The Duckey version of Happy Birthday Carrot Cake...

My birthday is just around the corner and for this occasion I want to treat myself a little and make my ultimate favourite cake!

I have always wanted to make this recipe, however it’s not the most healthiest of cakes despite its name. To overcome this I have adapted this recipe slightly… in my own way and Duckey proofed another dish yet again.

It is always good to have a slight indulgence now and again as I find if you are too strict with yourself when you do let yourself go you just binge on completely the wrong types of food and in theory this is probably worse for you rather than a treat now and then.

This is also known as yo yo dieting which can lead to more weight gain than sticking to a balanced diet.

RECIPE: Moist succulent carrot cake delicately favoured with cinnamon pineapple and raisins, combined with walnuts topped with a low fat cream cheese topping decorated with carrot peel.

You will need:

60g unsalted butter
1 egg 1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large grated carrots
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
135g brown sugar
110g wholemeal flour
50g drained, canned, crushed pineapple
50g raisins
50g walnuts chopped

For the icing:

112g low-fat cream cheese softened
100g icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To decorate:

Thinly stripped carrot peels

To make the cake:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees

2. Remove the unsalted butter and eggs from the refrigerator to allow them to warm to the room temperature

3. Place the butter in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy

4. Gradually add the brown sugar and continue to beat until the mixture becomes very fluffy



5. Then add the egg and egg white (which should be beaten in a separate bowl for a bit of volume


6. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg and carrots


7. Sift the wholemeal flour, baking powder and salt in the mixture

8. Fold in half the flour mixture

9. Stir in the pineapple, raisins and walnuts


10. Fold in the rest of the flour mixture … the batter should be smooth, but do not overmix!

11. Coat a 10-inch round cake pan with non-stick spray

12. Pour the batter mixture into the pan


13. Bake until the cake is golden brown and set in the center, about 35 minutes

14. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan



To make the cream cheese icing:

1. In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla together until the mixture is smooth

2. Using a spoon or spatula, spread the icing on top of the cooled cake

3. Store the cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

4. Cut the cake into 12 pieces and allow it to come to room temperature before serving.



To add peace of mind to your piece of cake the overall values of this carrots cake is:

Calories: 234
Total Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 6 g
Protein: 3 g
Total Carbohydrates: 34 g
Cholesterol: 43 mg
Dietary Fiber: 1 g
Sodium: 94 mg

If you compared this with the usual recipe I am sure it would leave you feeling guilt free! Let me know what you think!

I can't wait to try it - I have left the cake in the fridge over night so when I serve it at dinner tomorrow it should be perfectly cool and creamy... plus I can enjoy it more as I know exactly what went in it and that its healthy!

Happy birthday to me!