Oatmeal Carrot Cake – Eating Bird Food

This healthy oatmeal carrot cake is studded with carrots and raisins, naturally sweetened with maple syrup and topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting. It’s gluten-free and super easy to whip up in your blender.

If my carrot cake baked oatmeal and these carrot cake bars had a baby the end result would be this oatmeal carrot cake!

This recipe is a little more indulgent than baked oatmeal (especially with the cream cheese frosting!), but healthier than your typical carrot cake, which is exactly what I was going for. I’d say mission accomplished!

This cake is awesome for an everyday healthier dessert option, but it would also be perfect for Easter or Mother’s Day brunch! And want to know the best thing about this recipe? It’s so easy to whip up… just add all your ingredients to a blender, blend until smooth, bake, frost and serve!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s a healthy twist on a classic dessert.
• Comes together quickly in a blender. No bowls needed!
• The cream cheese frosting takes this cake to the next level!

Ingredients Needed

• old fashioned rolled oats – my fave brand is Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats. If you’re gluten-free make sure to grab certified gluten-free oats. I do not recommend swapping in steel cut oats for this recipe.
• ground cinnamon – you can’t have carrot cake without cinnamon!
• baking soda and salt – two baking essentials.
• orange juice – adds a pop of citrus and helps to keep this cake moist.
• applesauce – provides moisture without adding extra fat.
• maple syrup – the perfect natural sweetener for this oatmeal carrot cake.
• eggs – helps the cake rise and binds the ingredients together.
• olive oil or avocado oil – just a little oil to keep this cake moist and add some healthy fats.
• vanilla extract – the perfect flavor enhancer!
• shredded carrots – the star of the show here! You can use store-bought grated carrots to save time or peel and grate carrots yourself.
• raisins – I love the hint of natural sweetness the raisins add to this carrot cake. Just make sure you’re using unsweetened raisins.
• cream cheese frosting – this cake wouldn’t be a complete carrot cake recipe without a cream cheese frosting! I used my healthy cream cheese frosting, which is made with cream cheese, greek yogurt, maple syrup and vanilla.
• chopped walnuts – optional, but this adds a nice nutty crunch to the top of this cake.

How to Make

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray three 6-inch cake pans with cooking spray or coconut oil and set aside.

Step 2: Add 2 ½ cups rolled oats, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, orange juice, applesauce, maple syrup, eggs, oil and vanilla extract to a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth, using a tamper as needed.

Step 3: Once mixture is combined gently stir in remaining 1 ½ cup oats, shredded carrots and raisins.

Step 4: Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Step 5: Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove cake from pans and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cake is at room temperature frost it with your favorite frosting and top with chopped walnuts if you prefer. Cut cake and serve.

Substitutions & Notes

• Orange juice: If you don’t have orange juice on hand you could use pineapple juice or more applesauce.
• Applesauce: If you don’t have applesauce you could try using mashed banana or canned crushed pineapple instead.
• Maple syrup: Honey or agave nectar could be used instead of maple syrup.
• Eggs – I haven’t tested this recipe without eggs, so I’m not sure how a vegan substitute like flax eggs or chia seed eggs would work, but let me know in the comments if you decide to try it!
• Raisins – If you aren’t a raisin fan, you can use chopped dates, figs or skip them altogether.
• Walnuts – These are optional, so feel free to skip them or you can sub them with a different nut like almonds or pecans.
• Frosting – I love the carrot cake + cream cheese frosting combo but feel free to use your favorite store-bought or homemade frosting. Vanilla buttercream would be my second choice.
• Pan – I tested this cake in two 8″ pans and it turned out well! The layers just needed a little more time to bake. I would say 25-30 minutes is good.

What to Serve With Oatmeal Carrot Cake

I love having this oatmeal carrot cake as a healthy dessert option, but it would also make for a great addition to an Easter brunch spread and this is what I’d serve it with:

How to Make in Advance

You can totally make this cake ahead of time for a special occasion! Just let the cake layers cool completely then wrap separately in plastic wrap and leave on the counter or fridge for up to 2 days. Then frost as directed. If you need to store it for longer I would store the individual layers separately in an airtight container or bag (I love my Stasher bags). The day before you’re ready to serve, let the layers thaw in the fridge then assemble and decorate as desired!

How to Store Leftovers

Store any leftovers in an airtight sealed container on the counter at room temperature for 1-2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For longer storage, you can store this cake in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More Cake Recipes to Try

More Oatmeal Recipes to Try

Check out all of the oatmeal recipes as well as the full collection of dessert recipes here on EBF!