Carrot Cake Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Jessie Cagliero
Recipes

This bread captures everything you love about classic carrot cake—it's sweet, incredibly moist, and warmly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Packed with shredded carrots for texture and flavor, it's finished with a rich cream cheese frosting that adds just the right touch of tang to balance the sweetness.

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Why you’ll love carrot cake bread with cream cheese frosting

This bread captures everything you love about classic carrot cake—it's sweet, incredibly moist, and warmly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Packed with shredded carrots for texture and flavor, it's finished with a rich cream cheese frosting that adds just the right touch of tang to balance the sweetness.

Recipe Tips for the best carrot cake bread with cream cheese frosting

A great bake is the key to the perfect quick bread. Because breads are dense, they can take a little longer to bake in the oven than other baked goods, and this can lead to the top browning too quickly. If you find that the edges of your bread are turning dark, cover the bread by loosely placing a piece of foil over the top, then let the bread finish baking. It is finished baking as soon as a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Once the bread is done baking, make sure you cool the bread completely before you add the frosting. If you add the frosting too soon, you will have a runny mess!

Cool the bread and the frosting after the frosting is applied to set the frosting and make the bread easier to cut.

I like to store frosted breads sliced with a piece of parchment paper in between each slice.

Recipe Variations

This bread can be served with or without frosting, and that will depend completely on your personal preference. Though I do think the frosting adds a nice balance of tang to the sweetness of the bread, the bread will taste great on its own as well!

FAQ

  • Carrot cake is slightly more dense than a traditional carrot cake, though it does retain all the flavors you love - shredded carrot, warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and dried fruit.

    The presentation is more relaxed as well. Carrot cakes are often served as layered cakes with frosting and filling, whereas bread is baked in one pan and usually has a glaze or cream cheese frosting on top.

  • Getting the bake right is essential. If you over bake the carrot cake bread, it will become dry. The key moment to remove the bread from the oven is when a knife is inserted into the center and comes out clean.

    To avoid over baking, try adding a piece of foil to the top of the bread half way through the bake. This will keep the edges from getting too brown which can add to dryness as well.

  • Absolutely! The bread will keep well in the refrigerator for up to five days, or in the freezer for up to three months. See directions below for how to store and freeze carrot cake bread.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

  • Loaf pan

  • Parchment paper

  • measuring cups

  • liquid measuring cups

  • measuring spoons

  • medium mixing bowl

  • Stand mixer or large mixing bowl

  • Spatula

Ingredients

Bread

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg

  • ½ teaspoon ginger

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup finely shredded carrot

  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

  • ¾ cup sugar

  • 1 egg

  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

  • 1 cup buttermilk

Frosting

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature

  • 3 tablespoons butter, softened

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • ½ cup powdered sugar

How to make carrot cake bread with cream cheese frosting

Prep

Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. 

Make the Batter

In a medium bowl, add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Mix until well combined and set aside. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, beat melted butter and sugar together. Add egg and vanilla extract and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Alternatively add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture until all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour the batter into the pan and place in the oven. 

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. The edges of the bread should be lightly golden brown and the center will puff up. If the edges are browning too quickly, place a piece of foil over the top of the pan halfway through the baking time.

Make the Frosting

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add cream cheese and butter and beat for 30 seconds until well combined. Add the vanilla and mix well. Add the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Once the bread is completely cooled, spread the frosting evenly over the top of the bread. Slice and serve!

How to Store

Store carrot cake bread with cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator for up to five days. If stored in the refrigerator, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or pop in the microwave for five to ten seconds to warm to room temperature.

You can also freeze carrot cake bread with cream cheese frosting easily. Just place (fully baked, cooled, and unfrosted) in an air tight freezer container and store in the freezer for up to three months. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator 24 hours to thaw. Mix the frosting, frost per the directions above, and serve!

carrot cake, the best carrot cake, easter food ideas dinner, carrot cake loaf, easter cake, loaf cake, carrot cake recipe, carrot cake ideas
dessert, bread, snack
Servings: 12
Author: Jessie Cagliero
Carrot Cake Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

This bread captures everything you love about classic carrot cake—it's sweet, incredibly moist, and warmly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Packed with shredded carrots for texture and flavor, it's finished with a rich cream cheese frosting that adds just the right touch of tang to balance the sweetness.

Prep time: 45 minutesCook time: 50 minutesInactive time: 30 minutesTotal time: 2 H & 5 M
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Bread
Frosting

Directions

  1. Prep: Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
  2. Make the Batter: In a medium bowl, add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Mix until well combined and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, beat melted butter and sugar together. Add egg and vanilla extract and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Alternatively add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture until all ingredients are incorporated. Pour the batter into the pan and place in the oven.
  3. Bake: Place in the oven and bake for 45 - 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. The edges of the bread should be lightly golden brown and the center will puff up. If the edges are browning too quickly, place a piece of foil over the top of the pan halfway through the baking time.
  4. Make the Frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add cream cheese and butter and beat for 30 seconds until well combined. Add the vanilla and mix well. Add the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Once the bread is completely cooled, spread the frosting evenly over the top of the bread. Slice and serve!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

288

Fat

16 g

Sat. Fat

9 g

Carbs

33 g

Fiber

1 g

Net carbs

32 g

Sugar

20 g

Protein

4 g

Sodium

256 mg

Cholesterol

56 mg

*Nutrition is auto-calculated by recipes generator.

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