Moist, spiced, and loaded with carrots, this irresistible carrot cake loaf is tender and flavorful—perfect for Easter. Bake it and enjoy!
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Why You’ll LOVE This Recipe!
If you want a carrot-flavored dessert for the Easter season but don’t want an entire carrot cake, this is the loaf for you!
You will also love this recipe if you prefer a ‘heartier’ dessert. This is not as light and airy as a cake but rather more dense and delicious!
When to Make and Enjoy A Carrot Cake Loaf
This carrot cake loaf is perfect to make around the Easter holiday, but it can be enjoyed any time of year! You can make a loaf, slice it up, and enjoy it as your sweet treat for the week!
If you are someone who enjoys a sweeter breakfast you can enjoy a carrot cake loaf parfait. Add a serving of greek yogurt to a bowl then crumble a slice on top! This is the perfect sweet and savory combo to start your day.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The main ingredients you’ll need that you may not already have on-hand are:
Carrots- Large whole carrots are the best bet!
Nutmeg- You don’t need much but this isn’t something you want to skip!
Walnuts- You can get any type and just roughly chop them to the desired size.
Some other items you will need, but are likely kitchen staples are: flour, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon, sugar, eggs, veggie oil, and vanilla extract.
How to Make A Carrot Cake Loaf Recipe
The most difficult aspect of this recipe is grating the carrots. The rest is a piece of cake!
Whisk together the sugar and eggs. Then, add in the veggie oil and vanilla extract. In a large bowl, mix together the rest of the dry ingredients (besides the carrots and walnuts!). Next up, combine the wet into the dry bowl.
Now comes the difficult part. Grate your cleaned and peeled carrots until you have one and a half cups of grated carrot. Use a paper towel to squeeze out excess liquid. Gently fold in the carrot and chopped walnuts.
Add the mixture to a greased glass loaf pan and bake for about 55 minutes. Allow to cool then slice and enjoy!
Expert Tips and Tricks
You may think you are making a smart choice by getting the carrot matchsticks to avoid grating. WRONG. The pre-cut carrot matchsticks are very dry. In this loaf your grated carrots are adding necessary wetness.
When folding in the grated carrots and chopped walnuts be gentle! You want to stop folding just as everything is evenly dispersed.
Be sure to use a glass loaf pan. Using a different material can result in a different outcome.
Additions and Substitutions
- To reduce the calories you can omit the walnuts. This will reduce the entire loaf by about 390 calories. You can also skip the cream cheese frosting. This moist loaf is still delicious on its own!
- If you aren’t a fan of walnuts but still want the great texture, you can replace them with a similar nut such as chopped pecans.
- To get a bit more fiber you can use whole grain flour in place of all-purpose flour.
- Spice-lover? You can add additional cinnamon and nutmeg.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
If your questions haven’t been answered so far, you may find it here!
What is the trick to a moist loaf?
There are a few things that keep this loaf moist. First off, using freshly grated carrots add moisture and using a good amount of veggie oil provides a richness and prevents the loaf from drying out. Also, cooking for the appropriate time can prevent the loaf from drying out.
How many calories are in a carrot cake loaf?
Carrot cake loaf does appear as though it would be a ‘healthier’ dessert. But, the classic version has a good amount of added sweetness (which may be why we all love it so much!). My entire Moist Carrot Cake Loaf with Walnuts has just over 3,000 calories in total.
How do I make cream cheese frosting?
This Moist Carrot Cake Loaf is delicious on its own but if you add a smear of cream cheese frosting- YUM!
If you want a sweeter topping, use a hand mixer to combine 1/2 stick of Oleo, 4 ounces of cream cheese, 1.5 cups of powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract!
A Word From a Registered Dietitian
Some may see this loaf as attempting to be ‘healthy’ because there are carrots in it. Well, I see it better as to leave labels out of it.
You don’t need to choose this loaf because it has veggies but rather select it as your sweet treat because you want it. This is a delicious way where you happen to also get a serving of veggies!
Craving More?
Once you make this Moist Carrot Cake Loaf Recipe be sure to leave a comment below! It’s always helpful for others to know someone else has had success!
I’d love to see how it turns out. Tag me on Instagram so I can share it with others as well!
Try some of these other recipes:
Most Carrot Cake Loaf Recipe
Moist Carrot Cake Loaf Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Glass Bread Pan
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1.5 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
Wet Ingredients
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Add In Last
- 1.5 Cups Shredded Carrot
- 1/2 Cup Walnuts Chopped
Instructions
- Grab out your glass loaf pan, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, gather all your ingredients, and wash your hands.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar. Then, Mix in vegetable oil and vanilla extract.
- In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients.
- Clean, peel, and grate carrots. Use a paper towel to gently squeeze excess liquid from grated carrots.
- Roughly chop walnuts.
- Carefully mix in grated carrots and chopped walnuts to mixture until just combined.
- Spray glass pan with non-stick spray and add your mixture.
- Bake in the oven for 54-56 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed clean. Be sure to check out the notes section to avoid wet pockets.
- Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Nutrition Facts are calculated using the USDA’s FoodCentral Database. Exact nutrition facts may vary.
- Avoid opening the oven during baking.
- If enough liquid is not removed from grated carrot the loaf may have wet spots.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
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