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This Carrot Cake Loaf is perfect for Easter! Made with grated carrot, carrot puree, and warming spices, it’s wonderfully moist and tender and just the right amount of sweet. Love at first bite? I think so.
I love making carrot flavored desserts. They pack so much flavor, especially with my favorite little tip. Grated carrots just aren’t enough. You really need both grated carrots AND carrot puree to take things from good to out of this world. It’s not hard to make, and it adds unparalleled flavor, sweetness, and moisture.
So, of course, just like in my Carrot Cake Recipe and these Carrot Cake Cupcakes, I went ahead and used both grated carrot and carrot puree in this carrot cake loaf. I added some thoughtfully chosen warming spices as well, and the results were amazing. A moist, tender carrot cake (or carrot bread?) that you’ll be craving for breakfast AND dessert.
Is Carrot Loaf a Cake? Bread?
Well…it’s kind of both. It’s the flavors of carrot cake baked in a loaf pan with a texture similar to banana bread. So it could be classified as a “cake” OR a quick bread. If you want to make it more cake-like, consider topping it with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Anyway, aside from loving that it can be a dessert or an indulgent breakfast bread, here are a few of my favorite things about this carrot loaf cake:
- Tender and moist. Between the carrot puree and the vegetable oil, this carrot loaf cake is SO moist and tender. It’s somewhere between a light, fluffy cake and a dense, satisfying quick bread.
- Spiced to perfection. Between the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, this cake packs the perfect punch of warming spices. A perfect compliment to the earthy sweetness of the carrots!
- Opportunity for creativity. This loaf cake is pretty easy to dress up, if you’d like. Add some cream cheese frosting (or a surprise cream cheese swirl!) and/or a couple of mix-ins, and you’ve got a whole new dessert! Check out the section below titled “Variation Ideas” for inspiration.
What You’ll Need
Grab a grocery basket and head to the baking aisle! Here’s what you’ll need to make this fabulous loaf. Scroll on down to the recipe card below for precise measurements.
- Carrots – As mentioned, you’ll use grated carrots and cooked, pureed carrots. If you’re short on time, you can actually sub the pureed carrots out for carrot baby food! Of course, you’ll still need some carrots for grating (about 200g). Just note that your cake will turn out a little denser with the baby food.
- Vegetable oil – A little oil, combined with butter, gives the best combination of moisture and flavor.
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure this accurately, as too much will give you a dry loaf.
- Baking soda and baking powder – You need both to get the perfect rise and texture.
- Ground spices – I used cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. You could throw in a dash of allspice or cloves if you’d like.
- Salt – Enhances the natural flavors in the cake loaf. Don’t leave it out.
- Unsalted butter – The butter contributes flavor and richness to the cake that you wouldn’t get from vegetable oil alone.
- Light brown sugar – Be sure to pack it into that measuring cup to get the proper amount. Dark brown sugar would also do the trick for a richer, more molasses-y flavor.
- Eggs – Use large eggs, not medium or extra large.
- Vanilla extract – The vanilla contributes depth to the flavor profile.
How to Make a Carrot Cake Loaf
Here’s a general overview of how to make this moist, tender carrot-loaded dessert. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Grate. Peel the carrots, then grate them just until you have 2 cups (200g) of grated carrots. Set aside.
- Steam. Roughly chop the remaining raw carrots and place them in a steamer basket set over boiling water. Steam until tender.
- To steam in the microwave. Put the carrots in a microwave-safe bowl, add two tablespoons of water and cover with plastic wrap. Heat for 5-6 minutes or until very tender.
- Puree. Place the steamed carrots (without the water) and vegetable oil in a food processor or blender and puree until mostly smooth. Set aside.
- Prepare to bake. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5 loaf pan with non-stick baking spray.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Whisk together the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and carrot puree.
- Put it all together. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and then fold in the grated carrot.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes.
- Cool. Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Serve. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips for Success
For the perfect loaf, you’re going to want to have a look at these simple tips and tricks:
- Shortcut. If you don’t want to deal with grating and steaming carrots, you can actually use a quarter cup of carrot baby food. It sounds weird, but it actually does work. The bread just ends up a touch denser.
- Cut your steaming time. If you want your carrots to get tender faster, chop them a little smaller! They won’t take as long to cook.
- Measure carefully. Especially the flour. Too much flour and your cake will turn out dry and cakey. Too little? You’ll end up with an overly dense, gooey loaf. Check out my post on how to measure flour correctly using a food scale or the spoon and level method.
