Easy Carrot Cake Loaf

It even makes a delicious breakfast.

By
Mark Beahm
Mark Beahm
Mark Beahm
Mark is the head baker at Hjem Kensington, a Danish café in London. He has been developing recipes for home bakers for the last two years.
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Updated April 24, 2025
Mark Beahm
carrot cake loaf on a platter with some sliced pieces splayed onto the platter

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Early spring is a weird time in Maine. The snow may be gone, but the threat of a blizzard is not. One day could be sunny and 70 degrees and the next I'm shoveling the driveway. As far as baking goes, I never know if I want a cozy comfort bake or if I'm ready to track down some early rhubarb. Luckily, carrot cake is the perfect shoulder season dessert. The warm baking spices hold on to winter, but the carrots and tangy cream cheese frosting hint at the warmer days ahead.

I love assembling and decorating a stunning layer cake, but with the planning and time commitment involved, I don't make them as much as I'd like to. Loaf cakes, with no assembly required, are infinitely easier than cumbersome layer cakes.

The frosting fiend in me usually craves those extra layers, but with the rich, denser texture of quick bread, a single layer of frosting on top of the loaf is just right. Plus, a loaf brings carrot cake squarely into breakfast territory, and cake for breakfast is a win in my book.

Even if I sleep in, I know I can get this cake ready in time for brunch. It just takes one bowl, a few minutes to mix everything and an hour in the oven. I speedily grate the carrots in a food processor, but since this cake only needs three large carrots, you won't break a sweat using a box grater if you don’t want to lug out an appliance.

carrot cake loaf on a platter with some sliced pieces splayed onto the platter

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Tips and Tricks

This one-bowl carrot cake loaf is a breeze, but here are my top tips for a smooth bake and the tastiest cake.

  • Grate carrots fresh at home using the coarse side of a box grater or a food processor. Save those prepackaged shredded carrots for salads. They're shredded too thick and are much drier, which translates to a dry cake with still-crunchy carrots.
  • If you plan on frosting the cake, take the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge when you put the cake in the oven. They should be softened enough to make the frosting when the cake is done and cool.
  • If you have an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan instead of a 9x5-inch pan, you can still make this cake, but increase the baking time to 60 to 70 minutes. If you use the smaller loaf pan, I wouldn’t recommend adding more than 1/2 cup total of mix-ins.

Easy Recipe Variations

Everyone has a different opinion about what to include in carrot cake. Here are a couple of variations and how to add a few favorite mix-ins:

  • Add 1/2 cup of raisins, dried cranberries, or shredded coconut
  • Swap the 1/4 cup melted butter for 1/4 cup drained crushed pineapple
  • Instead of walnuts, try pecans or pistachios
  • Make an olive oil carrot cake by substituting extra virgin olive oil for the vegetable oil
  • Swap the easy cream cheese frosting with an even easier lemon icing: Whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into a smooth, pourable glaze
slice of carrot cake loaf on a small plate with a fork next to a cup of coffee and a plate with another slice

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

More Lucious Loaves

Easy Carrot Cake Loaf

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 60 mins
Total Time 75 mins
Servings 8 to 10 servings
Yield 1 (9x5-inch) loaf
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 1 cup (213g) packed light brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

  • 1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 3/4 cups (210g) all-purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 2 cups (210g) grated carrots, about 3 large carrots

  • 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts, plus extra for sprinkling (optional)

For the optional cream cheese frosting

  • 4 ounces (113g) cream cheese, softened

  • 2 tablespoons (28g) butter, softened

  • 3/4 cup (90g) powdered sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

    Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line the bottom and two sides with a piece of parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang.

  2. Make the batter: 

    In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, vegetable oil, melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Add the eggs, and whisk until fully combined. 

    Switch to a silicone spatula and add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, gently stirring until the batter is mostly combined. It’s okay if there are still a few streaks of dry flour. 

    Add the grated carrots and chopped walnuts and stir just until distributed through the batter and no dry streaks of flour remain.

  3. Bake:

    Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.

    Let the carrot loaf cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a butter knife along the two unlined ends of the cake, then use the parchment overhang like a sling to pull the cake out of the pan. Set the cake on the wire rack to cool completely.

  4. Frost the cake (optional) and serve:

    While the cake cools, make the cream cheese frosting.

    In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to beat the cream cheese and butter until fully combined and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.

    When the cake has cooled completely, use a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the frosting on top of the cake, making decorative swoops and swirls. Sprinkle the top with a handful of chopped toasted walnuts.

    Store the cake, covered tightly, for up to 4 days at room temperature without frosting or in the fridge with frosting.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
319 Calories
17g Fat
39g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 319
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 21%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 49mg 16%
Sodium 257mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 39g 14%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 22g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 1mg 4%
Calcium 92mg 7%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 119mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.