Amazing Carrot Cake Loaf Recipe for Afternoon Tea!
Home » COOK » Recipes » Afternoon Tea »
Afternoon tea will be even more delicious with this Carrot Cake Loaf Recipe. A slice from this loaf cake (that serves 10) will be the talk of the town! Created using carrots, cranberries, walnuts, and topped with homemade cream cheese icing, it’s simply fabulous!
Affiliate Disclosure
We have included affiliate links to products and services related to the topic of this post.
This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you purchase after clicking on those links.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Read Our Full Disclosure and Privacy Policy
Carrot Cake Loaf Recipe
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions, to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required and understand the steps and timings involved.
Carrot cake is one of my personal favorites! If it’s available as an option for dessert, I’m probably going to take it!
This carrot cake loaf recipe is the perfect afternoon tea treat, and with spring on the way, it’s time to celebrate!
The loaf is easy to make, and it’s delicious and moist. The frosting is also really tasty, and it’s a great way to use up any leftover cream cheese.
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed for this recipe have been linked to Amazon or other stores if available online.
It may not include staple ingredients such as oil, salt, sugar, etc., as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.
- Fresh Produce – Carrots, Eggs
- Dairy – Unsalted Butter, Cream Cheese, Heavy Cream
- All-Purpose Flour – also known as Plain Flour
- Baking Powder
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Ginger
- Ground Nutmeg
- Pure Vanilla Extract – always buy good vanilla as it really does make a flavor difference
- Dried Cranberries
- Walnuts
- Powdered Sugar – also known as Icing Sugar or Confectioners Sugar
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. Please note, you can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).
More Loaf Cake Recipes
Try these loaf cake recipes next:
- Gluten-Free + Paleo Spiced Apple Loaf
- Spiced Pumpkin & Walnut Tea Loaf
- Cranberry, Almond & Orange Fruit Loaf
- Fruit & Nut Banana Bread Mini Loaves Recipe
More Afternoon Tea Recipes
Looking for more treats to make for afternoon tea? Check out these recipes:
- Make This Lemon Raspberry Loaf for Brunch or Afternoon Tea
- Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes for Afternoon Tea Parties
- Spiced Pecan Zucchini Bread Recipe for Afternoon Tea
How Do I Make Carrot Cake Loaf?
Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.
This dessert is perfect for Easter lunch! I’ve got a collection of Easter Recipes that you might like to try out – right-click and open them in a new tab to read next.
Carrot Cake Loaf
Afternoon tea will be even more delicious with this Carrot Cake Loaf Recipe.
Ingredients
- 1⅓ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated carrots
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
For the Icing
- ½ package (4oz/100g) cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup unsalted sweet cream butter
- 1¼ cup powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- 1 tsp heavy cream (double cream)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°C/Gas 4 degrees and spray a (9x5/standard/1 lb) loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Whisk or sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt until combined.
- In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until combined, then beat in the oil and vanilla until all the ingredients are incorporated.
- Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the wet until combined and smooth.
- Fold the grated carrots, cranberries, and walnuts into the mixture.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Leave in pan for 10 minutes to cool, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the cream cheese frosting, place the cream cheese and butter into a large bowl and beat until smooth and combined.
- Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until combined.
- Beat in the heavy cream and vanilla until combined and smooth.
- Pour the frosting over the cooled carrot cake loaf, allowing it to flow down the sides.
- Slice to serve and enjoy!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 527Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 188mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 2gSugar: 40gProtein: 5g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Special Dinner!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to create a menu for a special meal or dinner party:
- Appetizer: Pistachio and Raisin Goat Cheese Log
- Soup: Gluten-Free Gazpacho Recipe with Chickpea “Croutons”
- Salad: Fig and Roasted Fennel Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Main Dish: 25-Minute Orange-Glazed Salmon Recipe with Asparagus
- Side Dish: Greek-Style Lemon Potatoes
- Beverage: Sparkling Mexican Paloma Cocktail with Blanco Tequila & Grapefruit
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.