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This carrot cake loaf cake is plush, spiced, and swirled with tangy sour cream frosting. This quick bread recipe skips the nuts for a smooth crumb that lets the carrot flavor shine.
Forget the dry, overly sweet loaves from the store, this cake stays incredibly moist, with oil and a mountain of finely grated carrots. The frosting is creamy, slightly tart, and just sweet enough to balance the spice.
Here’s Why This Carrot Cake Loaf Recipe Works
Freshly grated carrots = maximum moisture: Pre-shredded carrots are dry and tough. They’re prepped for salads, not baking. Grating carrots fresh gives you soft, fine shreds that melt into the quick bread and keeps it tender.
One bowl, no nonsense: The batter comes together in a single bowl with zero creaming or complicated steps.
Oil over butter: Oil keeps the crumb soft and tender, even after a few days on the counter.
All the flavor of carrot cake, baked like a quick bread: Carrot bread gives you the same cozy crumb and spice, without the layer cake hassle.
The sour cream frosting on this cake adds a creamy, tangy contrast but you can leave it unfrosted or swap it for my cream cheese frosting.
For a different spin on carrot cake, try my pineapple carrot cake.
Ingredient Notes
Carrots: Use freshly grated carrots, not pre-shredded. Pre-shredded carrots are too dry and coarse. Grate them finely for better moisture, texture, and flavor.
Oil: Neutral vegetable oil keeps the crumb soft and tender.
Spices: Warm cinnamon takes the lead, with ginger and clove adding subtle depth.
White chocolate: Use real white chocolate for the frosting. White chips often contain stabilizers that resist melting smoothly. If you’ve got extra white chocolate (or want a richer topping), my White Chocolate Ganache is another good option.
Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream gives the frosting tang and body. Low-fat sour cream can turn watery and thin out the texture.
Powdered sugar: The frosting starts with 1 cup, but you can adjust up or down depending on how sweet or thick you like it.
Recipe Tips
Use a metal loaf pan: Metal helps bake the center through without overbrowning the edges.
Don’t overmix the batter: Stop folding once the flour streaks disappear, or the loaf may turn dense.
Cool the cake fully before frosting: If it’s even slightly warm, the frosting will melt and slide.
Chop the white chocolate finely: This helps it melt evenly and blend smoothly into the frosting.
Line with parchment and leave overhang: The overhang makes for a clean, easy lift without breaking the loaf.
Tent with foil if it browns too fast: Loaf cakes take time to bake through. If the top’s getting too dark, lay a piece of foil on top during the last 15–20 minutes.
Let the frosting sit before using: After mixing, give the frosting 10 minutes at room temp. It thickens slightly and spreads more cleanly.
Storage: Store the frosted loaf in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Carrot Cake Bread
Carrot cake loaf (or carrot cake bread, whatever you call it) nails the essentials: Moist crumb, warm spice, and a tangy swipe of frosting. No fancy steps, no stand mixer, just big flavor and a recipe worth baking on repeat. You can skip the frosting if you prefer it to be more like carrot bread.
For another recipe with the same cozy spice-and-carrot energy, try my Morning Glory Muffins.
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Carrot Cake Loaf (Quick Bread)
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Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 1 cup vegetable oil, 198 grams
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, 250 grams
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 180 grams
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 to 4 large carrots, 2 ½ cups grated; 270 grams
Sour Cream Frosting
- 3 ounces white chocolate, 85 grams; or ½ cup chopped
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened, 85 grams
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 to 2 cups powdered sugar, 120–240 grams
- ⅓ cup sour cream, (full fat) 76 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Prepare the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy removal.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Place a fine-mesh sifter directly over the bowl. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold the batter gently until no dry pockets remain.
- Add the carrots. Fold in the grated carrots until evenly distributed.
- Bake. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil during the last 15 minutes.
- Cool. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift it out using the parchment and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Make the Sour Cream Frosting
- Melt the white chocolate. Place the finely chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with about 1 inch of barely simmering water. Stir gently until just melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool until slightly warm but no longer hot to the touch.
- Beat the butter. Use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter and salt on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Incorporate the melted white chocolate. With the mixer on low speed, add the melted white chocolate and mix until fully combined and smooth, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed. If the white chocolate is still slightly warm and softens the butter more than expected, that’s fine, the frosting will firm up as it sits. It’s better to add it while still fluid than to wait too long and risk it setting into hardened bits instead of blending smoothly.
- Add the powdered sugar. Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar, mixing on low speed until incorporated.
- Mix in the sour cream. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
- Adjust the frosting. If the frosting seems too soft, let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes; it will thicken slightly as it rests. For a sweeter frosting, beat in the remaining powdered sugar a little at a time until it reaches your preferred sweetness. If the frosting is thicker than you’d like, beat in additional sour cream, 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time, until smooth and spreadable.
- Frost the cake. Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled loaf cake. This frosting recipe makes more than you’ll need for a single loaf, so frost to your preference and reserve the rest for another use.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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