Adapted from carrot cake and pumpkin bread, this supremely moist carrot cake loaf is even more wildly delicious than it looks. It’s dense, yet ultra soft and flavored with brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Serve plain or spruce it up with walnuts, raisins, pecans, and/or top with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. No matter how you serve it, this quick bread will become a staple in your kitchen. 1 loaf disappears FAST!
This is carrot cake turned into a carrot cake loaf and you have total control over its sweetness and dessertyness.
Why yes, dessertyness is a new word we’ll explore today.
One reader, Lori, commented: “I’ve eaten many variations of carrot cakes over my years, and I must say, this is probably the best I’ve tried—and baked—yet! The flavors of the warm spices are rich in the crumb, it is so very moist, and who doesn’t love a delicious cream cheese frosting! I am thinking of making this for my Easter family dinner to end a yummy meal! This will now be my go-to carrot cake loaf! ★★★★★”
Is it Cake? Is it Bread?
Both.
As pictured, this carrot cake loaf is basically carrot cake in a loaf pan. If you skip the frosting and reduce the sugar, you have a lightly sweetened carrot quick bread. I tested this batter with all different amounts of brown sugar. 1 cup (200g) of packed brown sugar produced a sweet cake-like loaf. 3/4 cup or 2/3 cup produced a lightly sweetened loaf. Any less than that produced a bland loaf. Feel free to use anywhere between 2/3 – 1 cup depending on the flavor and level of dessertyness (ha!) that you want.
Also, feel free to substitute the brown sugar with white granulated sugar or coconut sugar. But keep in mind the loaf won’t be as tender and moist.
Video Tutorial
This Carrot Cake Loaf Is:
- Wonderfully spiced and flavorful
- Stick-to-the-back-of-your-fork moist
- Sweetened with brown sugar
- Easy to make—from mixing bowl to oven in minutes
- Excellent plain or with cinnamon cream cheese on top
Most of its flavor comes from cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, brown sugar, and carrots. Ginger adds a tasty zing, but isn’t overpowering at all. Like my favorite apple cinnamon bread and banana bread, the crumb is dense but still super soft.
Plus, you can create plenty of variations from this recipe. Leave it plain or add raisins, chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, etc. Turn the loaf into carrot cake muffins or even add a cinnamon swirl & topping like we do with this cinnamon swirl quick bread. The streusel topping from orange cranberry bread would taste awesome on this loaf too. I always appreciate basic & multipurpose recipes like this!
Overview: How to Make Carrot Cake Loaf
You need 2 mixing bowls: 1 for the dry ingredients including flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices and another mixing bowl for the wet ingredients including oil, brown sugar, applesauce/yogurt (either work), eggs, vanilla, and carrots. Combine everything together and pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake time is about 1 hour, give or take.
Success Tip: When baking with carrots, my #1 tip is to shred whole carrots at home. Do not use packaged pre-shredded carrots because they are hard and dry. When you shred them, you’ll notice how wet they are—that’s essential moisture for your carrot loaf! Just like shredded zucchini creates unparalleled moisture in peanut butter chocolate chip zucchini bread.
Optional Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
I LIVE FOR toppings on my baked goods. Cinnamon swirl? Totally. Streusel? Yes, please. Glaze? Absolutely.
Keeping this in mind, trust me when I say that this bread tastes phenomenal without an accessory on top. But if cream cheese frosting fits, we’re definitely wearing it. You need brick cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Add a little vanilla and cinnamon and you have a whole new level of flavor to complement your spiced carrot loaf.
You will not regret this.
If you’re not a fan of cream cheese frosting, vanilla buttercream will work great here, too.
Recipes with Carrots
Carrots are an underrated baking ingredient. They add natural sweetness, extra moisture, and taste wonderful with fall’s favorite spices. Why not bake with carrots more often?! Here’s a list of my favorite recipes using carrots.
- Carrot Cake: This is the golden standard for carrot cakes. It’s equally spiced, moist, and soft as today’s quick bread.
- Super Moist Carrot Cake: This is my go-to simple one layer carrot cake. It tastes a little denser than today’s carrot cake loaf.
- Pineapple Carrot Cake: This cake includes pineapple, a flavorful pairing with carrot. It’s slightly denser than today’s carrot cake loaf.
- Coconut Carrot Cake Cupcakes: These cupcakes include shredded coconut and coconut extract. They taste cakier than today’s quick bread.
- Harvest Spice Bread: Equally dense, yet soft. This bread is sort of like carrot cake, pumpkin bread, and apple bread all in one. One of my favorites!
- Cheesecake Swirl Carrot Bundt Cake: This big bundt cake is denser than today’s recipe. Fresh orange zest adds a pop of flavor and that cream cheese swirl is out of this world.
Description
This carrot cake loaf is dense, yet ultra soft and flavored with brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Serve plain or spruce it up with walnuts, raisins, pecans, and/or top with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar* (see note)
- 1/3 cup (80g) unsweetened applesauce or yogurt, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (200g) peeled and shredded carrots* (about 3 large carrots)
- optional add-in: 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, raisins, or dried cranberries
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (Optional)
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. See notes for muffins or mini loaves.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, brown sugar, applesauce, vanilla, and carrots together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently whisk until *just* combined. Fold in the nuts/add-in. Batter will be semi-thick.
