Great for a smaller Easter celebration, this Carrot Cake Loaf is easy to make and full of warm spices. Top with a cream cheese frosting and decorate with frosting carrots for the perfectly festive dessert!
Prep: Line a 4x8 inch (10x20cm) loaf pan with baking parchment. Heat oven to 320°F (160°C).
Dry ingredients: Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Wet ingredients: Add eggs to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add oil, sugar and vanilla extract and continue beating for another 2 minutes.
Combine batter: Fold grated carrots and chopped walnuts into egg mixture, using a rubber spatula. Then, fold in dry ingredients JUST until combined.
Bake: Spread batter in prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
Frosting: Beat all ingredients for frosting with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Spread on the completely cooled cake, then decorate as you like.
Video
Notes
Ingredient notes
Oil: I use canola oil in this recipe because it’s easy, but for full-on decadence, you can go for melted butter instead.
Spices: If you don’t have the individual spices available, you can use pumpkin spice mix instead if you have it. If you skip the nutmeg and/or the ginger, you will still make a great carrot cake, but it will have less depth of flavor.
Pecans: Feel free to use chopped walnuts in place of the pecans, if you prefer.
Recipe tips
Make sure to fully beat the eggs until light in color and very frothy. This is how you get a good rise for your cake.
I prefer coarsely shredded carrots in this recipe, because finely shredded carrots almost vanish in the cake.
When folding the dry into the wet ingredients, use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula; not a mixer or whisk. Only fold until combined, do not overmix.
Allow the cake to fully cool if you want to frost it, otherwise the cream cheese frosting will start to get runny and slide off the warm cake.
Keep the frosted cake covered in the fridge at all times. If constantly covered and refrigerated, the cake lasts well for 1-2 days.