Continuing our healthy crusade, Rebecca has another recipe for cupcakes with fewer calories… and less guilt.

Carrot cake has vegetables in it, so it must be healthy, right? The average carrot cake recipe can include upwards of 1 cup of oil, not to mention ounces of butter and cream cheese. This vegetable based cake can be worse for you than eating chocolate!

This recipe makeover has a low Weight Watcher Points+ value of 4 per cupcake and is a flavorful substitute. Who doesn’t love pecans, coconut, golden raisins and a moist spiced cake, topped with cream cheese? Once again I turn to a box cake mix, but step it up a bit by adding additional texture and flavors.

Cake Ingredients:

1 box Carrot Cake Mix

1 cup canned pumpkin

8oz crushed pineapple in juice

1/3 cup golden raisins

1 cup shredded carrot

¼  cup shredded coconut

¼ cup Pecan chips

Frosting Ingredients:

4oz. Neufchatel Cheese

¼ cup fat free sour cream

¾ cups powdered sugar

¼ cup shredded coconut

1/8 cup Pecan chips

To start, mix the cake mix and canned pumpkin in the mixer for 2 minutes on #2. While that is mixing, drain the crushed pineapple and use the liquid to rehydrate the raisins. Add the pineapple, carrot and coconut to the mixer and let it continue to mix for another minute. Stop the mixer and fold in the Pecan Chips and raisins by hand. Fill the cupcake wrappers ¾ of the way and bake for 18-19 minutes at 350 degrees.

While they are baking, fold the softened cream cheese with the sour cream and then stir in powdered sugar. It will be a thicker sour cream texture, but comes out best when stirred by hand. Stir in ¼ cup of shredded coconut.

Once cupcakes are cooled, frost and sprinkle pecan chips on the top for texture and enjoy!

– Recipe by our Healthy Guest Crusader, Rebecca (Baltimore, MD)