- Spread the batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 – 65 minutes. (I like to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent heavy browning on top.) Baking times vary so keep an eye on yours. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out *mostly* clean with zero raw batter. Remove the bread from the oven.
- Cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack before removing and frosting.
- Optional Frosting: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt (I usually add a little less than 1/8 teaspoon), then beat on low speed until smooth and creamy. Taste. Add more cinnamon and/or salt if desired. Frost cooled bread, slice, and serve.
- Storing without frosting: Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to about 10 days. Storing with frosting: Cover and store leftover bread in the refrigerator for up to about 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Loaf freezes best without frosting. Freeze baked & cooled loaf for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If desired, bring to room temperature and frost before serving. To learn more details about how to freeze quick breads, see my post called Make-Ahead Baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Vegetable Peeler | Box Grater | 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Brown Sugar: I tested this batter with different amounts of brown sugar. 1 cup (200g) of packed brown sugar produced a sweet cake-like loaf. 3/4 cup or 2/3 cup produced a lightly sweetened loaf. Any less than that produced a bland loaf. Feel free to use anywhere between 2/3 – 1 cup depending on the flavor you want. You can substitute with white granulated sugar or coconut sugar, though the loaf won’t be as moist or flavorful. I don’t recommend liquid sweeteners.
- Applesauce/Yogurt: You can use either. If you don’t have either, use the same amount of mashed banana, crushed pineapple, or sour cream.
- Carrot: Don’t use pre-shredded carrots found in the produce aisle. They’re on the dry side. Rather, freshly grate 3 large carrots to yield approximately 1 and 1/2 cups of moist carrot shreds. Instead of carrots, you can use shredded apple or even shredded zucchini.
- Muffins: Prepare this batter as directed in step 2 and follow the baking instructions for morning glory muffins (steps 1 and 3). Makes about 14 muffins.
- Mini Loaves: Grease a mini loaf pan. Prepare batter as directed in step 2. Spoon batter evenly into greased cups, filling to the top. Bake at 350°F (177°C). Bake time and yield depend on the size of your mini loaf pan.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Such a good recipe! Tried it a few days ago, making it again today! I used a brown butter glaze on it and it was amazing! I did find a day later is when it’s the most moist! I think it’s probably the glaze having some time to absorb!
I’ve made it twice. Both times I used 2/3cup of brown sugar. It’s great!
I’m an American living in France and have only begun baking here because I’ve missed the tastes of home; this was my third recipe from Sally and so far the biggest crowd pleaser. I whipped this up for a New Year’s Eve party and received the coveted assurance that it’s not too sweet :). I didn’t have vanilla extract or the supplies to make the icing on hand, so it made for a moist, soft carrot bread.
I made a double batch today for the very first time, as I was invited to consecutive events, and these were a huge hit, everyone loved them! The inside was perfectly moist and soft and the saltiness from the cream cheese on the top is absolutely delectable!
Another winning recipe! My husband declared it, “The best ever.”
Do you think this will ship as well as banana bread or is the moisture content higher?
Hi Rachel! Banana bread is quite moist too. We would store this bread at room temperate for up to 3-4 days, so as long as shipping is quick, it should be ok.
Hi Sally !
I love making your recipes, especially those with cream cheese frosting (which is one of my favorite things in the world) but I happen to live in France, where blocks of cream cheese do not exist and we can only find the spreadable Philadelphia thing. Do you know how I could adapt the frosting recipes to work with spreadable cream cheese instead of the firmer one ?
Thank you for your help !
Hi Jeanne! In the U.S. block cream cheese is very different than the tubs and is the only cream cheese that will work for frosting. We have been told by readers outside the U.S. that cream cheese in a tub is different from ours and can work, but we have not tested it. Please let us know if you try!
Hi Jeanne, There is a way to make cream cheese frosting with European versions. Youpie! You need to beat the butter first ,then add in powdered sugar bit by bit until you have a very stiff buttercream. Then beat in the cream cheese. This has worked for me using St Moret and Philadelphia. I used 160g butter, 400g powdered sugar, 200g cream cheese. (Not my recipe, all credit and thanks to Krista at livingoncookies.com) Hope this helps you relive your dream!
I love this recipe. Can I double it and make it in a Bundt cake pan?
Hi Rita we’d recommend using our Cheesecake Swirl Carrot Bundt Cake recipe instead (with or without the cheesecake swirl). Enjoy!
This is by far the very best quick bread recipe. Thank you
Oh my! This carrot bread is so delicious! I have made this several times and each time I make it, it comes out perfectly moist and flavorful. I’ve made it using apple butter instead of applesauce, and its so good. I’ve also made it using crushed pineapple and a bit of coconut too. My last loaf was made with mini chocolate chips and walnuts. Highly recommend. Sally’s recipes never disappoint!
Delicious and the whole house smells like fall
Great recipe! I used whole wheat flour and it was delicious!
Would this recipe be gluten-free if I substitute just the flour?
