Hello friends, hope you all are enjoying the holiday season and eagerly waiting to welcome the New Year. I'm doing great and so are the kids too. Just another month before my mother leaves to Chennai. Hopefully, I can manage the 3 kids/boys (yes 3, including the biggest kid my husband) after she leaves.
But I have to give it to my husband this time. He is helpful than ever when compared to the time we had our first son. I haven't baked anything in the past 3 months except for the sugar-free cake recipe I'm going to share with you all today.
Actually, I haven't even been cooking anything different as often as I used to do before. I'm thinking of getting back on track again from this week onwards, please wish me luck so that I can stick to my plan.
At this moment I would also like to acknowledge that we have been receiving a lot of sincere suggestions/feedback from visitors through emails. Thank you very much for showing genuine interest in the growth of this website.
We are working towards making this blog more user-friendly and interactive. You will be seeing a lot of cool and interesting features in the days to come. Again everything depends on how well I'm going to manage the 24 hours we have.
It's not just any carrot cake, but a fat-free, sugar-free, vegan carrot cake made with whole wheat flour. As I type this all I can remember is the Thanksgiving episode of Friends featuring Brad Pitt (watch the first 30 seconds of the video).
I know what must be running in your mind. "How yucky can it get?"
But wait my dear friends, you are in for a total surprise when you taste this sugar-free cake. I know I say this a lot in a lot of the recipes here, but you have to believe me when I tell this "healthy doesn't have to taste bad; it can be damn good and this cake is definitely delicious for the health conscious people and the rest of us."
The specialty of this recipe is that it doesn't require any added sugar or artificial sugar substitutes like most of the sugar-free desserts call for. The cake gets its sweetness from dates and raisins. The only fat is from the walnuts, if you are using it. The credit for this wonderful sugar free cake goes to Beverly Lynn Bennett.
I just made some minor changes and the cake turned out very good. As for whole wheat flour, I used freshly milled flour and didn't find any difference at all in the taste. I'm not sure how the cake tastes with store-bought whole wheat flour.
I also increased the number of carrots and nuts to make it healthier. Bake this sugar-free cake for yourself to indulge without any guilt during this holiday season or it can also be a perfect gift especially for the special someone who cannot enjoy treats made of sugar.
Recipe
Sugar Free, Fat Free Vegan Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 and ¼ cups Water
- 1 and ¼ cups Dates Chopped
- 1 cup Raisins
- 1 teaspoon Allspice Powder
- 1 cup Carrots Shredded
- 1 cup Walnuts Chopped , optional
- ⅓ cup Carrot Juice (or any other juice)
- As Needed Water or some more juice depending upon the consistency of the batter.
Instructions
- Preheat oven for 15 minutes at 375F/190C. Lightly grease and line an 8 or 9 inch cake pan.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda and powder and salt; set aside.
- In a saucepan, combine together the water, dates, raisins and allspice powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Place the shredded carrots in a large bowl. Pour the hot liquid mixture on top of it and let it cool completely.
- Once it is cool add the chopped walnuts and carrot juice; combine it well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well together.
- Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Mine was done in about 40 minutes itself.
- If you have lined the cake pan with parchment paper you will be able to remove the cake just after 20 minutes. On the other hand if you have just greased the pan, it might take a couple of hours before you could remove the cake from the pan without breaking.
- This sugar free cake tasted absolutely delicious without frosting, but if you choose to frost wait for the cake to cool completely and frost it with your favorite frosting.
My Notes
- The original recipe calls for ½ cup each of shredded carrots and walnuts, but I have increased it to 1 cup each. I also used allspice powder instead a mix of various other spices because I didn't have them in hand.
- Also frozen orange juice concentrate has been used in the recipe, which I have substituted with carrot juice I had, which was not sweetened with added sugar. You may want to add about a tablespoon or 2 of water/juice to adjust the consistency of the batter.
Nutrition
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Alison says
Hi, sorry I find these cup measures so tricky, is it UK or US cups? Apparently dates, walnuts etc would be different from converting flour? I'd find it so much easier if it were all in grams
Madhuram says
It's US cups, Alison. Since I live in North America I find it easier to use these measurements. Please try using the baking measurements page to help you with the conversion.
Keerthy says
I found this as a unique recipe with no eggs, no oil/ butter,no sugar and tasted good. It’s soft and moist.I liked it. Thanks for the healthy recipe
Madhuram says
You're welcome, Keerthy.
