If you love carrot cake but want something a little more breakfast-appropriate, this Carrot Cake Bread is the answer! Every single thing you love about classic carrot cake is packed into this beautiful quick bread loaf: freshly shredded carrots, warm cinnamon and spices, sweet shredded coconut, and a thick, creamy cream cheese glaze on top. It is incredibly moist, deeply flavorful, and made entirely in one bowl with no mixer required. Plus it makes the whole house smell absolutely amazing while it bakes!
What makes this carrot cake bread stand apart from other quick bread recipes is the combination of sour cream and oil in the batter. The sour cream adds a gentle tang and keeps the crumb incredibly tender and moist for days. The oil (instead of butter) ensures the bread stays soft even after a few days in the fridge. Add the coconut extract, toasted coconut topping, and that gorgeous cream cheese glaze and you have a loaf that feels like a special occasion treat even on a regular Tuesday morning!
🌟 Why You'll Love This Carrot Cake Bread
This recipe has everything going for it. Here is exactly why it works so well:
- One bowl recipe: Mix the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients, fold in the carrots and coconut. That is the whole process!
- Incredibly moist and tender: The combination of sour cream, oil, and freshly shredded carrots keeps this loaf soft and moist for days.
- That cream cheese glaze: Thick, creamy, sweet, and tangy. It takes this carrot cake bread from delicious to absolutely show-stopping.
- Perfect for spring and Easter: This gorgeous loaf is the ideal addition to a holiday brunch spread or a cozy weekend breakfast.
- Freezer-friendly: Bake a batch, freeze unfrosted loaves, and thaw whenever you need a special breakfast treat.
- Completely customizable: Add nuts, raisins, orange zest, or extra spices. This recipe welcomes all kinds of delicious additions!
🍽 Ingredients for Carrot Cake Bread
Here is everything you need and exactly why each ingredient matters:
For the Carrot Cake Bread Loaf:
- ½ cup of vegetable oil: Oil-based quick breads stay moist for much longer than butter-based ones because oil coats the gluten strands and keeps the crumb soft. Avocado oil and canola oil are both neutral-flavored choices. Melted coconut oil works beautifully and adds an even stronger coconut flavor to the finished loaf!
- ½ cup of packed light brown sugar: Adds sweetness and a mild molasses depth that pairs beautifully with the warm spices.
- ¼ cup of granulated sugar: Balances the brown sugar for the right level of sweetness without being overpowering.
- 2 large eggs: Provide structure, richness, and liquid to the batter.
- 1 teaspoon of coconut extract: Amplifies the coconut flavor throughout the entire loaf. If you don't have coconut extract, pure vanilla extract works great as a substitute!
- ½ cup of sour cream: The secret weapon for incredibly tender, moist carrot cake bread! The acidity of sour cream reacts with the baking soda for better rise and the fat adds a beautiful richness to the crumb. Full-fat Greek yogurt works as a direct substitute.
- 1 and ¼ cups (150g) of all-purpose flour: Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife, or use a kitchen scale for the most accurate measurement. Too much flour is the most common cause of dry, dense quick bread.
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of baking soda: Using both leavening agents gives the best lift in this loaf. The baking soda reacts with the acidic sour cream and the baking powder provides additional rise in the oven.
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon of cloves: The warm, aromatic spice trio that gives this carrot cake bread its signature flavor. Don't skip the cloves, even the tiny amount adds a beautiful depth!
- ½ teaspoon of salt: Balances all the sweetness and enhances every other flavor in the batter.
- 1 and ¼ cups of freshly shredded carrots: Always shred your own! See the section below for exactly why this matters so much.
- 1 cup of sweetened coconut flakes: Adds pockets of sweetness, moisture, and a lovely chewy texture throughout the loaf. Always use sweetened coconut flakes for the best result since they add extra moisture and flavor that unsweetened coconut does not.
For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
- 2 ounces of cream cheese, softened: The creamy, tangy base of the glaze. Make sure it is fully softened to room temperature so it mixes into a completely smooth glaze with no lumps.
- 1 cup of powdered sugar: Sweetens and thickens the glaze to the perfect spreadable consistency.
- 1 tablespoon of milk: Thins the glaze to a smooth, pourable consistency. Add more milk a teaspoon at a time if needed.
- ¼ teaspoon of rum extract and ¼ teaspoon of salt: The extract adds a subtle, warm depth. Salt balances the sweetness of the powdered sugar for a more complex, less one-dimensional glaze.
- ¼ cup of toasted coconut for sprinkling on top: Toasted coconut adds a gorgeous golden color and a wonderfully nutty, crunchy finishing touch on top of the glaze.
🔪 How To Make Carrot Cake Bread Step by Step
This is a simple, straightforward one-bowl recipe. Here is the full process:
Step 1: Preheat and Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray an 8.5 x 5-inch loaf pan generously with nonstick baking spray (the kind with flour works best for quick breads). Peel and freshly shred the carrots on a box grater and set aside. If you are toasting coconut for the topping, spread it on a dry baking sheet and toast in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes until golden, then set aside to cool completely.
