Carrot Loaf Cake!
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An easy carrot loaf cake with cream cheese frosting – easy, delicious, and the perfect easy bake!
My favourite!
So.. carrot cake. It’s safe to say I am slightly obsessed with it?! Largely because it is probably one of my favourite cakes, if not my actual favourite.. but there we are. My favourite flavour can change frequently but put a piece of carrot cake in front of me and I will always be happy.
Anyway, with my readers love for loaf cakes rising just as much as mine, I figured it was time to make this bad boy into a carrot cake. I have oodles of carrot cake related recipes already on my blog, such as the classic carrot cake, and even my carrot cupcakes!
Carrot loaf cake
Making a carrot loaf cake is really quite similar to the rest of my other carrot themed bakes, but it’s all about the proportions. Sometimes just fitting a cake into a loaf tin doesn’t work – sometimes it does, but I’ve altered this to fit my favourite loaf tin.
Carrot cake is soft, it’s moist, and it’s delicious. You basically can’t go wrong with something such as carrot cake. Honestly, I find it so hard to over bake and ruin it – and this can often come from the ingredients.
Walnuts
This time, I used walnuts in the sponge. I didn’t put walnuts in the title, but technically this is a carrot and walnut loaf cake – but the walnuts are optional. You can switch them to a different nut, such as pecans, or switch it completely to use raisins! However, I know they are just as controversial.
One thing I love about using nuts in the sponge though is the crunch. It’s delicious. I get that some people don’t like texture changes though – and to be honest, carrot cake is just as delicious without them!
Butter free cake
Not only does the carrot itself bring incredible moisture to the sponge, but so does the oil! The cake is butter-free, and uses oil instead – and it’s amazing! It’s so incredibly easy to mix up. You definitely don’t need to use a mixer, and in all honesty, you probably shouldn’t!
Don’t over mix and bake straight away!
Even though the cake is hard to ruin, you definitely don’t want to over mix it. You also want to bake it straight away, and not let it sit for too long. Because the raising agent is different from your typical cake, it shouldn’t be left to sit – as that can ruin the sponge.
Cream cheese frosting
I decided to top this one with my all-new cream cheese frosting – and I’m so glad I did! In my other classic carrot cake I used buttercream as I made it for my dad, and mostly buttercream is easier. However, because this is a carrot cake – cream cheese frosting is an ideal combo!
Top tips!
Cream cheese frosting has to be stored in the fridge once it’s been used, as it’s a ‘fresh’ product – but the wonders of carrot cake mean it’s okay. The cake shouldn’t dry out and it works really well!
Also, because this is in loaf cake form… it’s so easy. Whack it in the loaf tin, slather the frosting on top, and decorate if you fancy! There’s nothing special to it, other than enjoy every last morsel when you eat it. Literally, every single crumb.
I, basically… am obsessed with this recipe. If you want to try out a different version, be sure to just put Carrot Cake in the search bar and you will find my obsession continues! Either way, HAPPY BAKING! x
Carrot Loaf Cake!
Ingredients
The Cake!
- 175 ml sunflower oil
- 3 large eggs
- 200 g light brown sugar
- 250 g grated carrots
- 100 g raisins/walnuts (optional)
- Zest of 1 orange
- 200 g self raising flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
Cream Cheese Frosting Glaze
- 125 g unsalted butter (room temp)
- 125 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 g full-fat cream cheese
Decoration!
- Fondant carrots
- Chopped nuts
Instructions
Cake
- Pour the sunflower oil & eggs into a large bowl and add the sugar – mix lightly and combine.
- Add the grated carrots, raisins/nuts, and orange zest and fold through to combine.
- Add the flour, bicarbonate, mixed spice, ginger, cinnamon & nutmeg and mix again – try not to over mix!
- Pour the mixture into the tin, and bake in the oven for 55-60 minutes. Sometimes it can take a little longer so test with a skewer!
- Once baked, leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, and then cool on a wire rack. If your cake doesn't come out, it may not have finished baking, or you didn't line the tin well enough!
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat your butter on its own for a few minutes to loosen it.
- Add in the icing sugar, and beat again - I beat this for about 5 minutes, to make it really smooth.
- Make sure your cream cheese doesn't have any excess water - I find it best to add it to a bowl first just to make sure.
- Add in the cream cheese, and vanilla and beat. At first, it may look a little weird, but just keep on beating. I end up beating it for a few minutes - it can go through a lumpy stage first, but eventually, the lumps beat out and it's smooth and thick!
- Once beaten - it should be lovely and thick.
Decoration
- Slather your cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake!
- Decorate with chopped nuts, carrot decorations or whatever!!
