If you frequent food banks, you will almost inevitably find your kitchen overwhelmed with bananas and carrots. Root vegetables such as carrots stay preserved and edible for a long time, so they tend to end up in vast quantities in food banks. And bananas, for whatever reason, are especially plentiful, arriving in colors ranging from "sad yellow" to "angry black."
Fortunately, there are many ways to use these ingredients, even if they are at the very end of their shelf life. This Banana Bread Carrot Cake recipe is perfect for making full use of bananas and carrots and keeping them out of the waste bin.
We love this recipe. Carrot cake is my favorite kind of cake and this recipe is easier than a traditional carrot cake.
The cake itself has no added sugar and is sweetened by the bananas and apple sauce ,which have a lot of naturally occurring sugar. There is a slight hint of banana flavor but you only taste the banana if you're really looking for it.
My husband, Brian, is a type one diabetic, so I love challenging myself to make recipes without added sugar. I also like challenging myself to make recipes that call for no egg or oil. Eggs are expensive, and I'm much more likely to whip up a dessert if it doesn't call for eggs. Also, I don't like consuming that much oil, and my mom taught me when I was a kid that you can swap out oil for applesauce at a 1:1 ratio. Using apple sauce instead of oil also produces a moister cake!
If you are looking for a more traditionally sweet cake, you can opt to add 1/2 cup of brown sugar, white sugar, maple syrup, honey, or agave. But for us, especially as I like to make a Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting to top it, we feel like it doesn’t need any more sugar.
This recipe is very versatile. If you want, you can also use a 9x5 loaf pan, and make a loaf out of this recipe. I prefer to make it into two small 5x5 cakes, which cuts the baking time down to 35-38 minutes. But you can also use a traditional 8x8 cake pan, which takes 45-minutes to bake.
To frost the cake, I like to use a piping bag with a small star tip. It looks prettier than just spreading the frosting on and doesn't take much skill or time. Also, if you are making this to share with a significant other (or anyone, for that matter), the piped frosting makes for a beautiful presentation that is sure to impress.
I also like to top it with some fresh lemon zest. Once again, the zesty shavings make the finished cake look prettier while also adding a lot of extra lemony flavor.
A healthier alternative to traditional carrot cake.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line your pan with parchment paper, or grease with butter or oil.
Gather your dry ingredients and mix together in a large mixing bowl. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt.
Gather your wet ingredients. Mash your banana, grate your carrots, and mix all wet ingredients together into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Incorporate wet ingredients into your dry ingredients. Be careful not to overmix.
If you choose to add in raisins or nuts mix those in now.
Pour your batter into your prepared greased or parchment-lined pans. Place on the center rack of your oven.
Cooking times:
1 8x8 inch cake pan = 45-minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2 5x5 inch cake pans = 35-38 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
1 9x5 inch loaf pan = 45-minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the thickest part of the cake. If it comes out clean it is done. You can alternatively temp the inside of the cake. Your cake is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once you remove your cake from the oven leave in the pan to rest for about 5-minutes. This cake is quite firm so I have never had an issue with it tearing while taking it out of the pan.
Once removed from the pan let cool on a wire rack if you have one for about 20 minutes or until cool to the touch before frosting.
Using either a hand blender, spatula, or whisk mix your softened cream cheese until creamy.
Add in vanilla and lemon juice until well combined.
Mix in 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time until creamy and smooth and until you reach your desired frosting density. I only use about 2 cups of powdered sugar but you can use up to 3 cups depending on your preferences.
Once your cake is cool to the touch frost your cake. I prefer to frost mine in little dots using a small star piping tip.
Once your cake is frosted zest a lemon above your frosted cake for extra lemony flavor!
Servings 8
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.