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This is the most moist and easy Carrot Cake Loaf Cake and it is incredibly delicious. It is full of carrot and warm spices and it has the most soft and fluffy texture plus it’s topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting. This carrot cake loaf recipe is so easy and it will be quick family favorite.
This carrot cake loaf cake is so easy to make as it's all made in the same bowl. It is so delicious, is full of carrot and warm spices and it has the most delicious moist crumb. Giving the carrot cake loaf the most amazing texture and is topped with a cream cheese frosting. This delicious moist carrot cake loaf is so good you’ll want to make it on repeat.
For more loaf recipes, try One-Bowl Banana Bread, Lemon Pound Cake and Blueberry Pound Cake.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Carrot Cake Loaf: This carrot cake loaf is super soft and moist.
- One-bowl: This carrot cake loaf comes together in just one bowl, making it super easy to make.
- Cream cheese frosting: This carrot cake loaf is topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour: Gives a light and airy cake. I prefer using all-purpose flour with a protein amount that is between 10-11%
- Sugar: The granulated sugar and brown sugar helps sweeten, as well as give moister to the cake.
- Eggs: Let the eggs come to room temperature before baking.
- Carrot: I recommend using freshly grated carrot. The grated carrot gives so much moister and a super soft and tender loaf. Measure out the grated carrot and make sure it's room temperature.
- Oil: Use a flavor neutral vegetable oil, such as canola oil.
- Sour cream: Sour cream makes for a a super soft and tender loaf. Measure out the sour cream and let it come to room temperature.
- Spices: To give that classic carrot cake flavor, ground cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg and cloves is added.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Here is how to make and bake these Carrot Cake Loaf Cake. This recipe needs two large bowls, a whisk and a spatula. It also needs an electric mixer for the frosting. You can use either a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer. .
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
Preheat the oven at 175ºC/350ºF conventional oven and grease a 21,5 x 11,5 cm /8,5x4,5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
STEP 1: Grate the carrots and weigh it out. Set it aside. In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and oil. Add the eggs and mix it in until combined.
STEP 2: In a separate bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir it together until combined. Then add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add the other half of the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
STEP 3: Finally add the grated carrots, and gently fold it together with the mixture until combined. Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf tin.
STEP 4: Bake it for 1 hour 5-15 minutes. Let the cake cool on a cooling rack. After 10 minutes, gently remove the cake from the cake tin and let it cool down completely.
STEP 5: For the cream cheese frosting, in your stand mixer, using the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, start by creaming the butter for 5 minutes on high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it another mix for 2 minutes.
STEP 6: Add the vanilla bean paste and cream cheese and cream it together with the butter for 1 minute. Add the sifted powdered sugar in 2 parts, letting the powdered sugar mix in with butter and cream cheese before adding the next part.
STEP 7: Add the cream cheese frosting on top of the loaf cake and event it out. Optionally decorate it with carrot sprinkles.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
I recommend using a cake tester or toothpick. When the time has passed, per the recipe, insert the cake tester in the in the center of the pound cake and once it comes out clean, with no cake batter on it, then it's done.
Yes, I recommend wait to add the cream cheese frosting until ready to serve it. Make the loaf as instructed and store it in an airtight container or covered by plastic wrap. Then add the cream cheese frosting when serving.
Yes you can replace it 1:1 with Greek yogurt.
Yes, you can optionally add pecans, walnuts and raisins or even a bit of orange zest. Add max 60 g (½ cup) in total.
STORAGE
If the cream cheese frosting is added, store the Carrot Cake Loaf Cake in an airtight container, in the refrigerator. Once you want to eat it, let it come to room temperature before eating, takes about 30-60 minutes. For the best result enjoy them within a 2-3 days.
Other Loaf Cake Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Carrot Cake Loaf Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
CARROT CAKE LOAF
- 200 g grated carrots room temperature
- 110 g oil room temperature
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 140 g sour cream 14-18% room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 240 g all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground all spice powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 100 g butter
- 50 g full-fat cream cheese
- 180 g powdered sugar sifted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
The US customary cup measurement serves as a rough estimate, as it can have uncertainties, so for precise results, it's recommended to weigh your ingredients using a digital scale in grams. Baking is both an art and a science, which most often requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
CARROT CAKE LOAF
- Preheat the oven at 175ºC/350ºF conventional oven and grease a 21,5 x 11,5 cm /8,5x4,5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
- Grate the carrots and weigh it out. Set it aside.200 g grated carrots
- In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and oil.110 g oil, 100 g granulated sugar, 100 g dark brown sugar
- Add the eggs and mix it in until combined.2 eggs
- In a separate bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add half the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix it together until combined.240 g all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground all spice powder, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg powder, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Then add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add the other half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.140 g sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Finally add the grated carrots, using a rubber spatula, gently fold it together with the batter until evenly combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan. Take a butter knife and insert it into the top of the batter in the loaf pan and run it a straight line down the middle of the batter.
- Bake it for 1 hour 5-15 minutes. Let the cake cool on a cooling rack. After 10 minutes, gently remove the cake from the cake tin and let it cool down completely.
- Note: If the baking is larger or smaller loaf pan, it can affect the baking time, therefore bake it until a cake tester or tooth pick comes out clean.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- Once the loaf is completely cooled down, take the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge 10 minutes before starting. Cut the butter into cubes. Sift the powdered sugar.100 g butter, 50 g full-fat cream cheese, 180 g powdered sugar sifted
- In your stand mixer, using the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, start by creaming the butter for 5 minutes on high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it another mix for 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla bean paste and cream cheese and cream it together with the butter for 1 minute.½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and on low speed, mix the sifted powdered sugar in 2 parts, letting the powdered sugar mix in with butter and cream cheese before adding the next part. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it a final mix for 2 minutes.
- Add the cream cheese frosting on top of the loaf cake and event it out. Optionally decorate it with carrot sprinkles.
Aj
Thank you for sharing your recipe. It was so moist and it tasted delicious. The best part was having the ingredients listed again in the instructions.
Jack Bain
A sincere thankyou for this excellent recipe! I have tried quite a few Carrot Cake recipes over the years and I had my "go to" one that I generally used, but found it a bit long-winded and complicated recently, which put me off! Yours had me making two in one day! So easy to make, such a simple process and produces a lovely, moist and tasty carrot cake loaf! I will now be making these more often which will delight my friends and family who always ask when am I making carrot cake? Thank you so much for this quick and effective tasty recipe.
Mylene
Love carrot cake thanks for sharing your recipe i hope my cake looks good like your cake please have a great day thanks again