Consider this my 2016 Easterly contribution to the blogosphere. But seriously guys. Can we just pause to revel in all that is carroty and cakey?
I used to think I hated carrot cake, and then I realized that I just hate nuts in baked goods. Don’t get me wrong, there’s really nothing fundamentally wrong with nuts and I deeply enjoy them in other foods. I.e. my favorite hazelnut arugula salad, which is my salad of choice and is made on repeat in The Gourmet Gourmand house and beyond (i.e. my mom’s house and my sister’s house for any get-together).But! Despite my nutty love, there’s something about the texture of nuts in baked goods that just interrupts things for me. Thus I prefer my cakes, cookies, and brownies unadulterated and nut-free.
So low and behold, when I discovered nut-free carrot cake is something that exists, I learned to be a reveler. Because rich, sweet, spice cake dotted with moisture-enhancing carrots and smeared with glorious and tangy cream cheese frosting is my idea of dream-dessert-come-true.
This recipe is the Cooks Illustrated carrot cake recipe, which I’ve adapted for loaf-making. I’ve been meaning to make their cake for a very long time- namely because the reviews are stellar, but also because it was created as an intentionally nut-free carrot cake! Score.
The cake is really everything that you could want in a carrot cake- it is moist, tender, spicy, and has great soft texture (read: not too dense or too fluffy). And I found that the cake gets better with age- day 1 is great, but days 2 and 3 are even better. It’s all about that carroty moisture, methinks.The frosting is a classic cream cheese frosting; a stick of cream cheese, a little butter, and a whole lot of powdered sugar. I did go a little over-board and dyed a little bit of the frosting with orange and green food coloring so that I could make cute carrot decorations all over the carrot cake loaf. (Because Easter season is seriously all about cute and adorable decorating, amirite?)
This recipe actually makes 2 loaves of carrot cake, but you can easily halve the recipe if you are someone who is also a carrot cake reveler, but perhaps wanting to watch the waistline.
For me, I can never have enough carrot cake and have an inappropriate and very unhealthy aversion to dieting. So I took one cake to the office (gotta make the new coworkers like me..) but kept one at home for intermittent “light snacking” aka gorging.
So be prepared, folks, this adorable Carrot Cake Loaf was so amazingly good that it might just have made its way into “tradition” land of The Gourmet Gourmand Easter celebration.
And I hope will become tradition at your house as well. Enjoy!
Carrot Cake Loaf
Ingredients
_For the Loaves_
_For the Cream Cheese Frosting_
Instructions
For the Loaves
For the cream cheese frosting:
Optional decoration:
31 comments
This carrot cake loaf is literally perfection!
Thanks Jennifer!
This cake is absolutely adorable. I’m in love with those little carrots on top!
Aww thanks Laura! I was agonizing for a while about how I wanted to decorate it, so it means a lot that you love it! 🙂
I think your frosting carrots make this perfect ?
Thanks Tandy! I never knew I had it in my to get “cutesy” with cake decorating, but we surprise ourselves now and then which is a good thing! 🙂
i used to hate carrot cake too, especially when i was younger – and then i started making it myself and realised how delicious it is. love your carrot cake loaf, especially the decorative icing.. perfect for easter!
Thank you so much Thalia! Isn’t it fun when you realize later in life that tastes have changed?
A finely baked carrot cake is priceless! I love the little carrots on top! Popping up from culinaryflavors.gr.
Thanks so much Katerina!
Sarah, this looks SO GOOD. I seriously had to keep myself from going to make it right now because I’m supposed to be working, not baking. But I love love the little carrots on top. I’m going to try to make this and surprise my husband with it on Easter ?
Gahhh I hope he loves it! Thanks girl 🙂
Wow, this cake is beautiful. The little carrots are wonderful.
Thank you!
Love carrot cake and so nice in loaf form. Your little carrot decorations are perfect! So pretty 🙂
Thank so much Jennifer- I had a ton of fun with the decorating 🙂
This carrot cake loaf is so super adorable, I can’t even!!! When I saw it on insta I was like ‘wow’!! Love your Easter contribution, and I have to admit, until making my own carrot cake a few years ago I totally didn’t like it either. I’m sending this to my momma because I want her to make this for me stat (is that selfish that I want this to be present at Easter? I think not 😉 )
Aww thank you!! And I might have to start “suggesting” recipes to my mom to make me 😉 Such a good idea.. hehe.
Aw that carrot pattern is so adorable!! The cake looks really good 🙂
Thanks Mary! It was definitely a winner in our house… eaten very rapidly and with relish 😉
Looks totally delicious Sarah! And those adorable little carrots on top!! Perfect!
Thank you so much! I had a lot of fun with this one 🙂
Oh my god this is about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!!! Sounds delicious too, but I wouldn’t want to eat it- it’s too cute!
Haha thank you so much Tux! It was definitely a fun one, but eating it was a critical component to that fun 😉
This is the CUTEST carrot cake I have ever seen. So fantastic!!
Thank you Rachel! So sweet of you 🙂
I love your decorations on this loaf – so cute! I’ve never thought of making carrot cake in a loaf pan but I like the idea of a portable slice you can take in just a paper towel. Will have to try it!
I made carrot cake for my mums birthday and she loved it. I changed it a little by adding chopped pecans and using a shop bought non dairy vanilla frosting. Very nice recipe, thank you 🙂
The cutest carrot cake loaf I’ve ever seen!?
Your pictures are amazing!!! I’m totally going to try to do those cute little carrots on top too! 🙂
Question: My mom used to make this with some crushed pineapple and a little flaked coconut. Do you think it will alter it too much if I add those two ingredients in small amounts?
Thanks!
I don’t think so! You might just want to make sure to drain the pineapple really well before adding it so it doesn’t affect the moisture content too much. But I’m sure it would be a tasty addition!