Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Like carrot cake, but not as overly sweet as most grocery store carrot cakes!
Texture: Moist and tender with that luscious cream cheese frosting on top.
Ease: Very easy, especially if you use a food processor to grate the carrots.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Delicious spring recipe, perfect for Easter brunch or a sweet snack.
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Carrot Walnut Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting is everything you love about classic carrot cake, served in cozy, easily sliceable form.
This loaf is packed with warm spices, shredded carrots, and crunchy walnuts, all topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting. Springtime perfection!
It’s simple, nostalgic, and just elevated enough to feel special. Even carrot haters love this loaf!
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A great option for Easter brunch, springtime parties, or just a homemade treat, this loaf delivers big carrot cake flavors with minimal effort.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Carrot Walnut Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
The Baking Pan
- I highly recommend using a light-colored metal loaf pan.
- Anything too dark in color will risk scorching the edges and drying out the loaf.
- Glass and ceramic loaf pans will take about 15 to 20 minutes longer to bake, and run the risk of the loaf collapsing and being underbaked or gummy in the middle. Learn more about Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans here.
Shred Your Own Carrots!
Avoid using pre-shredded packaged carrots. Freshly grated carrots add more flavor and moisture, making your Carrot Walnut Loaf beautifully tender and delicious.
If you have a food processor, the grating attachment makes shredding carrots super quick and easy, but a simple box grater works just fine too.
The Spices
Please note that fresh spices impart a lot more flavor. If your spices have been sitting in your pantry for years and no longer have a strong smell, they won’t impart enough flavor, and your loaf will be bland.
The Walnuts
I love the crunch that walnuts provide in this Carrot Loaf. If you prefer, you can toast and cool the nuts before adding them to the batter or garnishing the frosted loaf.
Not a fan of walnuts? You can swap them for pecans or skip the nuts entirely.
Can I Add Raisins?
I’m not a raisin fan but feel free to add a few tablespoons of raisins along with (or instead of) the walnuts.
How to Store Carrot Walnut Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
The frosted loaf can be left at room temperature for up to 8 hours (since the sugar in the cream cheese frosting acts as a preservative). After that, refrigerate inside an airtight container for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
More Spring Recipes You’ll Love:
Carrot Walnut Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Ingredients
For the loaf:
- 2 1/2 cups (350 grams) all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups (300 grams) freshly shredded carrots (about 6 to 7 medium carrots)
- 1/2 cup (85 grams) walnuts, roughly chopped
For the frosting:
- 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
- 2 cups (250 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- Chopped walnuts, for garnish
Instructions
Make the loaf:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and eggs. Stir in the vanilla and carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted comes out clean, about 65 to 75 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. At this point the loaf can be wrapped well and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Make the cream cheese frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium-high speed until very light, creamy, and smooth. On low speed gradually add in the sugar and beat until fluffy.
- Spread evenly over the loaf. Sprinkle with walnuts. Slice and serve.
Recipe Notes
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Best carrot cake recipe ever. I did how ever use half cream cheese and half mascarpone to make the frosting. It was rated the best overall bake this year.
Great recipe!! It was fun and easy to make. Unfortunately I was not able to take a picture of it because as soon as I finished it, I made the mistake of leaving the kitchen only to come back to find my teens around the cake taking their piece of the loaf. The loaf did not even last a day, so I guess it was delicious too!!
Regarding the 1/4 tsp cloves. Sorry if I sound naive, but what is this a clove of?
This looks amazing and I’m looking forward to baking it.
Cheers.
Cloves are a variety of spice ground up and sold at supermarkets 🙂
What’s the nutritional information and can pecans be used instead of walnuts
Tastes delicious. Too much mixture for a loaf tin ( size you recommended) overflowed all over oven Will definitely make again maybe as a traybake .
Are you able to freeze after baking ?
Is this more so a carrot cake or is it a actual loaf of bread?
Love!
Do you know how many calories are in the carrot loaf?
Made this as written in two round cake pans, it took 50minutes on the middle rack before the internal temp reached 205 degrees. Perfect texture, moistness and taste. So glad I have a bottle of vanilla paste (swoon) as this was the crowning glory of Tessa’s frosting. I will make this monthly, thank you Tessa ❤️
Wonderful, Morgan! I’m so pleased to hear that 🙂
This looks amazing! First time I’ve ever heard of a carrot loaf.. I’ve always been making it in cake form, but this looks so much easier to do (and store in the fridge!)
I was wondering if the baking times & temperature would be different if my loaf pans were glass/ceramic? C:
Exactly! And easier to gift too 🙂 This recipe may take slightly longer to bake in a glass or ceramic pan, but I would start checking at the time indicated in the recipe. The good news is the cake tester tells you one way or the other if the loaf is done baking.
Great tips as always, Thanks- LOVE your recipes and of course you’re “helpful tips”