Carrot Cake Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting

This easy carrot cake is made in a loaf pan and is packed with flavor. It’s moist, perfectly spiced, and topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Total Time: 53 minutes Servings: 12

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

½ cup melted coconut oil (canola or vegetable oil works too)

¾ cup packed dark brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 ½ cups peeled and shredded carrots, packed when measuring

½ cup raisins (optional)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans (optional, for garnish)

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Then, stir in the shredded carrots and raisins (if using).

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix!

Spread the batter evenly into your greased loaf pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of your preheated oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Ovens vary in temperature, so start checking for doneness around the 45-minute mark. If the top starts to brown too quickly, you can loosely cover it with aluminum foil halfway through baking.

Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then, carefully take the loaf out of the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

While the cake cools, prepare the cream cheese frosting. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract, and salt on medium speed until smooth, which should take about a minute.

Once the cake is cool, spread the frosting over the top. Garnish with chopped walnuts or pecans if desired.

Cut the carrot cake loaf into thick slices and enjoy!

Tips:

You can add up to 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the cake batter if you’d like.

The cake will be even more moist the next day, so feel free to make it ahead of time.

Storing without frosting: Cover the unfrosted loaf and store it at room temperature for up to 4 days. The cake will actually get more moist as it sits. If the climate is hot and humid, you can store the loaf in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Storing with frosting: Once you’ve frosted the loaf, it’s best to store it in the refrigerator. Cover it and keep it there for up to a week. Let the cake come to room temperature before serving. However, some people enjoy it cold straight from the fridge!

Freezing the loaf: Freeze the unfrosted loaf for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before frosting and serving.

I hope you enjoy this delicious carrot cake loaf recipe!