MAKE CARROT CAKE AND CHECK THE HEALTH BENEFITS

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Carrots are considered to be among the healthiest of vegetables. Using carrots in desserts, cakes and puddings is a rather popular way to eat this healthy vegetable.

How to Make the Carrot Cake – Recipe

Ingredients:

Cake:

Grated carrots – 2 large cups

All-purpose flour – 10 ounces

Baking powder – 2 teaspoons

Cinnamon powder – ½ teaspoon

Granulated sugar – 1 ½ cup

Softened butter – 6 tablespoons

Eggs – 3 large

Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon

Cooking oil – 1 ½ cup

Frosting:

Cream cheese – 8 ounces

Salted butter

Powdered sugar – 16 ounces

Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon

Preparation:

·         Preheat your oven at 350 degrees.

·         Combine the dry ingredients such as the flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder in a mixing bowl. Add the carrots and toss it all to combine well. You may also add a quarter teaspoon of salt to this mixture.

·         In another bowl, place the granulated sugar and add butter to it. Beat it while adding the eggs. Add the vanilla extract and oil, keep whisking. To this mixture, add the flour and carrot mix. Make a nice batter and spread it over your baking tray. Coat the tray with cooking spray. Bake the cake for 28 minutes or until you know it is done. You can check this by poking a wooden toothpick in the cake; if it comes out clean, your cake is done.

·         Cool the cake to prepare it for frosting.

·         Mix all the ingredients of the frosting and spread it over the cake.

The Healthy Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is one of the favourite holiday desserts. Kids love it too and you may want to believe that it is quite healthy. Of course, it does contain the carrots but a carrot cake can turn out to be a calorie toast if you don’t keep a keen eye on the details. If made the regular way, one generous slice of the carrot cake with the frosting can add as many as 650 calories and that, definitely, is a lot.  Here is how you can make your carrot cake healthy that will give you just about 342 calories per slice –

·         Replace some of the cooking oil with buttermilk

·         Reduce the sugar with pineapple for sweetness

·         Use whole wheat flour or replace some of the all-purpose flour with it to boost up the fiber content

·         Use low-fat cream in frosting

·         Add walnuts and coconut flakes for flavour

Health Benefits of Carrot Cake

With the above healthy version of the carrot cake, you won’t just enjoy a delicious dessert but also let your body enjoy some health benefits that are basically due to the presence of the primary ingredient – carrots.

Carrots can prevent heart diseases, regulate blood pressure, boost your immunity and digestion as well as prevent muscular degeneration. It improves your eyesight too and boosts your overall health.

Carrot cake can be as healthy as you want it to be. Enjoy it at its best!