Protein Packed Carrot Cake (with frosting)

Leo Biette-Timmons

Protein Packed Carrot Cake (with frosting)

A moist, high protein, lower than normal calorie twist on a classic carrot cake — packed with fiber, protein, and flavor without the heavy sugar and butter. It’s macro friendly enough for everyday indulgence, whether it be breakfast, dessert or post workout!

 

Ingredients (Makes 16 Slices)

Cake Base:

  • 1 egg
  • 100g egg whites
  • 150g 0% Greek yogurt
  • 80g unsweetened applesauce
  • 60ml skim milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 70g all-purpose flour
  • 30g oat flour
  • 30g almond flour
  • 40g whey protein powder (vanilla or unflavored)
  • 35g coconut sugar
  • 25g ground flax seeds
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp ginger
  • Pinch of salt
  • 175g grated carrots
  • 60g pitted dates, chopped
  • 30g raisins
  • 30g chopped pecans

Frosting:

  • 4oz (113g) low-fat cream cheese
  • 113g low-fat cottage cheese
  • 75g 0% Greek yogurt
  • 15g coconut sugar
  • 15g whey protein (vanilla recommended)
  • 10g vanilla extract

 

Directions

  1. Preheat Oven:
    Heat oven to 350°F on the convection bake setting. Line a loaf pan or 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.
  2. Mix Wet Ingredients:
    In a large bowl, whisk together egg, egg whites, Greek yogurt, applesauce, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
  3. Mix Dry Ingredients:
    Stir in all purpose flour, oat flour, almond flour, protein powder, coconut sugar, flax seeds, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Whisk until combined.
  4. Mix Ingredients:
    Add wet ingredients into the dry, and stir until a lumpless batter forms.
  5. Prep Add Ins:
    Grate carrots, chop pecans & dates.
  6. Mix In Add Ins:
    Gently fold in grated carrots, chopped dates, raisins, and pecans. The batter should be thick but pourable.
  7. Bake:
    Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
  8. Make Frosting:
    Blend cream cheese, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, coconut sugar, whey, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Chill in the fridge for 15–20 minutes to thicken.
  9. Frost & Slice:
    Slice the cake in half (through the middle, from one end to the other) into two even layers. Spread icing evenly over one layer of the cake, top with the second layer, then ice the top of the cake. You may find that you need to level the layers out if cut unevenly. Finally, slice into your desired number of pieces (nutrition info is done on 16 slices).

 

Nutrition (per slice):

  • Calories: 142
  • Protein: 8g
  • Carbs: 15g
  • Fat: 5g
  • Fiber: 3g
  • Added Sugar: 3g

Why You’ll Love It:

This version keeps everything you want from carrot cake — the cozy spice, moist crumb, and creamy frosting — but cuts the calories, adds protein, and keeps added sugars low. Perfect as a dessert, snack, or post workout treat.

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