Carrot Cake Bread
Carrot Cake Bread is a beloved flavorful treat that combines the best of cake and a sweet bread. Using common produce and mostly basic pantry items, this bread is healthful and gets better the next day! In this recipe, we use a lot of carrots, so the bread produces a rich and moist loaf.
Lively fresh carrots
If you enjoy carrot cake, you will love this bread. It celebrates carrots, oats, chocolate chips, chopped nuts and the raisins! Plus, carrots are a great source of beta carotene, fiber, and antioxidants.
To make the Carrot Cake Bread, whisk together whole wheat and all-purpose flours, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined. In a medium bowl, stir together carrots, banana puree, extract, oil, honey, milk, yogurt and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and extract to the wet ingredients (do not over mix).
Hearty and heart healthy ingredients
Fold in the oats, chocolate chips, chopped nuts and the raisins. Pour batter into prepared pan. Decorate the top of the loaf with remaining oats, chocolate chips and nuts. Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes, rotating the pan in the oven halfway through. Release from the loaf pan after 5-10 minutes and set on a cooling rack.
There are several variations of the Carrot Cake Bread that you can make including trail mix, chocolate carrot cake and apple carrot cake (see Notes). You can adjust the mix in ingredients easily based on your preferences. I try to do this based upon seasonal vegetables or whatever I have leftover in the refrigerator!
It’s great for a snack or breakfast, topped with cream cheese as a homage to the frosting. Oftentimes, we will slice the Carrot Cake Bread into 1-inch individual pieces, wrap it in the foil and seal in a freezer proof bag. You can defrost it overnight in the refrigerator.
The Carrot Cake Bread can be prepared gluten free or vegan, too! Try some of our other breads like Blueberry Lemon Bread, Yogurt Blood Orange Sweet Bread, the King’s Peanut Butter Banana Bread and Easy Pumpkin Bread.
The Carrot Cake Bread is easy for beginners.
Carrot Cake Bread
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of whole wheat flour
- 1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp. of each: cinnamon, all spice and cardamom
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2 ½ cups of carrots, grated and drained (4-6 large carrots)
- 1 large overripe banana, pureed
- 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
- ¼ cup of canola oil
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup milk, at room temperature
- 6 oz. vanilla or maple yogurt
- ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup of rolled oats, divided
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
- ¾ cup chopped nuts, divided
- ¾ cup of raisins
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9x5 loaf pan with vegetable spray and parchment paper.
- In a big bowl, whisk together whole wheat and all-purpose flours, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together carrots, banana puree, extract, oil, honey, milk, yogurt and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and extract to the wet ingredients.
- Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry until moistened (do not over mix).
- Fold in ¾ cup of each oats, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts; add the raisins.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Decorate the top of the loaf with remaining whole oats, chocolate chips and nuts.
- Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes, rotating the pan in the oven halfway through, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Release from the loaf pan after 5-10 minutes and set on a cooling rack.