Freya Gill says
Hi how long do you think this cake stays fresh for? If I made it on Wednesday would it still be nice on Saturday?
Madhuram says
I think it should be fine, Freya.
Jacqueline bethea says
Can I sub in date sugar for the dates? I won’t be using raisins—can I use more dates or date sugar ?
Madhuram says
I'm unable to comment because I have not baked with date sugar and so don't know how it will affect the taste and texture. Probably more chopped dates instead of raisins should be fine.
James Goodman says
Could I use plain flour instead of whole wheat flour?
Madhuram says
Yes, you can, James.
Kirsty says
I am making this for some toddlers so want to leave out the walnuts. Am I ok to simply not add them in?
Madhuram says
Yes, Kirsty.
Susan M says
This cake is moist, sweet but not too sweet. I added a flax egg (1T ground flaxseed + 3T warm water). For the carrot juice, chopped carrot with 1/3 c water & blended in Vitamix blender. As someone who gets sick from
ubiquitous too-sweet carbs, but loves a whole foods sweet desert, good to have this really satisfying healthy cake recipe. Thank you!
Madhuram says
You're welcome, Susan.
Vicky says
I don’t have any nuts or dates. I do have raisins but I see comments saying it took over the taste. If I don’t use any dates or nuts would it impact the cake? Also I want it lighter so would apple cyber vinegar help? Any tips? Thanks
Madhuram says
Dates and raisins gives the sweetness in this cake because it's a sugar-free cake. So omitting dates is not a good idea.
Riata says
Made this last weekend turned out very very heAvy? Had good taste just heAve
Alex says
I modified it ever so slightly by reducing the amount of raisins, and toasting the chopped nuts first. Also used pecans because they were cheaper - they're still nice and fatty and work well in a cake.
Next time I'll reduce the raisins even more, because they nearly took over the whole cake, and I'll add more liquid, because it wasn't as moist as I'd hoped.
Overall, it's a good recipe, and easy to personalise. Would definitely like to make it again.
Madhuram says
Thanks for trying the recipe and for your valuable feedback, Alex.
Betty says
I made this with no raisins and in a 7"x11" pan. It turned out great. Moist and tasty.
Madhuram says
That's great, Betty!
Nisha punjabi says
Does this cake not need any type of oil or butter? If yes, why. Also no kind of vinegar needed with baking soda?
Madhuram says
This cake doesn't need any type of fat, Nisha. It's a fat-free cake if you don't consider the walnuts. The original recipe didn't call for vinegar but I don't see any harm adding a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to give a less dense texture.
Annie says
For those needing a fat free cake for medical reasons, please be cautioned this is not a fat free cake as it claims. It contains nuts which are not fat free.
Teegz says
How many calories
Madhuram says
I'm sorry, I don't have the information.
SHARMILA GIDWANI says
Hi, if you have any suggestions on how much you think the carrot baby food i should use or if you try it out, please let me know! Thanks.
Madhuram says
I have used 1 cup of shredded carrots, so I'm assuming maybe 3/4th cup of puree because it's moist.
SHARMILA GIDWANI says
Cake looks delicious! In a previous carrot cake recipe I had from a long time ago that has been my go to recipe, I use carrot baby food (gerber jar kind) instead of shredded carrots. Definitely saves time and taste has always been good. Could i use the baby food in this recipe? If so, how much would you recommend?
Madhuram says
That's a good idea, Sharmila but I'm not sure how much to use in this recipe.
Tanusree Hati says
Mam,plz help how can i make 1pound eggless chocolate sponge cake for a diabetes person
Madhuram says
I don't have a sugar free chocolate cake recipe, Tanusree. If you have baked with sugar substitutes maybe you can try it with one of my chocolate cake recipes.
Judy Marabella says
Do you know the nutrition value? Calories, etc?
Madhuram says
Will try to figure it out and post it, Judy.
Diane Solomon says
Do you think I can use almond milk instead of water?
Madhuram says
Yes, you can, Diane.
Lakshmi Vishy says
Hi Madhuram,
I want to make this carrot cake. How long can it stay fresh? Also, if I refrigerate the cake, will it harden? I am planning to make it on Friday for a Saturday party. Will it be okay for the cake to stay in room temperature until Saturday evening? Please advise. Thank you.