- Don’t over-mix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients, mix just until everything is incorporated. Over-mixing can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop, resulting in a tough, overly dense carrot cake loaf.
- Don’t over-bake. You’ll know your loaf is finished when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with some crumbs clinging on. Baking it past that point will dry it out.
Variation Ideas
It’s easy to dress this carrot loaf cake up if you’d like to. Here are some fun ways to do it:
- Frosting fantasy. Take this part cake, part bread firmly into dessert land by topping it with my famous Cream Cheese Frosting or this Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting. Just make sure to let the cake cool first (otherwise, the frosting will melt and slide off).
- Add a cream cheese swirl. One fun thing to do with a loaf cake like this is to add a sweet cream cheese filling. All you have to do is beat together some cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Then, pour half the batter into the loaf pan and spread the cream cheese filling over it, followed by the rest of the batter. Bake as usual! Check out my Cheesecake Swirl Pumpkin Bread to see how it’s done.
- Mix-in magic. This cake already has great texture and plenty going on, but if you’d like to mix some chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, or even raisins into the batter before baking, you certainly can. Keep your mix-ins to about one cup or less.
How to Store
- Room temperature. Once cool, wrap the loaf in a double layer of plastic wrap or seal it in an airtight container (whole or sliced). You can store it at room temperature for 4-5 days.
- Freezer. Wrap the loaf cake in a double layer of plastic wrap. Alternatively, wrap individual slices in a double layer of plastic wrap or seal them in an airtight, freezer-safe container. You can store leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the cake to thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
More Recipes With Carrots
Looking for more fabulous ways to incorporate carrots into your baking routine? Here are a few other absolutely stellar carrot-centric recipes for you to try:
Carrot Cake Loaf
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Carrot Cake Loaf is perfect for Easter! Made with grated carrot, carrot puree, and warming spices, it’s wonderfully moist, tender, and just the right amount of sweet. It’s love at first bite!
Ingredients
- 9–12 (400g) medium-sized carrots
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil
- 1 3/4 cups (228g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (225g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Prep the carrots
- Peel the carrots, then grate them just until you have 2 cups (200g) of grated carrots. Set aside.
- Chop the remaining raw carrots (about 118 grams) into pieces small enough to go into a food processor or blender.
- To steam the carrots on the stove: Put chopped carrots in a steamer basket (or a colander, if you don’t have a steamer basket) set over a pot of boiling water. Cover and steam the carrots until very tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- To steam the carrots in the microwave: Put the carrots in a microwave-safe bowl, add 2 tablespoons of water and cover with a well-sealing plastic wrap (I use this one). Heat for 5-6 minutes, or until very tender.
- To puree: When your carrots are steamed and tender, put the warm carrots and the vegetable oil in a food processor or blender and puree (do not add the water used to steam the carrots, JUST the carrots). The puree may look a little separated, which is ok. You should end up with about ½ cup of liquid – ¼ cup of carrot puree and the ¼ cup of oil. Set aside while you make the batter.
Make the loaf
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9×5 loaf pan very well with non-stick baking spray.
- In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and carrot puree and whisk together to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until well combined. Don’t over-mix.
- Fold in the grated carrot.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Carrot bread can be served warm or at room temperature. Store at room temperature, well covered or in an air-tight container. Best if eaten within 4-5 days.
Notes
- Carrots: You’ll need about 9-12 medium sized carrots, depending on their exact size, for the puree and grated carrots. I started with about 400 grams of carrots, prior to peeling, and had the right amount to get 200 grams of grated carrot and ¼ cup of carrot puree.
- Substitute for puree: You could also use carrot baby food, if you don’t want to mess with steaming the carrots or are in a hurry. Just use 1/4 cup of carrot baby food. Keep in mind the bread will be a bit denser.
Made the Carrot Loaf today, lovely little bread with spice, does not taste carroty at all, I used baby food for the puree and put in only 200g of sugar. Will for sure make this again.
I juice a lot of carrots and wonder if the juice could be used or if I could use the pulp instead of the cooking and purée method? Thank you!!
You could try it. The problem I see is that when you steam and puree the carrots, you have both the juice and the pulp, so to speak. If you just use the pulp, you lose the moisture of the juice. If you just use the juice, you could end up with too much moisture. It might be best to use a little bit of both or use just the juice but use less of it. I don’t know, it may take a little playing with it. But I get why you want to use what you have left from juicing.