Carrot Cake Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting

This hearty whole wheat carrot cake loaf is loaded up with freshly grated carrots and topped with a dreamy cream cheese frosting. Plus it’s made in one bowl with simple, rustic ingredients!

Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Loaf Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Hi there. Allow me to introduce you to my new friend: whole wheat carrot cake. She’s hearty, a lil’ spicy and everyone loves her. This carrot cake loaf cake is super moist thanks to two full cups of freshly grated carrots. Plus, it’s made with only 1/2 cup added sugar and whole wheat flour, so I personally feel good about eating this for bfast.

What makes this carrot cake loaf superior to all other carrot cakes?

Now, I know if you’re here you’ve probably eaten your fair share of carrot cakes in your day. I like to consider myself somewhat of an expert in the carrot cake field.  But this hearty whole wheat carrot cake loaf takes the cake. Now, don’t get scared off by the whole wheat–I know it gets a bad rap for being a little dried out, but this carrot cake recipe is anything but. She’s flavorful, perfectly spiced, and you guys, the texture. THE TEXTURE. It’s perfectly dense and moist with a tight crumb that is so satisfying.

You’ll love it!

Ingredients for whole wheat carrot cake loaf

Now I know this grocery list looks a little long, but most of the ingredients for this carrot cake loaf are pantry staples that you probably already have! You can also feel free to tweak the ingredients slightly because this recipe is super forgiving. If you don’t have oil on hand, melted butter works too. If you don’t have whole wheat flour, feel free to swap it out for regular ol’ all purpose. If you have any questions about substitutions feel free to comment below with any q’s or head over to our baking substitutions guide.

• Brown Sugar
• Vegetable Oil
• Eggs
• Vanilla
• Whole Wheat Flour
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Nutmeg
• Cloves
• Carrots
• Crushed Pineapple

How to level up your whole wheat carrot cake loaf:

This carrot cake recipe is top notch, but I strongly believe you can always take a recipe to the next level. Follow these tips and tricks to guarantee perfect, tender, moist cake every time!

• Underbake it slightly: I strongly believe the secret sauce for most baked goods is under baking them just slightly. Your carrot cake loaf cake will continue to cook as it cools down, so you’ll want to take it out of the oven when a knife inserted into the middle comes out pretty clean, but not entirely. For us this took about 45 minutes, but every oven is different, so you’ll have to keep an eye on your cake!
• Fold in your favorite add-ins: As I mentioned above, one of my favorite things about this hearty carrot cake loaf is that you can totally customize it. Some people love raisins, nuts, or coconut in their carrot cake, so feel free to add in whatever your tastebuds are asking for!
• Top with cream cheese frosting: Now for me…this is no brainer. Carrot cake and cream cheese frosting were made each other. That being said, if you’re looking for more of a breakfast cake feel free to nix the frosting or cut down on the powdered sugar to avoid a sugar crash.
• Drizzle with salted caramel: I *highly* recommend drizzling with whole wheat carrot cake loaf with salted caramel if you want to dessert-ify it. We always have a jar of homemade caramel in our fridge. If you want to tackle some homemade caramel sauce making we have a full tutorial on it here!

Happy baking!

XXX

• Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 16 servings
• Category: dessert
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: american

Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Loaf

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This hearty whole wheat carrot cake loaf is loaded up with freshly grated carrots and topped with a dreamy cream cheese frosting. Plus it’s made in one bowl with simple, rustic ingredients!

• Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 16 servings
• Category: dessert
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: american

Units: USM

Ingredients

for the carrot cake loaf

• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (we used Mighty Mills!)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 2 ounces crushed pineapple

for the cream cheese frosting

• 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 1 pound loaf pan with parchment paper or spray liberally cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Use a whisk to mix together until homogenous and glossy.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix until smooth and no streaks of flour remain. Add the grated carrots and pineapple and mix well. Do not over mix.
4. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle of the bread comes out mostly clean. Allow the bread to cool completely.
5. While the bread is cooling, make the cream cheese frosting. Combine all the frosting ingredients in a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth and creamy.
6. Once the bread is completely cool remove from the loaf pan and top with the cream cheese frosting. If desired, drizzle with salted caramel sauce and top with chopped walnuts. Enjoy!