Carrot Cake Loaf
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This Carrot Cake Loaf is super moist, loaded with carrots and covered in a simple cream cheese frosting. It’s perfect for any occasion!
This Carrot Cake Loaf is perfect for any occasion – especially Easter and Thanksgiving! It’s super moist, filled with freshly shredded carrots, perfectly spiced and most importantly covered in a generous layer of cream cheese frosting. Loaf cakes are great if you don’t have a ton of people to feed or if you’re not really into assembling and decorating an entire layer cake. You can even omit the cream cheese frosting and just serve this carrot cake loaf plain! No matter what you choose to do, it will be delicious!
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Ingredient Breakdown
All-purpose flour – this gives the cake structure.
Baking powder and baking soda – both are necessary to help the cake rise.
Granulated sugar – provides sweetness and texture.
Vegetable oil – adds moisture and tenderizes cake.
Eggs – binds the ingredients and provides structure.
Vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger – enhances flavor. Always use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation for best flavor.
Carrots – it wouldn’t be carrot cake without these! It’s best to buy whole carrots and shred them yourself because pre shredded carrots tend to be dry.
How To Make Carrot Cake Loaf
1. Make the Carrot Cake Batter: in a small bowl combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl combine the granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract.
3. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until almost combined then fold in the shredded carrots until just combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan then bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
5. Make the Cream Cheese Frosting: using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer cream the butter and cream cheese. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Add salt to taste. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Store Carrot Cake Loaf in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Pro Tips For Carrot Cake Loaf
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate; baking is a science after all!
- Don’t over mix the cake batter otherwise it will develop too much gluten and be dense/gummy!
- Make sure your parchment paper hangs over the sides of the loaf pan for easy removal after baking!
- Wait until the cake is COMPLETELY COOLED before decorating them otherwise the cream cheese frosting will melt and slide off.
- Do not over mix the cream cheese frosting otherwise it will begin to break down and become runny.
If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! 🙂
Carrot Cake Loaf
Equipment
- 9×5 inch loaf pan
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 160 g (1 1/3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 120 g (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 200 g (1 1/3 cups) shredded carrots about 3 large carrots
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 56 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 180 g (1 1/2 cups) confectioners' sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
Instructions
Carrot Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine the granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until almost combined then fold in the shredded carrots until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan then bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer cream the butter and cream cheese. Mix in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Add salt to taste. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake.
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Store Carrot Cake Loaf in an airtight container for up to a week in the fridge.
