Carrot Cake Bread

Our carrot cake bread is the sweetest thing to wake up to. This recipe gives you all the flavors of carrot cake, served up for breakfast in a delicious quick bread.

This tender, moist, and flavorful loaf gains lots of depth of flavor from the brown sugar and familiar warming spices. The light drizzle of tangy buttermilk glaze complements the sweetness of this carrot cake bread. The toasted pecans add a nice crunch and become semi-soft when baking, allowing for easy slicing. This bread is super tender, with a moist interior and pops of bright orange color from the grated carrots.

Learn how to make carrot cake bread, and enjoy it for breakfast, brunch, or a sweet snack this week.

Ingredients for Carrot Cake Bread

With light brown sugar, cinnamon, grated carrots, crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, and nutty pecans to flavor this tender quick bread, thank goodness it makes two loaves. To make carrot cake bread, you'll need:

• All-purpose flour: Gives the loaves their structure.
• Light brown sugar: Sweetens the bread and adds moisture and light notes of molasses.
• Baking soda: Leavens the cake by reacting to the acidity in the buttermilk.
• Ground cinnamon: Adds warmth to the cake.
• Kosher salt: Enhances the overall flavor.
• Large eggs: Binds the batter and gives the quick bread structure.
• Unsalted butter: Adds richness and flavor for a loaf with a tender crumb.
• Grated carrots: Add color, sweetness, and texture to the loaf cakes.
• Canned crushed pineapple in juice: For additional moisture, tanginess and a tropical flavor.
• Unsweetened shredded coconut: Adds texture, sweetness, and flavor.
• Vanilla extract: For depth of flavor. Can substitute with coconut extract, almond extract, or a splash of rum if preferred.
• Whole buttermilk: Adds a tangy moisture to the cake batter, and to the glaze.
• Chopped toasted pecans: For a nutty crunch in the cakes.
• Powdered sugar: The sweet base of the quick glaze used to top the cake.

How To Make Carrot Cake Bread

This quick bread is just as it sounds—quick. A short mix of dry and wet ingredients, and you're ready to bake. Full instructions are below, but here's a brief recap before you get started:

• Step 1. Mix dry ingredients: Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
• Step 2. Add wet ingredients: Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add butter, carrots, pineapple, coconut, vanilla, and ½ cup buttermilk; whisk to combine. Stir in dry ingredients, then fold in pecans.
  
• Step 3. Add batter to pans: Spoon evenly into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake until a wooden pick comes out clean, about 1 hour.
• Step 4. Cool bread loaves: Cool loaves in pans 10 minutes, then unmold onto racks to cool completely.
• Step 5. Make glaze: Whisk together powdered sugar and remaining buttermilk. Pour or drizzle over cooled loaves.

Carrot Cake Bread Variations

For a twist on this flavorful quick bread recipe, consider these variation ideas:

• Flour: You can experiment with substituting a portion of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat, almond, or oat flour for a nutty flavor and nutritional boost.
• Sugar: Opt for dark brown sugar instead of light for deeper flavor and color.
• Spice: Add ground ginger, nutmeg, or other spices as desired.
• Citrus: Add zest for a citrusy touch.
• Pineapples: Swap the pineapples with grated apples, mashed bananas, or shredded zucchini. You may need to adjust the quantity of brown sugar and/or melted butter based on the type of mix-in used.
• Pecans: Swap for walnuts, almonds, or pumpkin or sunflower seeds for a nut-free option. Add cinnamon chips, white chocolate chips, or other flavored chips as desired, as well as raisins or other dried fruits.
• Vanilla: Substitute the vanilla extract called for with coconut extract, almond extract, or a splash of rum if preferred.
• Glaze: Swap the simple buttermilk glaze with a cream cheese frosting or glaze, a lemon or rum glaze for additional flavor.

Tips for the Best Carrot Cake Bread

Our Test Kitchen has a few tips to guarantee success when making this carrot cake quick bread:

• Drain the pineapple: Make sure to drain the crushed pineapple well; too much pineapple juice incorporated into the batter will cause the quick bread to become soggy or dense.
• Don't overmix: With a quick bread, you don't want to overmix your ingredients. Simply mix until incorporated to keep it nice and tender.
• Tent tops: Keep an eye and tent the tops with aluminum foil toward the end of baking to prevent excess browning.

How To Store Carrot Cake Bread

This carrot cake loaf can be easily made in advance and kept on hand for when you need it.

Prepare this quick bread in advance, then wrap and store at room temperature for up to four days. Serve for breakfast with coffee, or anytime you're in need of a sweet treat. This recipe yields two loaves, leaving one for you and one for the neighbor. For longer storage, cover an unglazed loaf in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and freeze for up to two months. Glaze after thawing.

What To Serve With Carrot Cake Bread

This quick bread makes a great addition to your breakfast routine, but can also be the perfect afternoon pick-me up or dessert. Serve with yogurt and coffee, sweeten it up with a dollop of whipped cream or scoop of vanilla ice cream, or drizzle with caramel sauce and sprinkle with candied nuts for a flavorful dessert.

More Tender Quick Bread Recipes You'll Love

If you love to start your mornings with something sweet, we've got a quick bread recipe to suit just about every season:

• Zucchini Quick Bread
• Cranberry-Orange Bread
• Pumpkin-Honey-Beer Bread
• Hummingbird Bread
• Seeded Pumpkin Bread
• Apple Butter-Pecan Quick Bread
• Piña Colada Quick Bread
• Banana Nut Bread

Editorial contributions by Katie Rosenhouse.