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The Most Delicious Carrot Cake Loaf
I want to start this blog post off by asking: are you Team Carrot Cake for Fall OR Team Carrot Cake for Spring? I’ve always thought of Carrot Cake as a fall dessert, but carrot cake as a spring dessert makes absolute sense to me now! That won’t be a problem for me, however, because I make this cake all year round! 😀
Now, on to the blog post! This easy Carrot Cake Loaf recipe is super soft and super yummy and is perfect for breakfast (yes, I said breakfast), snack or dessert! Crunchy walnut pieces are scattered throughout this delicious loaf cake that’s topped with a luscious cream cheese icing.
The great thing about this loaf carrot cake is that everything can be mixed by hand, which makes it a super quick loaf with fewer dishes. If you prefer muffins or a cake, you can easily change the pan to suit your needs. It’s a pretty versatile recipe!
The rich and luxurious cream cheese icing makes this carrot cake loaf even better. If you absolutely prefer it without, you can do that! However, I highly recommend you make and use the delicious cream cheese frosting! It makes it that much better and adds an extra bit of sweetness. Who doesn’t love that?
Ingredients Needed
All-purpose flour: the base of the loaf.
Baking powder + baking soda: helps the loaf rise.
Ground cinnamon: a subtle flavour that complements the carrots and walnuts perfectly.
Brown sugar + granulated white sugar: sweetens and helps to make a moist loaf. I love using a combination of both sugars so I get the best of both worlds.
Eggs: for structure. Use room temperature eggs to help it blend in better with the other ingredients and for a fluffier carrot cake loaf.
Vegetable oil: using a neutral flavoured oil is important. Creates a moist and tender loaf. You can try vegetable, safflower, avocado, or canola.
Carrots: freshly shredded carrots make this loaf a carrot cake loaf! Store bought, pre-shredded carrots are usually quite dry, so I would shred my own carrots.
Walnuts: adds texture and crunch, and tastes great in a carrot cake. You can experiment with other nuts if you prefer.
How to Make This Easy Carrot Loaf Cake Recipe
Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a 9×5 loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. Set Aside.
In a large bowl, beat together brown sugar, white sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently mix to combine; do not overmix.
Fold in the carrots and chopped walnuts; do not overmix. Pour into lined loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes.
Let cool in pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
To make the icing, beat together the unsalted butter, cream cheese, salt, and vanilla extract. Then sift in the icing sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.
Ice the cooled carrot cake loaf, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Carrot Cake
- If you don’t like walnuts, try switching them out for something else. You can try other nuts, dried fruit, or seeds. Get creative!
- Chop the walnuts in small pieces that vary slightly to have some nice texture throughout the carrot cake.
- Instead of using cream cheese frosting, you can use your favourite vanilla-type frosting, like buttercream, or even just a simple icing sugar drizzle.
- Skip the pre-shredded carrots from the store and freshly shred your own carrots!
- Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature when using them. They blend in better this way and you get a fluffier load cake.
- Using parchment paper to line your pan is a life saver. It will help you remove the loaf from the pan much easier and save you some hassle. Loaves like this one tend to be more soft and delicate while warm, and can break apart while removing them from the pan. Parchment paper is the way to go.
- I’ve said this in other recipes, but it is super important to measure flour using the spoon and level method, if measuring in cups. If you don’t do this, you might be using the incorrect amount of flour.
Tips for Storing
Store iced carrot cake loaf in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Plain loaf that is not iced can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.
If you’d like to freeze the loaf, freeze without the icing in a freezer bag. Bring to room temperature in freezer bag and you can then make the cream cheese icing at this point.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can be creative and add anything you love! You can try pecans, raisins, shredded coconut, toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, or anything else you think would go good with carrot cake.
You can use a pan that will hold the amount of batter this recipe makes, such as an 8 inch square pan or 9 inch round pan. You can even make this recipe into muffins.
If you omit the eggs from the cake recipe and omit the cream cheese frosting, it will be vegan. You can use an icing sugar drizzle over the cake instead by mixing together icing sugar and a non-dairy milk.
Keep in mind, omitting the eggs may result in a cake that’s a bit drier and may fall apart easily.
If you love desserts, then you’ll love these recipes:
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lemon Blueberry Mini Cheesecakes
Matcha White Chocolate Cookies
If you tried and loved this recipe, be sure to let me know in the comments below! Would love to hear from you!
Carrot Cake Loaf
Description
Soft and moist carrot cake loaf with shredded carrots and crunchy walnuts; topped with a silky smooth cream cheese icing and crushed walnuts.
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Loaf
Cream Cheese Icing
Instructions
Carrot Cake Loaf
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper with about 2 inches of extra paper on each side. This will make it easier to remove the loaf from the pan once it's cooled a bit.
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Mix together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, beat together brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until well combined.
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Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix gently until combined. Avoid overmixing.
Gently fold in the shredded carrots and walnuts.
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Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-55 minutes. Test doneness by sliding a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If toothpick comes out clean, remove pan from oven and let rest for 15 minutes in the loaf pan.
After 15 minutes, lift loaf out of pan using the extra parchment paper. Let cool completely on cooling rack.
Cream Cheese Icing
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Beat together cream cheese, unsalted butter, salt, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Sift in the icing sugar and beat until well combined and fluffy.
Spread over cooled carrot cake loaf and sprinkle with finely chopped walnuts (optional).
Note
Different ovens bake at slightly different temperatures, so be sure to keep an eye on the carrot cake loaf near the end of the bake time.
You can choose to grease the pan instead of using parchment paper, but you may have a harder time removing the loaf since carrot cake can be very soft while warm.