Madhuram says
I wouldn't do it a couple of days early because it has a lot of raisins and other stuff. Refrigerating the cake might affect the texture a bit. So baking it a day ahead should be just fine.
James says
Excellent texture. I’m going to add extra spice next time, and maybe add some almonds for richness.
Madhuram says
That's great, James.
Sheila Colman says
I just made this with chopped mixed nuts and it was very good. How long will it last in a tin? Just wondered if no sugar would mean it doesn't keep so well.
Madhuram says
Thanks for trying the recipe, Sheila. Fresh carrot being used, I'm not sure if it will last longer at room temperature.
Roc says
This was my first time making a cake. Just finish eating my first piece. I can't have sugar or fat and I found your recipe. This was so so delicious. Thank you so so much
Madhuram says
You're very welcome, Roc.
Thom says
Oops, forgot to actually rate it in my previous comment!
Madhuram says
That's so sweet of you, Thom.
Thom says
This is amazing! I have cooked a lot of vegan cakes, and made a LOT of inedible sugar-free recipes (often of my own invention), but this is so delicious. You really wouldn't know this was sugar free, and it is going to be a definite regular out of my kitchen from now on. It even looks delicious, the carrot adds some great colour, I can't rate this highly enough!
Madhuram says
Thank you very much for the generous compliments, Thom.
Sarah says
Do you think this would cook equally well in a bundt pan?
Madhuram says
It might take lot more time to cook in a bundt pan.
Sophia says
Hi Madhuram,
I made this cake for my baby boy's first birthday smash cake! He has some food sensitivities so the recipe was exactly what I was looking for, plus super clean and healthy for his little baby body. While I was a huge fan, unfortunately he didn't love it...wouldn't even take one bite--but that was because he was too distracted by the balloons, I'm sure if he had just tried it he would have loved it! Here's a link with some pictures (I credited you for the recipe), it was a Freak Show Circus themed birthday!
https://turquoisetoffee.wordpress.com/2018/08/25/freak-show-circus-theme-first-birthday-for-baby-k/
Madhuram says
Thank you very much for trying the recipe and for blogging about it, Sophia. The pictures look amazing. I'm glad that you like the cake.
Jasleen says
Hi. I made this recipe. The cake was tasty but dense when baked. It lacked the light texture a cake should have. Did i go somewhere wrong with my batter. It was really thick.
I added water but still dint add much as u said 2 3 tablespoons would be enough. Please help.
Madhuram says
This cake will not have a light, airy texture like the usual cakes because it is fat free, egg free, sugar free and also we are using lot of dates and raisins. This cake will be dense and heavy. That's the way it is because of the ingredients we have used and some of which we have not used.
Jennifer says
This was delicious, I used whole wheat and graham flour and I added coconut and fresh pineapple! It was really good! Thank you for the recipe
Madhuram says
You're very welcome, Jennifer. That's a wonderful addition of coconut and pineapple.
Sara says
Why did I doubt this recipe?! This cake is sooo delicious! I made it with a few adjustments (I used spelt flour, oat flour and coconut flour, I soaked the raisins in rum and I added a flax egg and some chia). Thank you for the recipe.
Madhuram says
Thank you so much for the feedback, Sara 🙂
Dee says
It's so nice to have a recipe for eggless, sugarless, gluten free carrot cake! I have a "Thermomix" so it made it easy to first steam and then finely chop the carrots, as desired. I used 1 cup of Spelt and 1 cup of Einkorn Flour to make it gluten free. I set the oven to bake for the suggested time, but it seemed like it needed a bit more time. I had to leave so I turned off the oven 7 minutes early and left the cake to continue cooking slowly. Turned out perfect. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Madhuram says
Thank you very much, Dee for taking the time to leave a detailed feedback. What is this Thermomix? Have to look into it. I vaguely remember reading about it a few years back.
Janani says
Can you mention whats meant by All spice powder?? Want to try this cake
Madhuram says
Allspice is an herb which has the flavor of cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon combined. Ground allspice is available in stores in the spice section. If you can't find it just use ground cinnamon.
Cat says
This is my first attempt at a vegan, sugar free cake and I am impressed with the recipe. Thank you for taking the time to work on this. My cake turned out pretty well, I think next time I would add a bit more allspice to increase the flavour (don't think I added the full amount you suggested as it had such a strong smell)! I am going to try a Christmas cake next I think. Thanks, Cat.
