This Carrot Cake Loaf is a moist quick bread studded with grated carrots and chopped pecans, and warmly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all spice, cloves, brown sugar, and vanilla. Baked in a 9×5 loaf pan, it’s finished with a creamy cinnamon‑vanilla cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of extra pecans. Enjoy it for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!
Carrot cake loaf for brunch or dessert!
- This Carrot Cake Loaf is a cross between a quick bread and classic carrot cake (a scaled-down version of it). It's packed with grated carrots and chopped pecans, and comes out incredibly moist thanks to sour cream and brown sugar. It's a beautiful and impressive recipe to share with a family for Easter brunch or dessert, just like these Easter chocolate covered oreos (coated with white chocolate and Easter-themed sprinkles) and Robin's Egg Easter cupcakes.
- I spiced it with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all spice, cloves, brown sugar, and vanilla and topped it with a cinnamon-vanilla bean cream cheese frosting for more of a dessert feel. Speaking about desserts: have you tried my carrot cake cheesecake yet?! It's the crown jewel of all carrot cakes!
- You can totally skip the frosting and enjoy it as a snack or breakfast/brunch loaf. Or, simply add a dusting of powdered sugar or a light glaze made from powdered sugar and milk. Either way, it’s simple, flavorful, and slices beautifully.
- This recipe is super versatile. I’ve tested it with both plain full-fat Greek yogurt and sour cream—either one keeps the loaf moist.
- I've also made this carrot cake loaf with walnut and raisins (omitting the pecans)—and honestly, I can’t decide which combo I like better. Tough decisions!
The Ingredients
- For the carrot cake loaf, you'll need all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, unsalted butter, eggs, vanilla bean paste, sour cream, whole milk, grated carrots, and chopped pecans.
- The cream cheese frosting is made with these ingredients: cream cheese, unsalted butter, vanilla bean paste, salt, cinnamon, powdered sugar, whole milk, and finely chopped pecans for garnish.
- Tip: The photo below shows all the ingredients you’ll need—go ahead and take a screenshot for your shopping list:
How to Make Carrot Cake Loaf
- Note: This is only a recipe overview with step-by-step photos. The complete detailed recipe is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
- Now, let’s make a carrot cake loaf so good, the Easter Bunny would trade all his eggs for a slice. First, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment.
- In one bowl, whisk together all the dry goods: flour, leaveners, salt, and the full spice rack.
- In another bowl, mix brown and white sugar with melted butter (the golden trio), then whisk in the eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla bean paste, sour cream, and milk.
- Next, I like to stir in the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients just until combined—no overmixing—unless you want a rubbery loaf.
- Then, I fold in the freshly shredded carrots (no store-bought pre-shredded stuff!) and pecans. If you’re feeling wild, swap in walnuts or throw in some raisins.
- Batter goes into the parchment lined pan, and at this point I use an offset spatula to smooth out the top of the batter in the pan.
- Bake it for 60–75 minutes. I start checking at 50 minutes and then every 5 to 10 minutes (I use a toothpick and also check for burnt edges). Once a toothpick comes out clean, I cool the carrot cake loaf in the pan for 20 minutes, then lift it out using the parchment sling and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
- For the frosting, beat cream cheese (use brick, not tub—very important), butter, vanilla bean paste, salt, and cinnamon until fluffy.
- Then slowly mix in powdered sugar and splash in milk until it’s creamy perfection. If the frosting gets too runny, I just toss in more sugar.
- I wait until the loaf is completely cool before spreading on the frosting—otherwise it melts or slides right off. Then I either pipe the frosting on with a piping bag or spread it evenly using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Finally, I sprinkle on extra pecans if I’m feeling fancy, and do my best not to eat the whole thing in one sitting. If you end up with leftover frosting—consider it a snack or a reward for your efforts!
Julia's Tips for Success
- Shred your own carrots: I always grate fresh carrots myself because pre-shredded carrots are often too dry and coarse. Freshly grated carrots keep the loaf moist and mix in better.
- Line your pan: I always line my loaf pan with parchment paper—it helps with even baking and makes removing the loaf a breeze.
- Use block cream cheese: For the frosting, I recommend using full-fat cream cheese from a block. The kind from a tub tends to be too soft and can affect the texture.
- Cool before frosting: I make sure the loaf cools completely before frosting it—if it’s even slightly warm, the frosting will melt and slide off.
- Measure flour correctly: When measuring flour, I spoon it into my measuring cup and level it off with a knife. I don’t scoop directly from the bag because it can pack the flour in too tightly, making the loaf dry.
- Check doneness with a skewer or knife: I insert a skewer or knife into the center of the loaf, and if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, I know it’s ready.
