Carrot Cake Loaf With Cream Cheese Frosting
You’ll adore this moist Carrot Cake Loaf With Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe! This delectable loaf combines the earthy sweetness of carrots with a rich blend of spices, topped with creamy cream cheese frosting. Each slice offers a perfect balance of texture and taste that will make your dessert time truly special!
Carrot Cake Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
I’m excited to share this delightful homemade carrot cake loaf with cream cheese frosting!
This carrot loaf offers all the beloved traditional flavors of carrot cake with a texture that perfectly straddles the line between a fluffy cake and a dense loaf.
The velvety, melt-in-your-mouth cream cheese frosting pairs exquisitely with the beneath carrot cake loaf, making every bite decadently moist and irresistibly creamy.
Enhanced with a sprinkle of chopped walnuts, this loaf is not just a treat, it’s a showstopper!
I can’t wait for you to try this cake! It was a huge hit in my household this weekend—so much so that I barely managed to get a single slice for myself!
How to Make Carrot Cake Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
A full and detailed recipe card is at the bottom of this post.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium-size mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.
Beat Butter and Sugar: In a separate large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and both sugars. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until pale and creamy. Scrape down the sides.
Incorporate Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 15 seconds after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
Mix in Wet Ingredients: Pour in the oil and vanilla and beat for low speed for 20 seconds to combine.
Beat in Carrots: Add the grated carrot and beat on low speed for 15 seconds to incorporate.
Combine with Dry Ingredients: Add the dry flour mixture and beat on low-medium speed until incorporated. Avoid over-mixing. Fold in any excess flour around the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Fold in Walnuts & Transfer Batter: Gently fold in the chopped walnuts, the batter will be thick. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin.
Bake: Bake for 45-50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
Cool: Transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting: In a large mixing bowl using electric beaters, beat the softened cream cheese and butter for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape down the sides.
Add Sugar: Sift in the powdered sugar and beat for 40 seconds on medium-high speed until well combined and whipped.
Frost Cake: Spread frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Measure your baking ingredients accurately: Check out my helpful guide on how to measure basic ingredients.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure the butter and the eggs are at room temperature for better integration into the batter.
- Nut-Free: Substitute the walnuts with raisins or leave them out for a nut-free version.
- Avoid Ovemixing: Avoid overmixing the batter after adding the dry flour ingredients to keep the loaf light and tender.
- Cooling the Loaf: Allow the carrot loaf to cool completely before applying the cream cheese frosting to prevent it from melting.
What frosting goes with carrot cake?
Cream cheese frosting is the classic choice for carrot cake, complementing its moist texture and spicy notes with a smooth, tangy flavor.
What is the difference between cake and loaf cake?
Cakes are typically light and fluffy, baked in various shapes and are often frosted with buttercream or a thin glaze. Loaf cakes are denser, baked in a bread loaf pan, and usually have a simpler or no frosting.
What other frostings can I use besides cream cheese frosting?
While cream cheese frosting complements the flavors beautifully, you can also try a simple vanilla buttercream, pineapple glaze, or even a whipped cream frosting for a lighter touch.
How to store carrot cake loaf
Store: Keep the loaf in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
Freeze: Without the cream cheese frosting, wrap the whole loaf or slices of loaf in plastic wrap, then in foil. Place into a freezer-safe airtight container or zip-lock bags. Label with the freeze date. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Thaw frozen loaf at room temperature for several hours before frosting and serving or thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
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Carrot Cake Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Loaf
- 1 1/2 cups (225g/8 oz.) all-purpose flour, scoop & leveled
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 125 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, how to pack
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrot, about 1 1/2 – 2 large carrots
- 1 cup walnuts, roughy chopped, plus extra for sprinkling on frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4.4 oz. (125g) full-fat block cream cheese, at room temperature
- 60 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (225g/8 oz.) powdered sugar
Instructions
Loaf
- Preheat Oven & Line Tin: Preheat the oven to 356ºF (180ºC). Line a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf tin with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium-size mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.
- Beat Butter and Sugar: In a separate large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and both sugars. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until pale and creamy. Scrape down the sides.
- Incorporate Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 15 seconds after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Mix in Wet Ingredients: Pour in the oil and vanilla and beat for low speed for 20 seconds to combine.
- Beat in Carrots: Add the grated carrot and beat on low speed for 15 seconds to incorporate.
- Combine with Dry Ingredients: Add the dry flour mixture and beat on low-medium speed until incorporated. Avoid over-mixing. Fold in any excess flour around the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Fold in Walnuts: Gently fold in the chopped walnuts, the batter will be thick.
- Transfer Batter: Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin.
- Bake: Bake for 45-50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
- Cool: Transfer loaf to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Mixing: In a large mixing bowl using electric beaters, beat the softened cream cheese and butter for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape down the sides.
- Add Sugar: Sift in the powdered sugar and beat for 40 seconds on medium-high speed until well combined and whipped.
- Frost Loaf: Spread frosting evenly over the cooled carrot loaf. Sprinkle with extra walnuts and enjoy!
Notes
- Store: Keep the loaf in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
- Freeze: Without the cream cheese frosting, wrap the whole loaf or slices of loaf in plastic wrap, then in foil. Place into a freezer-safe airtight container or zip-lock bags. Label with the freeze date. Freeze for up to 3 months.
-
Thaw: Thaw frozen loaf at room temperature for several hours before frosting and serving or thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
First published in 2018, this recipe was updated in April 2024 to include new expert recommendations, storage guidelines, recipe card additions and more.
Hi!! What can I use instead of coconut sugar?
Hi Ana! You can replace the coconut sugar with either light brown sugar, raw sugar or rapadura sugar. Any other sugars that are brown in colour should be good substitute for the coconut sugar. Hope that helps and enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Thank you so much! I’m looking forward to making this loaf! It sounds and look incredible
Hi this looks amazing!
Can I sub the butter with olive oil or any other oil? If yes then which one and what will be it’s measure??
Hi Niti, thanks so much! I haven’t made this carrot cake without butter before nor using any type of oil. Because the quantity of the butter both in the cake itself and the frosting is a large amount, I cannot guarantee that using an oil will have the same outcome as this original recipe, especially in the frosting. If you really need to replace with an oil, I would recommend using coconut oil in it’s solid/softened state, not it’s liquid state. I hope this helps! 🙂
Hi from Germany!
It looks very tasty and I would like to bake it. But….how much is one cup in gramm and what is “all spice”?
Greetings Susi
Oh my!! This looks absolutely delicious!!!
Thanks so much! It’s definitely a must try! 🙂