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All of the flavors you love in your favorite carrot cake are now packed into a delicious quick bread! Top this carrot cake bread with coarse sugar or a cream cheese glaze for a delicious spring breakfast or afternoon snack.
I know a lot of people consider carrot cake to be an Easter (or spring) dessert, but I think it deserves some love year round.
My first, truest love is the J. Alexander’s carrot cake, but I love it in all forms, whether it’s a classic carrot cake or carrot bundt cake.
And this year I’m branching out and packing all of the things we love about carrot cake into other forms, starting with this carrot cake bread.
If you’ve been looking for an excuse to eat cake for breakfast, this recipe is it.
Moist and delicious carrot cake bread
Quick breads are one of my favorite things to make. They’re easy, fast to throw together, and are perfect for everything from breakfast to afternoon snack to dessert.
In late summer, I make tons of zucchini bread. A few weeks ago, I realized that I could easily tweak my classic zucchini bread to be a carrot cake bread!
This bread is packed with shredded carrots, crushed pineapple, and sweetened coconut. The bread itself is moist and flavorful on its own without being too sweet, but finish it with the cream cheese glaze and goes over the top.
This recipe makes 2 loaves, so it is perfect for sharing with a neighbor or friend. It would also be a lovely host gift for any brunches or parties you might be attending!
You could argue that this bread recipe is really just loaf cake, but then we don’t have the excuse to eat it for breakfast instead of just for dessert!
How to make my carrot cake bread
You only need a couple of bowls to throw together the batter for this bread – no mixer required until you make the cream cheese glaze. You can even make it ahead of time so you have one less thing to think about when you’re prepping for your holiday meal!
Ingredients you’ll need
For the carrot cake bread itself, you will need:
- 3 eggs
- 1 2/3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 cups peeled and grated carrots
- 8 ounces crushed pineapple, very well drained
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut (optional)
Before you start baking, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly so that your bread comes out perfect every time.
Don’t panic if you’re out of brown sugar or buttermilk. You can make a simple brown sugar substitute and buttermilk substitute – they each only need 2 ingredients.
If your brown sugar hardened in the pantry, learn how to soften brown sugar and save yourself a trip to the grocery store.
I recommend peeling and grating your own carrots for this recipe. The pre-shredded carrots at the store are a bit too thick to use in this bread.
If you don’t like coconut, feel free to omit it or swap it with chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts, instead.
If you are making the cream cheese glaze, you will also need:
- 2 ounces softened cream cheese
- ½ tablespoon softened butter
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
Out of powdered sugar? Learn how to make powdered sugar and use that in this glaze instead.
Making this recipe
This recipe makes 2 8×4-inch loaves. Make sure you grease your loaf pans and line them with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and brown sugar together until smooth. Whisk in the oil, buttermilk, and vanilla.
In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add this mixture to the wet ingredients and stir with a spatula until just combined.
Fold in the shredded carrots, pineapple, and coconut, then divide the batter evenly between the prepared loaf pans.
Bake the carrot cake loaves at 350°F for 50-60 minutes; a toothpick or tester inserted in the center should come out clean with just a few crumbs clinging to it when the bread is done.
Allow the carrot cake bread to cool in the pans for 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
When the bread has cooled but is still a bit warm, use a mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the rest of the glaze ingredients, then mix until combined and very smooth.
Spread the cream cheese glaze onto the bread while it is still slightly warm.
Storage and freezing tips
Because of the cream cheese glaze, this carrot cake bread should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Without the glaze, it can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days.
If you want to make the loaves ahead of time, turn to your freezer for longer storage.
Let the bread cool completely. Wrap tightly in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of heavy duty foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.
Thaw the loaves at room temperature for a couple of hours, then top with the cream cheese glaze before serving.
Frequently asked questions
The crushed pineapple in this recipe helps keep the bread moist and tender, so I don’t recommend omitting it. If you need a carrot cake recipe that does not use pineapple, try my carrot bundt cake or carrot cake scones.
I typically use a box grater to grate my carrots. Make sure you peel them first!
If using a box grater is not accessible for you, you can use the grater attachment on your food processor instead.
For a crunchy sugar topping, sprinkle the unbaked loaves with coarse sugar before they go in the oven. You could also swap the cream cheese glaze for a powdered sugar glaze.
If you try to avoid vegetable oil and canola oil, use your preferred neutral-flavored oil, such as avocado oil, instead.
Carrot Cake Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ⅔ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 cups peeled and grated carrots
- 8 ounces crushed pineapple very well drained
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut optional
For the cream cheese glaze:
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ tablespoon unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray (2) 8×4-inch loaf pans with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar until well combined and smooth. Add the oil, buttermilk and vanilla; whisk until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the carrots, pineapple, and coconut.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared loaf pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaves comes out clean.
- Let the loaves cool in the pans for 20 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack.
To make the cream cheese glaze:
- Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and milk; mix on low speed until combined, then increase the speed to high and beat until very smooth. Spread onto the loaves while the bread is still slightly warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