- Enjoy!
Notes
- I used this loaf tin!
- This cake should be stored in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting, and will last for three days!
- You can use 100g of raisins, or 100g of nuts... this time, I used walnuts!
- If you want any more information on my cream cheese frosting, read this post!
- If you want to make a different sort of carrot cake - search my blog as I have many variations!
- The spices are optional, but they make a delicious flavour!
ENJOY!
Find my other Cupcake Recipes on my Recipes Page!
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J x
© Jane’s Patisserie. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.
I’ve made a lot of carrot cakes in my time from many different recipes so I hoped to enjoy this one as much, especially as it’s so simple. The cream cheese frosting is delicious although I made half the quantity as it seemed waaaay too much otherwise. It worked out just right. However, the flavour of the cake just wasn’t there for me, sadly 😢
Carrot cake is definitely a personal preference thing – some people like it super spiced, some people prefer it more basic – you can definitely add more of the spices or fruits/nuts to get a more intense carrot cake flavour x
Hi could I use whit chocolate chips instead of raisins or walnuts
Hi Jane,
My icing keeps coming out lumpy. I tried cream cheese at room temp and straight from the fridge and it happens both times 🙁
Help
Please
What butter are you using? What cream cheese are you using? How are you mixing it? I have a few videos on my YouTube channel where I make the CCF so it may be worth watching xx
Hi Jane,
I am planning to bake this over the weekend. Just wondering after looking at the recipe, I don’t want to use sunflower oil and wondering if I could substitute melted butter instead or what you would recommend and how much grams of it?
Thank you in advance!
Hey! Oil is best for carrot cakes in my opinion, but you can try butter. Usually you need 1/3 more of butter compared to oil x
Hi, I want to make a single tier carrot cake – would I be able to make this in a round tin please? And what size would it be?
I normally use your regular carrot cake recipe for round tins but I only want it single tier so thought this one would be better?
Hi Jane! I am wondering if I am using normal flour(not self-raising)how much baking powder I should use?
Thank you
You can make your own self raising flour with 2 level tsps baking powder per 150g of plain flour, mixed in before using in the recipe x
I got a new air fryer for Christmas and I couldn’t wait to make a carrot cake in it. I love carrot cake, the spice, the texture and how it’s perfectly soft and moist and the addition of frosting just makes it the perfect cake for me. I found yours and well what can I say only it’s delicious and so quick to put together and better than some I’ve tried over the years. My Mother used to make this years ago and the recipe she had called for pineapple and olive oil and though it was nice I found it to be a little greasy. Thank you Jane for a quick and easy to make cake that I will make often and even make it in to cupcakes and cake pops for my grand children.
Hi Jane,I am going to make your carrot loaf,it looks amazing!I’m an Aussie, so is 2 pound loaf tin just a regular size loaf tin?Also do you hand beat or use a mixer?
I’d recommend looking at the measurements of the one I link to, as I have no idea on the comparison to yours! For the cake mix you can just do it by hand x
Hi Jane, how would you make this a vegan recipe x
I made this for the first time today and the ease of the recipe made me fall in love with baking all over again!
Thankyou so much Jane it’s perfect xx
Hello Jane,
How would you do this as a vegan option please 🙂
Love all your work.
Hi Jane,
I’ve just tried to look for your mini loaf carrot cake recipe but I can’t find it 😩 has it been taken off your website? I would like to know the quantity of ingredients as I can’t remember!
Thank you Alice
Hiya! Unfortunately I have never published this recipe – try my carrot cake cupcake recipe! Hope this helps! x
Absolutely LOVED it and my whole family love it too! It even got requested for the family weekend away! Thank you 💕
Do i use 50g of walnuts and 50g of raisins or 100g of each, please?
Hiya! This means 50g each. Hope this helps! x
I don’t normally leave comments on these things but how could I not given that I have just made my first edible cake!! Absolutely delighted to have finally produced a bake I’m proud of. Can’t wait to make this recipe again. Many thanks!
Amazing! Made it successfully 3 times now. It’s a real hit with the family. I did however drop one in its carrier outside a relatives house!! We rebuilt it and ate it anyway. Thanks for the recipe!
Hiya, if I didn’t do this in a loaf tin, what size round tin would I use? Thanks so much, just made the coffee and walnut cake and boy oh boy it was delish!
Hiya! Take a look at my carrot cake recipe! So glad you loved it – enjoyyy! x
Jane , love this recipe for carrot cake , as with all your recipes , absolutely delicious 😋
5 star baking 🙂
Jane – can I freeze this cake please?
Yes absolutely you can freeze this for up to 3 months! Enjoy! x