. A food processer would also work well.

If you don’t have a blender or a food processor, you’re not out of luck. You can use a peeler to peel them into long, thin slices and then chop them into fine bits.

How do you decorate the cake?

Making sure the carrot cake has completely cooled down is single-handedly the most important step. You can always place the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes to speed up the process. I recommend making the cake the day before your event so you’re not rushed to frost it.

Once your cake has cooled, evenly frost the cake with your greek yogurt icing. Sprinkle on walnuts, coconut, and raisins for an extra touch if you’d like, but keep in mind this might not be the best for large groups because not everyone is a fan of them.

Can you make the cake the day before?

I recommend making this cake the same day as your event so it’s moist and fluffy, but you should allow plenty of time for it to cool before you frost it with the greek yogurt. If you need to, you could bake the cake the day before your event and it would still be delicious. I would still wait to frost the cake until the day of the event.

How do you store the cake?

I would recommend storing the cake in the fridge in an airtight container. The cake stays moist and fluffy for up to two days when stored correctly. If you don’t have an airtight container, use plastic wrap to cover the cake especially where you’ve cut a slice from. Pair the cake with a nice warm cup of herbal tea or coffee and cream.

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, unsweetened shredded coconut, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. 

Whisk in the melted and cooled coconut oil until it’s well incorporated, then stir in the carrots. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix it until well combined. Stir in raisins and nuts, if using.

Pour the batter into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and smooth evenly with a spatula. Bake for 25-35 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting or removing from the pans.

For the frosting:

I prefer to use Fage Total 0% Milkfat Plain Greek Yogurt. It doesn’t matter so much what brand you use as long as it’s plain Greek yogurt. Do not use regular yogurt or else the frosting will not get the thick creamy consistency.

To make the frosting, mix the plain greek yogurt, vanilla extract, sweetener, and coconut flour in a bowl. Wait until the cake is completely cooled, then spread the frosting evenly on the cake with a spatula.

If you would like, add walnuts, raisins, and coconut flakes on top of the cake for extra sweetness and crunch.