Madhuram says
Thanks for trying the recipe and leaving your feedback, Cat.
Sunitha says
Hi your cake feels so healthy,can we make dates puree instead of pouring directly.
Madhuram says
Probably the color of the cake will change and texture will be affected too, also it might have to bake a bit longer.
Solange says
What can you use in place of the dates?
Madhuram says
I think that cannot be replaced.
Hannah says
Can I use all purpose flour for this cake ?
Madhuram says
Yes you can Hannah.
shwetal says
How long can I store this in an air-tight container?
Madhuram says
Hmm..not more than a day or two if you want to keep it in room temperature, because it's summer now, hot and humid and with carrot, raisin and all other perishable ingredients. I think it will keep good for a few more days in the fridge and you can warm it up in the microwave oven before serving.
kkhur says
Hi. wondering how it can be fat free with walnuts? Thanks
Madhuram says
Yes technically it's not fat free, but you can always omit it if you want it to be fat-free. It's not something that is indispensable in this recipe. You can still bake the cake without using walnuts. By fat free here I mean that there is no fat in the form of butter/oil in the recipe.
preeti fnu says
Can I replace orange juice instead of carrot juice?
Madhuram says
I think it should work Preeti.
jyoti sharma says
I found this recipe so fascinating as I keep searching for recipes which are more healthier. But when I tried it became a disaster. It was cooked from outside but was gooey from inside(completely raw). I even tried cooking with sealed foil for an extra 1 hr. But didn't help. Please suggest what went wrong in it. I guess my baking tray was small for this recipe. Was this the reason?
Madhuram says
Did you preheat the oven? What size pan did you use?
Penelope says
Calories?
Madhuram says
Sorry, don't have the information.
nadine a says
The carrot cake was a blessing . I tried it gluten free using rice flour , sorghum and tapioca . It rises big time and was a bit sweet for me I ll just lessen the raisins next time . Thanks a million . Bless you . First time I find not only egg free but fat free n sugar free .
Madhuram says
Wow! You made it gluten free too!? Awesome. Thanks for the feedback.
Varsha says
Does the cake bake well in pressure cooker?
Madhuram says
I have never baked in pressure cooker so not aware. Sorry Varsha.
Krishna Kumar r says
I tried this too but met the disaster as Nanma above. I baked for about 40 minutes. I halved the ingredients since l wanted to try out a small batch. I don't know for some reason the batter did not raise. I almost used the same quantity of baking powder and soda as in the recipe but it still didn't work. I use a CMW oven and the preheat automatically done just when it reaches the required temperature (190). Batter was average pouring consistency. Will appreciate if you could guess what could have gone wrong and share some tips to do it the right way. Thanks for your time.
Madhuram says
What was the size of the pan you used to bake the cake? If you had halved the ingredients and still used an 8-inch pan then it won't look well risen. It would be flat only. If your oven is in proper working condition and the taste is good but if you had only problem with the height of the cake, the pan size is the only thing that I can think of. Hope this helps. 🙂
Jessica S. says
I tried this today. I LOVE it. I used 1/2 C raisins, and the other half was golden raisins and chopped prunes (I ran out of the regular raisins, but the varied fruit tastes good). I had to add 1/4 C water at the end, I'm glad you added the note saying that I might have to do so. Thanks for the recipe.
Madhuram says
You're very welcome Jessica. 🙂
Pratibha says
I tried it! It turned out awesome and my hubby loves it!
Madhuram says
Thank you Pratibha.
Sb says
Hi.. the cake sounds awesome. just wanted to check if its possible to substitute dates and raisins with a little sugar and how to proceed? Allergies in the family so cant do it as it is but would love to try it out! TIA
Madhuram says
Hmm..I'm not saying that it can't be done. But I cannot guarantee perfect results at the same time because it's a good chunk of ingredients you will have to substitute. Why don't you just try the vegan carrot cake recipe in the blog instead.
Linda says
I made this recipe today and it turned out great!
I used whole wheat flour...just a store brand...and used extra carrots and
Walnuts.
I baked the cake for only 40 minutes.
I will make this recipe again!
I made a sugar free frosting that was made with Yogurt, cream cheese, vanilla
powered sugar...
Delicious...we all loved the flavor
The texture...was just as Good or better than adding only carrots. The dates and a mixture of raisins and craisens.
Madhuram says
That's awesome Linda.