This irresistible Weight Watchers Carrot Cake yields 16 slices, and each slice is only 4 points! If you look on the WW app, you’ll see that many restaurant or grocery store carrot cakes are between 15 – 30 points per serving, so being able to make this homemade carrot cake recipe for a fraction of that amount is amazing.
This dessert is usually high-point because it has a high flour-to-sugar ratio and lots of oil in the cake batter. The frosting costs just as much because of the cream cheese and sugar. However, with a few adjustments, this classic cake can be lightened up. This is a healthy carrot cake with applesauce; it is completely oil and butter-free.
Meanwhile, the homemade frosting uses reduced-fat cream cheese instead of regular and is sweetened with organic honey instead of powdered sugar. I added chopped walnuts and pineapple pieces to my cake batter, but you can always use pecans or add raisins or shredded coconut (I know everyone loves their carrot cake with specific add-ins!).
If you’ve never made a carrot cake from scratch, now is your chance. Even though it looks fancy and maybe even like a challenge, it is actually so easy. For the longest time, I shied away from making this dessert because I thought shredding the carrots would be tedious. But I was pleasantly surprised when I finally made one and realized it was much easier than I had made it out to be.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
- It’s great for celebrations. Whether you need something for the holidays, a birthday party, or another type of celebration, this carrot cake will win everyone over. You can decorate the top however you want for an amazing display —and get 16 slices out of the cake!
- It’s perfectly moist. This simple carrot cake is so soft and moist because of the applesauce, pineapple pieces, and carrots. You won’t even notice that it is missing oil.
- It’s an easy carrot cake recipe. This is a simple recipe that anyone can make. You can even turn it into a family baking project and have everyone help out with the prep and decorating.
Recipe Overview
- Serving Size: 1 slice (95g)
- Number of Servings: 16
- Time to Cook: 40 minutes
- WW Points Per Recipe: 4 points per serving, 65 points for the entire recipe (Click here to view the recipe in the WW app. WW login is required)
Ingredients in Weight Watchers Carrot Cake
Carrot Cake Recipe
- 2 ⅓ cup All-purpose flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- ¾ tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
- 1 cup Unsweetened applesauce
- 1 ⅓ cup Zero-calorie sweetener (use your preferred 1:1 sugar replacement)
- 3 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 3 cups Shredded carrots
- ⅓ cup Chopped walnuts (or pecans)
- ½ cup Pineapple tidbits or chunks, drained
- ½ tsp Table salt
Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
- 8 oz reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
- 4 tbsp organic honey
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp Nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- Cinnamon to taste
Instructions for making Weight Watchers Carrot Cake
- Preheat oven to 350F. Make the batter: In one bowl, mix the wet ingredients, and in another bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Leave the carrots, nuts, and pineapple separate.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and mix to combine. Next, add the carrots, nuts, and pineapple and stir to create the batter. It will be thick; if you let it sit a few minutes, it becomes more spreadable.
- Transfer half of the mixture to a parchment-lined 9-inch round pan. If you have two pans, you can bake both at once, or you can reserve the remaining batter and bake the two cakes in batches.
4. Bake the cakes for 30 minutes, then cover and bake for about 10 more minutes or until the center comes out clean with a toothpick or knife inserted in the center. Allow the cakes to cool entirely.
5. Make the frosting: Mix the yogurt and cream cheese until smooth, then add the honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. Adjust the sweetness if needed. The frosting will be a little on the thin side; allow it to rest in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm up more.
6. Apply half of the frosting to the top of one of the cakes.
7. Place the other cake on top and spread the remaining frosting on top. Add crushed nuts or other preferred garnishes, and enjoy!
Variations and Substitutions
- Carrot Cake with Raisins: You can add raisins to the batter as well! You only need about ⅓ – ½ cup. Keep in mind you will need to adjust the recipe in the WW recipe builder to determine the new points amount.
- Carrot Cake with Coconut: Add shredded coconut to the batter or toast it and use it as a topping! This is especially delicious if you keep the pineapple in the batter. This is a great add-in if you have extra points to use up.
- Gluten-free Carrot Cake: Use a cup-for-cup GF all-purpose blend instead of using the normal flour in the recipe. Check the other ingredients to make sure they aren’t made in a facility that processes gluten.
- One Layer Easy Carrot Cake: Cut the recipe in half and make a single 9-inch round cake. Only make half the frosting, too, and use it to coat the top of the cake! You can cut this cake into 8 slices since it is shorter.
- Sweetener vs. Sugar: If you want to use granulated sugar instead of sweetener, use the same amount. It will increase each slice to 9 points.
Tips and Tricks for Making The Best Carrot Cake
- I suggest making the cakes the night before and then assembling the cake the next day. The flavors in the cake really meld together with this method, and you don’t have to worry about waiting long enough for the cakes to cool since they will be ready to go. Make sure to wrap them overnight.
- If your cakes are domed after baking, you can cut the tops to level them out before assembling the cake.
- Use fresh carrots instead of pre-shredded carrots if you can! Sometimes, the pre-shredded carrots can be dry, and you really need that moisture for the cake. The fresh carrots are just better quality usually.
- Cover the cake when storing it, otherwise it will dry out. You will need to store it in the fridge because the frosting is perishable. I also recommend not slicing it in advance. Keep the moisture locked in and slice just before serving!
- Be careful not to overmix the batter because it will affect the texture of the cake. You only need to mix until the carrots, nuts, and pineapple are evenly dispersed.
Related Recipes
Carrot Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
WW Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Weight Watchers Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Recipe
- 2 ⅓ cup All-purpose flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- ¾ tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
- 1 cup Unsweetened applesauce
- 1 ⅓ cup Zero-calorie sweetener, use your preferred 1:1 sugar replacement
- 3 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 3 cups Shredded carrots
- ⅓ cup Chopped walnuts, or pecans
- ½ cup Pineapple tidbits or chunks, drained
- ½ tsp Table salt
Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
- 8 oz reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
- 4 tbsp organic honey
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp Nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- Cinnamon to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Make the batter: In one bowl, mix the wet ingredients, and in another bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Leave the carrots, nuts, and pineapple separate.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and mix to combine. Next, add the carrots, nuts, and pineapple and stir to create the batter. It will be thick; if you let it sit a few minutes, it becomes more spreadable.
- Transfer half of the mixture to a parchment-lined 9-inch round pan. If you have two pans, you can bake both at once, or you can reserve the remaining batter and bake the two cakes in batches.
- Bake the cakes for 30 minutes, then cover and bake for about 10 more minutes or until the center comes out clean with a toothpick or knife inserted in the center. Allow the cakes to cool entirely.
- Make the frosting: Mix the yogurt and cream cheese until smooth, then add the honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. Adjust the sweetness if needed. The frosting will be a little on the thin side; allow it to rest in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm up more.
- Apply half of the frosting to the top of one of the cakes. Place the other cake on top and spread the remaining frosting on top. Add crushed nuts or other preferred garnishes, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
