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A thick slice of carrot cake on a white plate with a fork taking a bite
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5 from 7 votes

Carrot Cake Loaf

An easy-to-make Carrot Cake Loaf that is moist and sturdy with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: carrot cake, carrot cake loaf, cream cheese frosting, easter cake, easy baking recipe
Servings: 8

Ingredients

For the Carrot Cake Loaf

  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ tea baking powder
  • ½ tea baking soda
  • ½ tea kosher salt Diamond Crystal
  • 1 tea ground cinnamon
  • 1 tea ground cardamom
  • ½ tea ground ginger
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • cup (65g) brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • cup (160ml) avocado or canola oil
  • ¼ cup (60g) plain Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup (60g) buttermilk
  • 3 medium-large carrots (175g) shredded

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter softened
  • ½ cup (113g) cream cheese softened
  • 2 to 3 cups (240g to 360g) icing sugar
  • 1 tea vanilla extract
  • 1 to 2 tablespoon milk as needed

Instructions

To Make the Carrot Cake Loaf

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and line a 9X4.5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, add the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Whisk until smooth and the mixture slightly lightens in color, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the oil and whisk to combine. Add the yogurt and buttermilk. Whisk to combine.
  • Working in two additions, tip about half of the dry ingredients into the batter and stir together with a rubber spatula. Add the second half and mix until smooth.
  • Add the carrots and fold until combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a wooden skewer poked into the center comes out clean.
  • Cool the cake on a wire rack before topping with the cream cheese frosting.

To Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Using an electric mixer (hand or stand), beat the butter until smooth. Add the cream cheese and mix until combined.
  • Add the icing sugar and vanilla extract. Mix on low to combine then increase the speed to medium and mix until smooth. No need to over do it here, then frosting should be thick and smooth. Add milk as needed.
  • When done, scoop mounds of frosting on top of the cooled cake and swirl with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. The frosting will be thick.