Fragrant and Healthy Carrot Cake

Great cake! I used 100% white whole wheat flour and substituted applesauce for the oil. I also used 1/2 sugar and 1/2 Splenda to make this even more healthy. It was a hit of the party!

I wanted something healthier for my daughter's first birthday cake, so I chose this recipe. I also made chocolate cupcakes, thinking some of the family might prefer them, but the carrot cake was the big hit. I'd definitely make this again. The orange flavor and the sweetness of the figs were really nice, a departure from the standard carrot cake.

Incredible! I can't really think 'carrot cake' when I eat this, but it is the most amazing spice and texture experience I've ever had with cake! :) I baked the batter in muffin cups for nearly 30 minutes to make sure they wouldn't be gooey, and they turned out perfectly. Moist and delicious. The molasses is a heavy flavour (I love it, but not all my family can appreciate it) so I think I will try substituting honey or agave nectar next time and see if it results in a lighter, more typical carrot cake.

A great recipe! It comes out really moist. I like adding more things like coconut, shredded pineapple, etc. The family loved it (except the 2 year old...what can you do?) ;)

Minimum batter, maximum good stuff! I underbaked it quite a bit since I used a loaf pan, and made some cream cheese frosting (went very easy on the sugar) and it was fantastic. Thanks!

This was a very tasty cake! I substituted applesauce for the oil, used all whole wheat flour, and left out the molasses. I also doubled the recipe and used a 9x13 pan. I was worried about overcooking it after reading a review, so kept a close eye on it and took it out after 50 minutes or so. It looked like it might be overdone but ended up a little gooey in the middle. Definitely bake it for the full time.

These were exactly what I was looking for! I altered the recipe a bit...1) I didn't add the carob powder, 2) I used honey instead of molasses, 3) I used about 8+ black mission figs (since they are small), 4) I omitted the poppy seeds, and 5) I used applesauce instead of oil. I also baked them as cupcakes (about 30-35 minutes at 350). Yum!

I have to say I was stunned by the outstanding flavor of this cake with so little sugar - the ingredients are wonderful for those who are diabetic or just looking for healthier varieties. I did not use the carob powder. What makes this special are the figs - they really stand out. Excellent taste and no guilt enjoying this cake!!

I was searching for a recipe for the county fair and I ran across this one. It is very good the texture is very nice, with the pecans, figs and raisins. All and all a great recipe to try.

A niced alternative to all the recipes with 5x the amount of oil and twice as much sugar.

Amazing Recipe! I didn't have a bundt cake used a 9x13 pan and underbaked it quite a bit. It turned out more like Carrot Cake Squares because it doesn't rise like a normal cake because it is so dense. But, this recipe is not only healthy but has a very bold wonderful flavor and was REALLY good! I replaced oil with applesauce and frosted the cake with cream cheese frosting. It was a real winner!

Not too crazy about this one. Baked for time listed and it came out over-done. If I try again, I will check after 30 mins.

This was pretty good. I used all white flour; maybe using whole wheat would make it better.

Tasty! This is the first time I've made carrot cake, and I am definitely a fan. I used more figs (they weren't dried, so it's very moist) and I added extra raisins and replaced pecans with walnuts. I made a frosting with honey and butter melted together, then lemon zest and cream cheese mixed in until smooth.

I don't know if it's fair to rate this recipe when I made so many changes. I doubled the recipe and cooked it in a 9X13 pan. Glad I checked it after only 40 minutes because it was already overcooking. Replaced the raisin with dried cherries (I have family members who won't eat raisins). Replaced the oil with crushed pineapple and replaced half the sugar with Stevia. The poppy seeds gave the cake a crunch. Overall, everyone thought it was pretty good, including myself, but no one raved. I will probably keep the recipe and use it again.

This is definately THE best carrot cake I have ever made and eaten. Thanks a big bunch for this.

My husband prefers the full fat versions of carrot cake, but i really liked this cake, I had a hard time staying out of it!

My husband and I really liked this a lot! And I so love that it doesn't have so much sugar!!!

It was lovely and moist! I had wholemeal self raising flour, but white plain flour. I cut out the figs and the raisins, and replaced pecans with walnuts. It only needed half the cooking time. I also only used 1 tsp (misread) of cinnamon, but added 1 tsp of nutmeg, and a half tsp of chinese five spice. I was very impressed with the low sugar content compared to most other recipes.

I only made 2 changes - omitted the carob powder, and I cooked it in a greased 9 x 13 glass pan at 350 degrees. It only took 30-33 minutes. When I make it again, I'm going to add more pecans. The flavor was amazing, and everyone at work LOVED it!

Loved it! So fragrant! Was able to use everything it called for, except used coconut oil. Also 100% whole wheat. Added chia seeds and flaxseeds. This is the perfect cake to add all kinds of healthy add-ons! My kids loved it!

Delicious! I made this as a test cake for my little ones first birthday cake. It's much lower in sugar so was perfect. I did make some edits and i may make again and try either no sugar or half it. Edits i made: I did not pack the sugar (so as to use less). I did not use carob powder (it's optional anyways). I did not use molassas. I used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. I did not add the poppy seeds. Since it was for my toddler son i didn't want any choking hazards so i ground the pecans to pretty much 'pecan flour' and i put the figs and raisins in the blender with the juice from the orange. I ended up needing more liquid in both the cake and the blender in order to puree the figs and raisins so i added 8oz of crushed pineapple from the can and 1 of those individual tubs of natural applesauce. I also wanted it to be more similar to real carrot cake so i added 1/2 c. coconut that was super fine (so as to not be a choking hazard). I baked it in two 4" cake pans and had enough for 4-5 muffins. The muffins took about 30 minutes and the cake pans i think about 50 mins. It's moist and delicious! A perfect low sugar smash cake! If i try it with no or less sugar i'll update the review.

Pretty good. I didn't find figs in the store so I added crushed pineapple. I also was out of molasses, so that wasn't in. The orange rind dominated the flavor. I would cut back on that for another time. Served with Creme Anglaise.