Healthy Carrot Cake with Fresh Milled Flour, Pineapple, Coconut, Ginger

This healthy carrot cake with fresh milled flour will be your new favorite. Full of delicious extras like pineapple, coconut, and candied ginger! Made with fresh-milled whole-grain flour and sweetened with maple syrup and sucanat, this is a little healthier option than most recipes (Yet still a delicious treat!).

Carrot cake has been my biggest craving as I’ve been nursing my 5th baby. It hits the spot like nothing else. I could eat it every day without complaint. I’m obsessed! If you love a good carrot cake recipe with spices and all kinds of extras, you will love this one!

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This carrot cake with pineapple and coconut is full of spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom (my favorite!), and topped with a yummy cream cheese frosting.

What kind of fresh milled flour should I use?

I like to use soft white wheat or hard white wheat from Azure Standard, but you could also use Spelt Berries. Azure Standard offers quality organic grains of all kinds. Or you can check out the bulk bins at your nearest health food store. A soft white wheat is the best for cakes like this healthy carrot cake recipe.

If you don’t have a mill, you can use whole wheat flour or spelt flour.

If you’re new to milling your own grain or shopping for mills, check out my Komo Classic Grain Mill 13 Year Review.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe:

• It’s made with healthier ingredients like whole grains, coconut oil, and maple syrup.
• It’s chock full of carrots, nuts, coconut, pineapple, and candied ginger. If you love complex flavors, you will love this cake!
• This is an easy sheet-pan-style cake that doesn’t require fancy decorating skills, making it very easy to serve.
• It feeds a crowd, great for potlucks or events. Or for a hungry nursing mama to eat through the week. Ha!

Important Ingredients:

• Carrots – the namesake, and if you’re like me, you love adding a little veggie wherever you can!
• Pineapple – this recipe uses an 8oz can of crushed pineapple sweetened with the juice only.
• Candied Ginger – This adds such a robust flavor, my favorite!
• Coconut – I use unsweetened fine coconut in this cake. I also like to use coconut flavoring in the frosting, which adds such a bright and delicious flavor! But this is optional and you can use vanilla instead.
• Walnuts – I love the delicious nutty crunch, but if you don’t like the texture, you can skip these or replace with your nut of choice.
• Fresh milled flour – I use soft white wheat berries for the lightest texture, but you can also use hard white wheat berries, spelt, or einkorn.

Tools You Will Need:

• 9×13 Baking Pan
• Kitchen Aid Mixer (or mix by hand)
• Parchment Paper (optional)
• Grater
• Mixing Bowls

How to Make Healthy Carrot Cake with Fresh Milled Flour (Step by Step)

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 degrees celcious). Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

Step 2. To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the wet ingredients: eggs, sucanat (or coconut sugar), maple syrup, milk, coconut oil (melted), lemon juice, zest of 1 lemon, and vanilla. Using the whisk attachment, blend on medium speed for a couple of minutes until thoroughly combined.

Step 3: In a separate mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: fresh milled flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Stir to combine.

Step 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir on low speed until just combined.

Step 5: Add all the extras into the bowl: grated carrots, unsweetened coconut, chopped walnuts, crushed pineapple, candied ginger, and raisins. Using a spatula or the mixer on very low (stir) setting, mix until just combined.

Step 6: Using a spatula, scoop out the batter and spread it into the prepared pan, smoothing it out nicely and evenly.

Step 7: Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool completely.

Next, you will make the cream cheese frosting.

How to Make the Cream Cheese Frosting:

So many cream cheese frosting recipes contain multiple cups of powdered sugar. I preferred to keep this one really light. You can make it with no refined sugar and use just the maple syrup, or if you want a little extra sweetness, I found that just half a cup of powdered sugar was plenty to make it feel like a special treat.

Step 1:

To the bowl of a stand mixer, add 12oz cream cheese (softened), 1/4 cup maple syrup, 3 tbsp softened butter, and coconut flavoring (or vanilla).

Using the whisk attachment, beat the mixture until creamy, about 2-4 minutes.

If desired, add the powdered sugar and beat for a couple more minutes.

Step 2: Spread the frosting evenly across the cake with a rubber spatula or knife. If desired, sprinkle evenly with some cinnamon or cardamom.

Cover with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

How to Serve:

When you are ready to serve, slice the cake evenly into 12 (or your desired number) of slices. Serve and enjoy!

How to Freeze:

If you would like to freeze this cake for later, it is best to freeze the cake without the frosting. Allow the cake to cool completely, and wrap in one layer of saran wrap followed by one later of aluminum foil. Or you can individually wrap the pieces.

Freeze for up to 1 month for maximum freshness.

When you are ready to serve, allow the cake to fully thaw on the counter. While it thaws, prepare the frosting, and then frost and serve.

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Healthy Carrot Cake with Fresh Milled Flour Recipe