Healthy Carrot Snack Cake

I love to tease my father-in-law about his predilection for eating cake for breakfast.  However, when I saw this Carrot Snack Cake in Better Homes and Garden this month, I knew I had to make it for his visit, as the article recommends eating it for breakfast!

It is really tasty- more like a banana or zucchini bread than cake.  I upped the cinnamon greatly, because extra cinnamon never hurt anything.  I also changed the nuts to pecans from walnuts (personal preference).

Carrot Snack Cake

Ingredients

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup olive oil

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1  tablespoon orange zest

• 1/2 cup orange juice

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup whole wheat flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 2 1/2 cups shredded carrots (5)

• 1 cup chopped pecans

• Cream Cheese Icing

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside.

• In a large bowl whisk eggs, oil, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla until combined. Whisk in flours, baking powder, cinnamon, soda, salt, and nutmeg until combined. Stir in carrots and walnuts. Pour into prepared pan.

• Bake about 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Spread with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:

• In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined and smooth. Add powdered sugar and cinnamon; beat on low until combined. Stir in orange zest.

The kids are a bit heartbroken that the carrot cake is all gone, and we can't have any more for breakfast. 
I'm a bit bummed as well.