Carrot Cake Banana Bread Loaf (Printable)
Moist spiced loaf blending carrot cake flavors with tender banana bread sweetness
# What You'll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
06 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
07 - 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
→ Wet Ingredients
08 - 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
09 - 1 cup finely grated carrots (about 2 medium)
10 - 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
11 - 1/4 cup neutral oil (or melted butter)
12 - 2 large eggs
13 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 - 1/4 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
→ Add-Ins
15 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
16 - 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or grease thoroughly with cooking spray or butter.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger until well combined. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, mash bananas until smooth. Add grated carrots, brown sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. Whisk until fully incorporated.
04 - Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture using a spatula. Mix just until no dry streaks remain, being careful not to overmix.
05 - Fold in walnuts or pecans and raisins if desired, distributing evenly throughout the batter.
06 - Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula for even baking.
07 - Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. A few moist crumbs are acceptable, but wet batter indicates more time needed.
08 - Let bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The texture is impossibly moist with tender carrot threads woven throughout every bite
- Spices hit just right without overwhelming the natural banana sweetness
02 -
- Underbaking slightly is better than overbaking, this bread continues cooking as it cools and stays moist longer
- Fine grating your carrots makes all the difference between integrated flavor and weird vegetal chunks
03 -
- Use the smallest holes on your box grater for the carrots, they practically disappear into the batter
- If your bananas aren't quite ripe enough, bake them in their skins at 350°F for 15 minutes to soften them up