Sometimes I'm too lazy to grate carrots, so this easy carrot loaf cake involves carrot puree. This is also great if you love the flavors of traditional carrot cake but don't like shredded carrots running through the batter!
🧾 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make this easy carrot loaf cake from scratch:
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Olive Oil: I love the slightly floral and earthy flavor this brings to vegan cake. You can use a more neutral vegetable oil (like sunflower oil, canola oil, or light olive oil).
- Soy Milk: This is mixed with apple cider vinegar to create a vegan buttermilk substitute. You can also use oat milk or almond milk if you need to.
- Brown Sugar: I used panels or light muscovado sugar, both are varieties of unrefined cane sugar. You can also use coconut sugar or soft brown sugar.
- Vegan Butter: For the browned butter icing, you will need a good-quality block-style vegan butter. I use Naturli or Violife which brown beautifully.
- Walnuts: You can swap these for pecans or leave them out if you have a nut allergy or want to keep the recipe more budget-friendly!
- Warm Spices: My go-to spice blend for carrot cake includes ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. You could also introduce a little cardamom for some peppery citrus notes.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: You will need both for this recipe, as they work in tandem to lift and leaven the cake.
- Powdered Sugar: Can also be labeled as "confectioner's sugar" or icing sugar if you're in Ireland or the UK.
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🔪 Instructions
Here are step-by-step images to give you a visual guide showing how to make this moist carrot cake loaf recipe. Please refer to the detailed printable recipe card at the end of this page when you're ready to make the recipe for full measurements and written instructions:
Step 1:In a food processor or high-speed blender, blitz the vegan buttermilk, roughly chopped carrots, olive oil, non-dairy yogurt, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Step 2: Add the pureed carrot mixture to a large mixing bowl with the brown sugar and whisk to combine.
Step 3: Carefully fold half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Then add the remaining dry ingredients and chopped walnuts.
Step 4: Transfer the cake batter to a loaf tin lined with parchment paper. Cut thin strips of vegan butter and place them down the center of the loaf. This will encourage a nice crack down the center of the loaf when baking.
Step 5: Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Constantly stir the mixture for approximately 5 minutes (but be careful, some brands take less time, some more!). Once the butter turns a golden brown color with a nutty buttery aroma, take it off the heat. Whisk in the sugar, vanilla, and dairy-free milk.
Step 6: Spread the brown butter icing over the top of the loaf with an offset spatula. Then sprinkle the top with candied walnuts (or regular chopped walnuts)!
🥕 Variations
- Thinner Glaze: You can make the brown butter frosting thinner by using 2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk, or thicker by using just one.
- Classic Frosting: For a more traditional topping, you can't go wrong with cream cheese frosting. For a thinner cream cheese icing try the topping in my gingerbread loaf.
- Raisins: Add around ⅓ of a cup to the batter, or use them in place of the nuts in the recipe.
- Coconut Flakes: Swap the walnuts for dried coconut for a nut-free twist, similar to my vegan carrot muffins.
- Coffee Buttercream: For all-out carrot cake latte vibes!
💭 Recipe Tips
I like to bake it on an aluminum baking sheet, which conducts heat and helps bake the cake evenly from underneath.
The loaf will rise in the oven and it should fall just a little once you take it out of the oven to cool - so don't worry! We're using a lot of moisture in this recipe, so we have compensated with leavening agents to help it fluff up, once it rests, the cake will still have a nice rise.
Check the loaf is ready by inserting a toothpick or skewer into the center. It should come out almost clean with a few crumbs but without wet batter.
Let the cake cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes before lifting it out of the tin to cool completely. Don't let it sit in the pan for longer as the heat will build steam underneath the loaf which can create a gummy/soggy bottom!
💬 FAQs
When your carrot loaf has cooled, wrap any leftovers tightly in plastic wrap or foil, or place it in an airtight container. It will last at room temperature for up to 5 days (provided your environment is not too warm). Or you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
To freeze, cut the bread into individual slices and separate them with sheets of parchment. Wrap them well or store them in a sealed container and freeze for up to a month. To defrost, let it thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours.
Yes! This cake stays super moist for days and tastes even better on the day after baking if you ask me. The spices and flavors have a chance to mingle and create the perfect accompaniment to your afternoon tea or coffee.
🥧 More Easy Loaf Cakes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf
Equipment
Ingredients
- 160 ml (⅔ cup) soy milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 250 g (2 cups) raw carrots (peeled and roughly chopped) ~4 medium carrots *note 1
- 120 ml (½ cup) olive oil *note 2
- 80 g (⅓ cup) vegan Greek-style yogurt *note 3
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 200 g (1 cup) light brown sugar
- 280 g (2 ¼ cups) all-purpose flour sifted
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 125 g (1 cup) walnuts roughly chopped
Candied Walnuts (optional)
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter (block-style)
- 100 g (1 cup) chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Brown Butter Glaze (Optional)
- 80 g (¼ cup) vegan butter (block-style)
- 115 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk *note 4
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make vegan buttermilk: Mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- Blend the carrots: Add the vegan buttermilk, carrots, olive oil, yogurt, and vanilla to a food processor and blitz until smooth.
- Mix wet ingredients: To a large bowl add the pureed carrot mixture, and brown sugar, and whisk to combine.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
- Make the batter: Sift half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold the ingredients into the batter. Then fold in the chopped walnuts and the remaining dry ingredients until there are no pockets or streaks of flour. Do not be tempted to overmix!
- Assemble: Add the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top of it with a spatula or knife. Place the pan on top of an aluminum tray or baking sheet. Optionally, cut thin strips of vegan butter and place them down the center of the loaf (*note 5).
- Bake: Bake on a baking sheet in the center of the oven for 55-65 minutes. The loaf will rise and the top will be golden brown. Check the cake is done at the 55-minute mark by piercing it with a toothpick or a knife, the knife should come out clean with a few crumbs. Continue to bake in 5-minute increments if needed.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. Once the loaf is completely cool, transfer it to a tray or sheet of parchment paper.
- Candied Walnuts: Add walnuts, sugar, and butter to a pan and gently cook for 5-7 minutes, tossing constantly. Once the sugar has melted and the walnuts are fragrant, remove from the heat and transfer to a sheet of parchment to cool.
- Brown the butter for the glaze: Add the vegan butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Constantly stir the mixture for approximately 5 minutes, until the butter turns a golden brown color with a nutty buttery aroma. Do not leave it on the heat any longer as it can burn quickly.
- Make the glaze: Add the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract to the browned butter and whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze on top of the cooled loaf.
- Storage: When your cake has cooled, wrap any leftovers tightly in plastic wrap or foil, or place it in an airtight container. It can be kept at room temperature for up to 5 days (provided your environment is not too warm) or in the fridge for up to 7 days.To freeze, cut the bread into individual slices and separate them with sheets of parchment. Make sure they are wrapped well or place them in a sealed container and freeze for up to a month. To defrost, let it thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours.
Video
Notes
- Carrots: Weighed after peeling.
- Olive Oil: Or neutral oil like canola (rapeseed) or sunflower oil.
- Greek-Style Yogurt: I use Greek-style soy yogurt. Swap for thick coconut yogurt or vegan sour cream.
- Non-dairy milk for the frosting: For a thick frosting add 1 tablespoon, for a thinner glaze add 2 tablespoons.
- Adding a thin line of butter slices down the middle of the batter helps to create a lovely crack in the center of the cake.
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