Carrot Cake Loaf

By
Jessie Sheehan
Jessie Sheehan
Jessie Sheehan
Jessie Sheehan is a recipe developer, baker, food writer, and author of "The Vintage Baker" and "Icebox Cakes."
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 07/21/21
carrot cake loaf

Jessie Sheehan / The Spruce

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 75 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 1 loaf

Carrot cake is beloved by all. It's always moist thanks to the inclusion of oil in its ingredient list as well as copious amounts of shredded carrots. It takes wonderfully to add-ins like dried fruit, nuts, and even pineapple. It's also easy to mix up without a stand or hand mixer and, besides the shredding of the carrots, it takes almost no time to assemble.

Many people love a layered carrot cake, generously frosted with tangy cream cheese frosting, but when you're craving carrot cake and don't necessarily have the energy, time, or inclination to go all out with a layered-job, try a carrot loaf cake.

A loaf cake might not be quite as sexy as a layer cake, but it is easier to prepare, wonderfully portable, and lasts for days on the counter and can therefore be nibbled-at whenever you make your way through the kitchen. In short, we would not be remotely surprised if this fab, easy-peasy carrot loaf cake became your new go-to.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

  • 1 3/4 cups light brown sugar

  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 large yolk

  • 2 cups carrots, finely grated

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or softened butter. Line bottom and 2 short sides with parchment paper.

  3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves.

  4. In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk sugar, oil, and vanilla.

  5. Gently whisk in eggs and yolk, one at a time.

  6. Add dry ingredients to wet. Using a flexible spatula, gently fold dry into wet until just a few streaks of flour remain.

  7. Fold in grated carrots.

  8. Transfer batter to prepared pan, smoothing top if necessary. Bake for about 1 hour, rotating pan after 30 minutes. Cake is done when a tester comes out with a moist crumb or two, but no wet batter.

  9. Remove cake from oven and let cool for ten minutes before lifting out of pan by parchment "handles." Let cool completely before serving (or frosting, if you like).

Storage

Cooled leftover cake can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and left on the counter for up to three days. Because this cake is moist, it's just as good the next day or two.

Recipe Tips

  • You can purchase pre-shredded carrots, but they tend to be kind of dry, and it is worth shredding them yourself for the extra moisture it will impart. Finely grate the carrots for the best final texture.
  • Do not over-mix your batter. Stop mixing when you can still see a few streaks of flour in the batter and then gently fold in the carrots.

Recipe Variations

  • For a glazed cake, whisk 1/4 cup softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of whole milk in a small bowl. If too runny, add more sugar, if too thick, add more milk.
  • Add up to a cup of sweetened shredded coconut or toasted pecans, or a handful of raisins or dried cranberries.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
307 Calories
15g Fat
41g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 307
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 19%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 46mg 15%
Sodium 228mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 41g 15%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 27g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 1mg 5%
Calcium 76mg 6%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 129mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)