The perfect snack cake for your family – Zucchini Carrot Snack Cake.
This week the Sunday Supper team is being joined by American Family Insurance to share with your family favorite recipes. Recipes that we have overhauled to make healthier than the original versions we love.
I think most parents have issues getting their kids to eat veggies. So finding creative ways to sneak them in becomes an art form. One of the tricks I used when my kids were little, was to add finely shredded carrots to their peanut butter sandwiches. They had NO IDEA there were veggies in there!
My family has always enjoyed snack cakes and other little goodies. Well, this variation is packed full of zucchini, carrots and golden raisins. So they might think they’re just eating cake, but they are eating their veggies too! I’ve made additional changes to this cake as well to up the “healthy-factor;” substituting whole wheat for some of the plain flour, some of the oil with applesauce, and some of the sugar with honey. Topped with a thin layer of barely sweet frosting, this snack cake is a pleasure…and not a guilty one!
To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9×13 cake pan, and set aside.
In a bowl, combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour, a half cup of whole wheat flour, a teaspoon of baking powder, half teaspoon each of ground ginger and cinnamon, and a quarter teaspoon of sea salt. Stir those together and set aside.
Trim the ends off of your washed zucchini.
Do the same with a few carrots.
Shred these with a grater or your food processor. You will need a cup of shredded zucchini and a cup and a half of shredded carrot. Set those aside for the time being.
In your mixing bowl, combine 2 eggs, ¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup of honey, ¼ cup of plain applesauce and a teaspoon of vanilla. Beat those together until smooth.
Add in your flour mixture and beat until smooth.
Fold in the zucchini and carrots, along with a half cup of golden raisins and a half cup of chopped walnuts.
Spread the batter into your cake pan and bake for 25 minutes or until the cake tests done in the center with a toothpick.
Cool the cake completely in the pan.
For the frosting, beat 8 ounces of Mascarpone cheese
a cup of powdered sugar
and a half teaspoon of vanilla until smooth.
Mix in a tablespoon or two of milk to make it a smooth, spreading consistency.
Spread the frosting across the top of the cake.
Enjoy!
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- ½ cup of whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- 1½ c shredded carrot
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup plain applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 8 ounces Mascarpone Cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 - 2 Tb milk
- To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 cake pan, and set aside.
- In a bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, and sea salt. Stir those together and set aside. Trim the ends off of your washed zucchini. Do the same with a few carrots. Shred these with a grater or your food processor. You will need a cup of shredded zucchini and a cup and a half of shredded carrot. Set those aside for the time being.
- In your mixing bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar, extra virgin olive oil, honey, plain applesauce and honey. Beat those together until smooth. Add in your flour mixture and beat until smooth.
- Fold in the zucchini and carrots, along with the golden raisins and walnuts. Spread the batter into your cake pan and bake for 25 minutes or until the cake tests done in the center with a toothpick.
- Cool the cake completely in the pan.
- For the frosting, beat the Mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Mix in a tablespoon or two of milk to make it a smooth, spreading consistency. Spread the frosting across the top of the cake.
- Enjoy!
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This post is sponsored by American Family Insurance. All opinions are my own.
I made a double batch this weekend. I took one batch over to my in-laws and kept the other half for my family. Wow!! Everyone LOVED it! And I didn’t even do the icing (didn’t have the cheese on hand, luckily the recipe is so easy I DID have everything else w/o needing a trip to the store). We just ate the cake and it was FANTASTIC. MIL even asked for the recipe.
Can you recommend another flour if I want to make this recipe gluten free?
Thank you!
To be honest, gluten free is completely out of my realm of expertise. I have no experience cooking/baking GF.
Carrot and zucchini breads have always been my favorite, especially if they’re warm with lots of butter. Your version look amazing, Constance! Great post!
Zucchini are just now starting to show up at the market, and I can’t wait for them to be abundant and cheap. This looks like a great way to use them!
I love zucchini bread and carrot cake. This sounds like a double win!
I hope you have some of this leftover, because I’m on my way over. This is one delicious pan of cake.
First of all, this cake sounds and looks amazing – I love all of the goodness and healthy stuff (that you’d never guess was healthy) in there! And second, shredded carrots in pb sammies – that’s brilliant!
I love the combination of zucchini and carrots, this sounds so yummy!
So funny – I shred carrots into peanut butter and I make muffins that are similar to your cake. So I know this would be a hit in my house!
This is by far the perfect little cake! I love the frosting, great idea using Marscapone Cheese! Yummers!
I would love to have a slice of your zucchini carrot cake right now! It looks amazing!
What a great way to get my kids to eat veggies!
you just made carrot cake look good… #winning
I love the name snack cake! It gives me such a perfect excuse to enjoy this between lunch and dinner. :) And using mascarpone in the frosting sounds fabulous!
I love all the veggies in this cake!
Thanks Constance for the nice updated recipe. Have a Great Day and Week!
Thank you Liz, you too!!!
Oh yum!! I love using yogurt instead oils in cakes, it makes so much more moist too besides healthier!!
Wow! You were able to chock these full of veggies. I love it! I also like the mascarpone topping. Yum!
This cake looks SO good…love how you added in so many healthy ingredients! I want to make this one very soon…we’re trying to eat more veggies in my household too, so every bit counts!!
I just love this cake! I’m not always in love with carrot cake recipes, but there is something about the added zucchini and that frosting that has me chomping at the bit for it!
Oh my…this cake has my name all over it! I love veggie filled cakes/breads/etc…I also love subbing applesauce for oil when I bake! Great tips!
Love zucchini and carrots in baked goods, especially together. These bars are making my mouth water!
That looks scrummy!
What a great way to eat your veggies! Love this…I don’t think I’d even need the icing…but, it looks delish too!
Looks delicious…I like the healthier options too. One question – if I omit the raisins does it change the texture of the cake, my family does not care for them. Thanks.
Nope, you can leave them out :)
A tasty cake and healthy too – what a bonus! I’d totally snack on this any day.