Storage Instructions
Since carrot cake loaf has a cream cheese frosting, it should be stored in your refrigerator. Be sure to keep it covered in an airtight container, and you should be able to refrigerate it for 5 days.
More Quick Bread / Loaf Recipes
- Walnut Banana Bread
- Blueberry Lemon Bread with Lemon Glaze
- Pumpkin Banana Bread with Apples
- Blueberry Banana Bread
Carrot Cake Loaf
This Carrot Cake Loaf is a moist quick bread studded with grated carrots and chopped pecans, and warmly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all spice, cloves, brown sugar, and vanilla. Baked in a 9×5 loaf pan, it’s finished with a creamy cinnamon‑vanilla cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of extra pecans. Enjoy it for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Loaf
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon all-spice
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- ½ cup sour cream at room temperature
- ¼ cup whole milk at room temperature
- 1 ¾ cup grated carrots washed and peeled first
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese full-fat brick
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1-2 tablespoons whole milk at room temperature
Optional Garnish
- Pecans finely chopped
Instructions
Make a loaf:
- Place one oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350˚ Fahrenheit. Oven temperatures vary, the best way to ensure you have the most accurate reading is to use an oven thermometer.
- Using nonstick cooking spray, evenly spray one 9” x 5” loaf pan and line it with parchment paper and then set it aside.
- Using a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all spice, and cloves and set the bowl aside.
- Using a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and melted butter. Once that is evenly combined, whisk in your eggs one at a time making sure they are fully mixed in, followed by the vanilla bean paste. Next whisk in your sour cream and whole milk.
- Once the wet ingredients are fully mixed, use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and stir in your dry ingredients. You do not want to over mix here, so be sure to slowly stir, and mix the batter just until you no longer see white streaks from the flour.
- Using the rubber spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold in the grated carrots and chopped pecans into the batter. Be sure that you do not over mix.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and use an offset spatula to smooth it out in the pan.
- Bake the loaf for approximately 60-75 minutes. Since baking times vary, be sure you check the loaf after 50 minutes to make sure it is not browning too quickly. If you see that the loaf is browning, cover it loosely using a foil tent and continue to bake. Begin testing your loaf for doneness at 55 minutes. Insert a toothpick or knife into the middle of the loaf to check for doneness. When inserted, the toothpick or knife should come out clean.
- After the loaf has finished baking, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack for approximately 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, carefully remove the loaf from the pan. You will use the parchment paper to lift the loaf from the pan and transfer it to the wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Make the Frosting:
- Using the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, add the cream cheese and softened butter and mix together on medium speed for 3 minutes until well combined and light in color.
- Add in the vanilla bean paste, salt and cinnamon and mix for two more minutes.
- Turn the mixer on low and slowly add in the sifted powdered sugar by the ½ cup full.
- Once all the powdered sugar has been added, turn the mixer up to medium speed and slowly stream in the whole milk by the spoonful as needed. Continue mixing the frosting at medium speed for two additional minutes. After two minutes it should be a creamy smooth consistency. You can add as much or as little milk as needed to reach the right consistency. If the frosting becomes too thin, add more powdered sugar to the bowl to thicken the frosting back up.
Frost the Carrot Cake Loaf:
- When frosting the loaf, you can use a piping bag to pipe the frosting on or you can use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon and spread the frosting evenly on top. Depending on how much frosting you add to the loaf, you may have some frosting left over.
- Lastly, sprinkle the chopped pecans on top of your loaf as an optional garnish.
Notes
- Do not forget to line the loaf pan with parchment paper. This allows the loaf to cook evenly and allows you to have an easy release of the loaf from the pan.
- Make sure that you are using a block of cream cheese and not using cream cheese out of a tub for the frosting.
- Avoid frosting your loaf too soon out of the oven, if you do frost it too soon, the frosting will melt. Make sure the loaf has completely cooled to room temperature.
- Scroll up for STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS and helpful tips & tricks to make the ultimate carrot cake loaf—so good, the Easter Bunny might just break into your kitchen to steal a slice!
- 9” x 5” Loaf Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Measuring Cups
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Spoons
- Mixer
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
Carrot Cake Loaf
Amount per Serving
Calories
537
% Daily Value*
Fat
23
g
35
%
Saturated Fat
12
g
75
%
Trans Fat
0.5
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
7
g
Cholesterol
105
mg
35
%
Sodium
455
mg
20
%
Potassium
214
mg
6
%
Carbohydrates
77
g
26
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
53
g
59
%
Protein
7
g
14
%
Vitamin A
4413
IU
88
%
Vitamin C
2
mg
2
%
Calcium
123
mg
12
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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