"Healthier" Carrot Cake from All Recipes

I'm back with Sweets on Sunday. finally! yay!

I found this recipe in a little magazine I got in the mail from All Recipes. All Recipes is my go-to site when I am looking for a recipe. They called this version of carrot cake "healthier" carrot cake. I think it could be made even more healthier than this. For example, if you are concerned about cutting calories, you can cut the oil and use unsweetened applesauce instead. If you want more protein, you could add all egg whites instead of eggs. Here is the recipe as it was written and as I made it. It was really good. That cream cheese frosting really makes it delicious!!

Healthier Carrot Cake from All Recipes
4 eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups  white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour (whole wheat pastry flour or all purpose worked too)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 by 13 inch pan. Beat the eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla together. Mix in the dry ingredients- flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the grated carrots. Fold in pecans- I left these out in the cake. Pour in pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake, comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.

FROSTING:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 package Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese, softened (8 oz package)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
Mix all but the pecans in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Stir in nuts. Frost onto cooled cake.