I have made this and it is delicious, my mother-in-law needs to have gluten free.
Hi Deb, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour so we’re unsure of the results. Although some readers report using an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour in many of our recipes with success, you should expect slightly different results anytime you substitute ingredients. Let us know if you give it a try!
Can I add shredded coconut to this?
Hi Laura, you can replace some of the nuts with shredded coconut flakes. You’ll want to keep the total amount of add ins to about 3/4 cup. Enjoy!
I’ve been searching for a carrot bread recipe for years and have tried many but never one that I wanted to make again until this one. I make it for my friend who is gluten free and doesn’t like the spices except ginger, so I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour and omitted the spice except for ginger, I added about a tablespoon of fresh grated ginger which really added a great flavor. I used 2/3 cup brown sugar, but it was still very sweet and next time I will cut it back to 1/4 cup or omit it entirely. I’m sure the fresh ginger will keep it from being bland. Thanks Sally.
I have an unrelated question but can’t find anywhere to submit it. Where is the search button? I can’t find it and it really makes it difficult to find your recipes.
Hi Karen, I’m glad this will be a repeat recipe for you! The missing search button is a known issue with some browsers. My tech team is aware and working on a solution! Sorry for any trouble.
Loved the recipe! Was super easy znd came out really well. No frosting for us, still was super yum!
I substituted half of the all purpose flour with almond flour and came out really well.
Next time, I will substitute 75 percent of thr flour with almond flour. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Moist and delicious. I added dried cherries & walnuts. Did not use icing.
I love love this recipe. Comes perfect every single time.
Is there a eggless version to this?
We haven’t tested this recipe with egg substitutes, so can’t give any advice. Let us know if you try any! Here are all of our egg free baking recipes if you are interested in browsing there.
Would it be okay to leave out the apple sauce/yogurt? Or will that make a big difference in how my loaf turns out?
Hi April! Each ingredient in important. You could substitute mashed banana, sour cream, or even pumpkin puree in a pinch.
Quite a nice loaf! Swapped the oil for EVOO and the apple sauce for a high protein vanilla youghurt (leaving out additional vanilla paste). The icing is what makes it!! Yum!
Do you have recipes not using white flour, milk or eggs? Love your recipes, currently not eating dairy, eggs, refined sugar or white flour? Thanks. Have made your cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal cookies before converting to plant based.
Hi La Tanya! We wish we could help more, but our recipes are mostly focused on traditional baking. You may find a few recipes to enjoy from our healthier baking recipes section.
I used about 3/4 cup of sugar. But I got to say- it was missing flavor. Maybe next time I would double the spices or add something else to make it pop. Or maybe next time I need to try with the icing. But if you try this, I would do something else. Even the dried cranberries didn’t really help. It was moist and looked good- just needed a little oomph!
Hi Sally, I’ve tried this recipe for Mother’s day celebration but using crushed pineapple. And it taste very delicious. plus with the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. Perfect together..
i love the recipe, the flavour is great but mine was too moist in the center, could this be due to altitude, I am in Johannesburg but the loaf didn’t rise in the center. However my oven was set as indicated
June – I had the same issue with the zucchini bread as I had added crushed pineapple (recipes are very similar). After about 50 min, I lowered the temperature to 325°, kept it covered loosely with the foil, then baked for about 10 min longer. That seemed to help bake and set the middle nicely and w/o burning or over baking. Just be certain to keep on the tented foil “lid”. Hope this helps!!
I love this recipe! I was just wondering, can I make in round 6 inch cakes? I love this recipe because it doesn´t have white sugar.
Hi Carla, We haven’t tested it, but this should be just about the right amount of batter for a 6 inch cake pan. Let us know if you try it!
I’ve made this carrot cake loaf 4 times now. Easy to make and absolutely delicious! I use whole wheat flour and kefir (more than ⅓ of a cup to make up for the whole wheat) instead of applesauce.
My family loves this one! We make it regularly!
Tried this recipe for the Easter weekend. I wanted the vibe of carrot cake in a quick bread form (for breakfast) and this fit the bill.
I decided to use 1 cup AP flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (instead of 1 1/2 cups AP flour).
I also reduced the sugar to 2/3 cup and went with Greek yoghurt instead of applesauce.
This was a wonderful carrot cake loaf! Great flavour, perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
Will make this again!
Can I prep the night before and bake the next day?
We don’t recommend it. The leaveners are activated once the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together, so it’s best to bake right away otherwise the rise and texture will be compromised. You could make the loaf the night before and wait to enjoy the next day—with flavorful cakes like carrot cake, it’s often even better the second day!
CB – if I don’t have time to do the entire process, I will prep both the dry and wet ingredients separately, putting the wet ingredients in the fridge. You’ll want to let this set out a bit, just enough to get off the chill. This does not necessarily need to come to room temperature as everything had prior to the day before (well …I least I didn’t!!). Then mix dry & wet together and bake as directed.
Hope this helps!!
I made a few altitude adjustments for baking this at 7500’ and it turned out lovely. Weird side note: our cat loved the cream cheese frosting. I left the cake on the counter when I walked dogs and came back to a whole corner of the cake licked clean