The Lower-Sugar Carrot Cake I’ve Been Making for 11 Years

I’ve been making this carrot cake for about 11 years.

I first found the recipe through Hanaman (하나만님). The original recipe already used less sugar, and over the years I kept adjusting it in my own kitchen. Eventually I tried cutting the sugar down to just 1/2 cup for one batch. It still tasted good to us, so that’s how I usually make it now.

Most of the time we eat this cake plain. It’s good with coffee, easy to give the kids as a snack, and also really good with buttercream when I want it to feel more like dessert. I like a generous amount of cinnamon, especially with coffee.

This batch started in our garden

This time I made the cake with carrots from our own garden.

[Photo: carrots growing in our garden]

[Photo: harvesting the carrots]

I also had Alaska cranberries in the freezer, so I added some to this batch along with pecans.

The cranberries and pecans are both completely optional. For most of the years I’ve made this cake, I’ve made the simple version without either one.

How I make it

When my kids were little and helped me bake, I often made this in the blender. Put the wet ingredients in first, then add the dry ingredients and carrots. Pulse only a few times, just until everything comes together.

If you’re adding cranberries or pecans, don’t blend them. I add the cranberries straight from the freezer without thawing, chop the pecans separately, and fold either or both into the finished batter with a spatula.

If you’d rather use a bowl, mix the wet ingredients first, add the dry ingredients and carrots, and mix just until combined. Fold in any optional add-ins at the end.

Orange juice or milk + lemon

The original recipe uses orange juice, and I’ve made it that way many times. It’s really good with orange juice. When I don’t have orange juice, I use milk with a little lemon juice instead, and that has worked well for me too.

Lower-Sugar Carrot Cake Recipe

Basic Recipe

180 g (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
130 g finely processed carrots
100 g (1/2 cup) sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted, or another mild oil
2 eggs (about 100 g without shells)
60 g (1/4 cup) orange juice OR 60 g milk + 1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
about 5 g (1 tsp) baking soda
1 1/2–2 tsp cinnamon
about 1.5 g (1/4 tsp) salt
65 g frozen cranberries, optional
55 g (about 1/2 cup) chopped pecans, optional

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Mix the batter using the blender or bowl method above. If using cranberries and/or pecans, fold them in at the end. I usually make this basic version as a loaf cake or as cupcakes rather than in a round cake pan. Bake until the center is set and a tester comes out without wet batter; the baking time will depend on the pan or cupcake size.

Big-Batch Version: We’re a family of seven, and one pan can disappear fast. That’s why I started making a bigger batch. It’s also handy when I need to make a lot at once for something like a bake sale. The printable recipe below has the full measurements for two 9×13-inch pans.

Gluten-Free Version — two loaves

For this version I used one 9×5-inch loaf pan and one 9.25×5.25-inch loaf pan.

270 g Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
200 g finely processed carrots
150 g (3/4 cup) sugar
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted, or another mild oil
3 eggs (about 150 g without shells)
90 g (6 Tbsp) orange juice OR 90 g milk + 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
about 7 g (1 1/2 tsp) baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
about 2 g (3/8 tsp) salt
100 g frozen cranberries, optional
85 g (about 3/4 cup) chopped pecans, optional

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare the batter the same way and fold in any optional add-ins at the end. Divide between the two loaf pans, putting a little more batter into the larger pan. Start checking around 40 minutes; mine may need about 45–55 minutes depending on the pans and oven.

Both cranberries and pecans are optional in every version. Use both, choose one, or leave them out completely.

Notes from 11 Years of Making It

The carrots

I trim the carrots and process them in a food processor rather than shredding them. I’ve tried using store-bought pre-shredded carrots before, but I didn’t like the cake as much that way. I prefer it when the carrots are finely processed.

Even better the next day

I keep the cake covered in a container with a lid. By the next day it’s even more moist, and I actually think it tastes better. I’ve also made it ahead of time and frozen it successfully.

Dairy-free option

I didn’t originally make this cake with dairy-free baking in mind, but I realized that I’ve actually made it dairy-free many times over the years. The original recipe uses orange juice rather than milk, and coconut oil is the oil I’ve used most often. That combination has worked well for me.

White sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, and maple syrup have all worked for me over the years. When I’ve used maple syrup, I’ve substituted it 1:1 for the sugar.

Coconut oil is the oil I’ve used most often for this cake. I’ve also used mild, neutral-tasting olive oil and other oils. I’ve also made this cake with almond flour from Costco before and liked it, but I no longer have the exact measurements I used.

Why I make a gluten-free version

I started experimenting with gluten-free baking years ago, when I was being careful with wheat and dairy because of skin issues. I even tried an almond-flour version of this carrot cake back then. I liked it, but I no longer remember the exact measurements, so I’m not including that version as a recipe here.

These days I make gluten-free versions more often because my husband has celiac disease. After making this carrot cake so many different ways over the past 11 years, the gluten-free version I make now is actually my personal favorite. I love how soft and moist it is, with a slightly chewy, almost sticky texture. We’re a family of seven, and less than 12 hours after I made this batch, it was already gone. My husband even ate his with butter on top.

I didn’t make frosting this time, but next time I’d love to try it with cream cheese frosting. I also keep thinking white chocolate would be really good in it, but I haven’t tried that yet.

Print the Recipe

I made a two-page version because this is how I like to use recipes in my own kitchen: I print it, keep it in my recipe binder, and open it up on the counter when I’m baking. It puts the Basic, Big Batch, and Gluten-Free amounts side by side, so I can quickly choose how much I need that day.

Print the Binder Recipe (PDF)