Perfectly moist, sweet and crazy delicious carrot cake in loaf form. Top it with cream cheese icing, addchopped pecans, make it yours! This Carrot Cake Bread will become a Springtime recipe staple in your kitchen, guaranteed.
Prep Time: 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 1 hourhour
Total Time: 1 hourhour15 minutesminutes
Servings:8servings
Ingredients
1 ½cupflour
1teaspoonbaking powder
¾teaspoonbaking soda
1 teaspooncinnamon
1teaspoonsalt
⅔cupvegetable oil
⅓cupunsweetened applesauce
⅔cupsugar
⅓cupbrown sugar
2teaspoonsvanilla
3large eggs
1 ½cupsfinely shredded carrots, see note
Frosting (optional)
4ounces cream cheese, softened
4tablespoonsbutter, softened
1/2teaspoonvanilla
pinch of salt
2-3cupspowdered sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch loaf pan.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, applesauce, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Stir in the shredded carrots.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir by hand until just combined and there are no more steaks of flour. (Do not over-mix)
Transfer batter to your prepared baking pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes (on a rack in the lower third of the oven) until a toothpick inserted deep into the center comes out clean (a few loose crumbs are fine but no wet batter!). *If your cake begins to brown too much on top, place a sheet of foil loosely over the top of the cake pan, I usually do this about halfway through the baking time.
Allow to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
If making the frosting, you can do this while the cake cools.
Making the Frosting
In a medium bowl cream together cream cheese and butter for 2-3 minutes.
Mix in vanilla and salt, then add powdered sugar one cup at a time until completely incorporated and frosting is fluffy. (If too thick, you can mix in 1 tablespoon of milk)
Frost your cake loaf, slice, and serve.
Store in airtight container up to 3 days or in fridge up to 5 days.
Notes
Shredded carrots: be sure to grate the carrots yourself, do not use pre-shredded carrots - they are too large and dried out, this recipe needs the moisture of freshly grated carrots. On that note, you do not need to squeeze/drain your shredded carrots.