Carrot Loaf Cake Recipe with Cinnamon Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
This carrot loaf cake has extra flavor from several types of veggies (carrot, zucchini, sweet potato, beet). Spices and walnuts give the cake a very carrot-cakey flavor, but the cinnamon orange cream cheese frosting gives this cake a special pop!
Servings: 8 slices or squares
Calories: 341kcal
Equipment
- 1 loaf pan
- 1 mixing bowl
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 5 oz finely grated carrot, zuchinni, beet, sweet potato one packed cup - see notes
- 1/4 cup avocado oil or other unflavored oil, or olive oil see notes
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon see notes
- pinch nutmeg see notes
- pinch ginger see notes
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 3/4 cup flour
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2 tbsp butter unsalted
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 zest of juice orange any orange works
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
Make the Cake
- Grate the vegetables (1/4 cup of each of 4 veggies, packed into 1 cup see notes) using the smaller holes of a box grater. Squeeze with hands to remove any excess liquid (mostly from zucchini). Toss with hands to mix veggies. Set aside.
- Add oil, egg, sugar, yogurt, dry spices, vanilla, salt, baking soda and baking powder to bowl and whisk to mix. Use side of spoon or fingers to break up larger brown sugar chunks (just in case you have some chunks in your brown sugar).
- Add the mixed grated veggies to the batter and stir in thoroughly.
- Add flour and chopped walnuts and mix with spoon just until mixed.
- Pour into loaf pan (I use a non-stick one sprayed lightly with oil). If you use a glass loaf pan spray with oil or rub with butter or vegan butter.
- Bake in middle of oven for approximately 30 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Remove and cool in pan for 10 min, then run spatula/knife around edges and turn out onto board to cool completely. The moisture in the veggies yields a cake that puffs up some, but deflates to a flat top once cooled.
Make the Frosting
- Bring butter and cream cheese to room temperature then place in mixing bowl with confectioners sugar, cinnamon, salt and orange zest.
- Use hand mixer to whip ingredients together for a few minutes, taste and adjust flavors.
Frost and assemble cake
- This half high loaf cake can be frosted as is like a mini sheet cake or you can cut loaf in half, and frost as a mini layer cake! Decorate as you like! Read post for information on using common edible flowers.
Notes
Nutrition Info calculated using all carrots (limitations of nutrition calculator).
Vegetables- the goal is to use a mix! You can use just carrot if you like, but I developed this recipe using approx 1/4 cup grated each of carrot, zucchini, sweet potato & beet.
Amount of vegetables- for this cake, use 1 cup packed (filled and pressed a bit, not just lightly set into cup) of finely grated veggies (not grated with biggest holes).
Oil- I prefer the flavor of a neutral oil here, such as avocado oil, but you certainly can use olive oil which adds a distinct fruity flavor.
Spices- for this size cake (half loaf pan thickness), I've suggested 1/4 tsp cinnamon and pinches of nutmeg and ginger. If you love cinnamon you can just use 1/2 tsp of that. If you have and love Five Spice Powder (as I do) you can add in 1/4 tsp of that in as well. As written the recipe does not have a dominant spice flavor. It's subtle.
Nutrition
Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 227mg | Potassium: 148mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1mg | Magnesium: 17mg | Net Carbohydrates: 40g