Step 2: Mix the Wet Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth and creamy. Stir in the coconut extract and sour cream until everything is fully incorporated and the batter looks smooth and uniform.
Step 3: Add the Dry Ingredients
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Add the dry ingredient mixture slowly to the wet ingredient bowl, stirring gently just until the flour mixture disappears and no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix! Stir only until just combined.
Tip: Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour and results in a tough, dense loaf. Stir gently and stop the moment you no longer see dry flour.
Step 4: Fold In the Carrots and Coconut
Gently fold the freshly shredded carrots and sweetened coconut flakes into the batter using a rubber spatula until evenly distributed throughout. The batter will be quite thick at this stage, which is normal. Be careful not to stir vigorously since you want to keep the gluten development minimal.
Step 5: Bake the Carrot Cake Bread
Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and use a spatula to smooth the top evenly. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the very center of the loaf comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. If the top starts browning too quickly before the center is done, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil for the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking.
Step 6: Cool and Flip
Remove the pan from the oven and let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then flip it out onto a wire rack. Immediately turn it back right-side up so the top stays flat and pretty rather than cracking or denting from the wire rack. Let it cool completely at room temperature before adding the glaze. Any warmth at all will cause the glaze to melt and slide right off!
Step 7: Make the Cream Cheese Glaze and Finish
In a small bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, rum extract (or vanilla), and salt together with a fork until smooth. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar and milk until the glaze reaches a thick, smooth, spreadable consistency. Add more milk a teaspoon at a time if it seems too thick. Spread generously over the completely cooled carrot cake bread and immediately sprinkle with the toasted coconut before the glaze sets.
🧊 How to Store and Freeze Carrot Cake Bread
In the Fridge
Because of the cream cheese glaze, this carrot cake bread must be stored in the refrigerator. Place it in a sealed airtight container or cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap. It keeps beautifully in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Let individual slices come to room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before serving for the best texture and flavor. Cold bread slices are denser and less fragrant than room temperature ones.
In the Freezer
This carrot cake bread freezes beautifully for up to 2 to 3 months! For best results, freeze the loaf unfrosted. Wrap the completely cooled, unfrosted loaf tightly in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil, and place in a freezer-safe zip-lock bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before adding the cream cheese glaze and toasted coconut topping.
Make-Ahead Tip
This carrot cake bread actually tastes even better on the second day! The flavors meld and deepen overnight, and the crumb becomes even more moist and tender. Make it a day ahead for the most flavorful result. Just hold off on adding the glaze until a few hours before serving for the best presentation.
More Easy Sweet Bread Recipes You'll Love
If this carrot cake bread was a hit, here are some other easy, delicious quick bread and breakfast bake recipes from the blog worth trying:
- The Best Banana Bread Recipe: Moist, tender, perfectly sweet banana bread that is absolutely foolproof and the most popular quick bread recipe on the blog!
- Quick Homemade Chocolate Bread: Rich, chocolatey, and ready in just over an hour. A chocolate lover's dream quick bread!
- Baked Oatmeal Bars: Soft, wholesome banana oatmeal breakfast bars perfect for meal prep. Made in just 25 minutes with 8 simple ingredients.
- Easy Pumpkin Waffles: Light, fluffy, perfectly spiced pumpkin waffles that are a total fall and holiday brunch staple.
Carrot Cake Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
For the Bread:
- ½ cup of vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
- ½ cup of packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup of granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon of coconut extract or vanilla extract
- ½ cup of sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 and ¼ cups 150g of all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon of nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 1 and ¼ cups of freshly shredded carrots peeled and grated fresh
- 1 cup of sweetened coconut flakes
For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
- 2 oz of cream cheese fully softened to room temperature
- 1 cup of powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon of milk plus more to adjust consistency
- ¼ teaspoon of rum extract or vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ cup of toasted coconut for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8.5 x 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Whisk together the oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then stir in coconut extract and sour cream until smooth.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a separate bowl. Slowly stir into the wet ingredients just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Gently fold in the shredded carrots and coconut flakes.
- Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Tent with foil if browning too fast.
- Cool in pan 15 minutes, then flip onto a wire rack. Flip back right-side up. Cool completely before glazing.
- Mix softened cream cheese, extract, and salt. Gradually stir in powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Spread over cooled bread and top with toasted coconut immediately. Let set, then slice and enjoy!
Notes
- Always shred fresh carrots. Pre-shredded bags are dry and will not give a moist, tender loaf.
- Measure flour correctly: spoon into cup, level off with knife. Or weigh at 150g.
- Do not overmix: stir just until flour disappears to keep the crumb soft and tender.
- Cool completely before glazing. Any heat will make the cream cheese glaze melt and slide off.
- Mini loaves: divide batter among 3 mini loaf pans and bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes.
- Storage: refrigerator up to 3 to 4 days in a sealed container (due to cream cheese glaze).
- Freezer: wrap unfrosted loaf tightly and freeze up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw in fridge overnight before glazing.
Nutrition
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below and tag @1MFoodie & @1MFoodieOfficial on Instagram!
Leave a Reply