It finally happened! I was able to create a delicious healthy dessert that is almost completely paleo too. This recipe for healthy carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting is exactly what you have been waiting for. Just trust me. This is one of the recipes that people keep asking me for over and over again.
While I have been on Weight Watchers, I have struggled with the sweets. The SmartPoints algorithm heavily weighs sugars, so sweets have been a challenge for me. But knowing that I can eat a cupcake with frosting on it is exactly what I needed to know.
Do I indulge every day? Of course not! But I do think it’s healthy to indulge in something you really loved before you started losing weight. Completely cutting out certain things (like desserts for me) would be disastrous. I just can’t cut it out completely without having the ability to have a cupcake here or a piece of chocolate there. Again, if it’s in moderation (like once a week) it’s ok.
I personally love any kind of dessert that is a single serving. It cuts out the guess work. I also love to have lots of people to share the desserts so that I am not as tempted after that one dinner and dessert. I know that if I cooked 12 cupcakes, I would probably eat 6 (6 would go to my husband). But having family over when I bake a dessert, I know that I can have other people eat those so I only have one.
[Tweet “A healthy dessert? Count me in! This is only 3 SmartPoints on Weight Watchers.”]
Call me crazy, but it works for me. I just know that if I take them home, I will eat them all. And that doesn’t fit into my SmartPoints value for the day. So one of these cupcakes is 3 SmartPoints. So instead of those 2 beers you were thinking of having on Saturday, make these cupcakes. You won’t regret it, I promise you.
To make the healthy carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs, honey, avocado oil, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until the eggs are beaten. Add the almond flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Beat again until fluffy. Fold in the carrots, raisins and pecans. Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes, or until you can insert a toothpick into them and they come out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a baking rack. Allow to cool completely before applying the frosting.
While the cupcakes are cooling, mix together the cream cheese and sugar in a small bowl. Add in a little bit of vanilla if you would like to. Add the frosting to the cooled off cupcakes and serve immediately.
Healthy Carrot Cake Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups carrots grated
- 1/2 cup raisins chopped
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
For the Frosting
- 1 package low-fat cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Beat the eggs, honey, avocado oil, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until the ingredients are mixed together. Add the almond flour, baking soda, spices and salt and beat for about 5 minutes. Fold in the carrots, raisins and pecans.
- Place the batter into 12 sprayed muffin tins and bake for about 20 minutes, or until you can insert a toothpick into them and they come out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a baking rack. Allow to cool completely before applying the frosting.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, mix together the cream cheese and sugar in a small bowl. Add in a little bit of vanilla if you would like to.
- Add the frosting to the cooled off cupcakes and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Haha. Thank you so much for pinning. These are well worth making (I’ll be making them again for Fathers Day since we are hosting it). My family loves carrot cake too.
Haha – I thought I might have hooked you. These cupcakes are SO good. I know that they have some weird things in them, but they don’t taste weird at all. Just trust me…they are so good!
Thank you MIssy! I loved these – they were a huge hit with my family who just couldn’t get enough (they asked for more that night). I didn’t know this either, but avocado oil and olive oil are almost like oil-cousins. You can use them together – and they taste similar to each other.
I pinned this before I even read it because they looked so tasty! I’ll be making these for 4th of July for sure. My family LOVES carrot cake.
Oh girlll you know you had me at cupcake! YUM! What an interesting combo, can’t wait to try!
Yum! I will definitely be making these! I have never thought of using avocado oil for baking!