Fruit-sweetened carrot cake loaf. This loaf is incredibly moist and naturally sweetened with dates and apple sauce. Have it for breakfast, snack or dessert!
A delicious fruit-sweetened dessert. The best part about this carrot cake loaf? It can be a nutritious breakfast or snack, yet it’s sweet enough for dessert.
Unlike my favorite banana bread, this carrot cake loaf is sweetened with dates, applesauce (and pineapple if you’d like), which makes it sweeter. It’s insanely moist thanks to all the fruits and a touch of oil. I love it best when served with sunflower seed butter for a little boost of protein and extra flavor. It’s the best combination, trust me! Plus, this way, you’re combining carbs and protein for a nutritious breakfast or snack.
To take it to the next level, try serving it with ice cream (like this date-sweetened vanilla ice cream) or your favorite frosting. Whichever way you decide to go, it will be delicious.
And if you’re looking for a vegan carrot cake loaf, check out my Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf with Streusel Topping.
Here are the steps that you need to make a delicious carrot cake loaf.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan using butter or oil.
In a food processor, add the dates, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Process until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Don’t worry if you have small pieces of dates. Add the grated carrots and pulse a few times. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Transfer the date mixture to the bowl as well as the eggs. Stir it all together until combined.
Transfer to the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Wait 10 minutes before slicing.
You can replace the olive oil with melted coconut oil or a light-tasting oil, like avocado oil.
I tested this recipe with spelt and whole wheat flour. The loaf was a bit too moist using spelt flour, but I still loved it. If you love extra moist (almost lightly undercooked) desserts, you can try it using spelt flour. Whole wheat flour resulted in a dryer, but still very moist loaf. I used whole wheat bread flour.
I haven’t tried it myself, but some have successfully made it using a flax egg. If you want a vegan recipe, you can check out this vegan carrot cake loaf with streusel topping (though this one is not fruit-sweetened).
If you want to try a gluten-free option, I recommend using a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix. I haven’t tried it myself yet, so I can’t guarantee the same results. But it’s worth a try!
You can replace the applesauce with crushed pineapple (in the same amount) or you can do half pineapple and half applesauce.
If you make this carrot cake loaf, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys. And of course, if you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!
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View Comments
Do you think it would work with flax eggs?
Hi Julie! I haven't tried it yet, but I am planning on trying it soon. I will update the recipe when I do. If you try it, let me know how it turned out! It would help others too. :)
Hi!! Is there a way to make it grain free??
Hi Alida. Sorry but I haven't tried it. It would change the recipe significantly if using grain-free flours. I'm not much help until I try it myself. Sorry! If you do try it, let me know. It could help others!
Delicious! Made it as per the instructions (no mods), and with spelt flour. It was beautifully moist and succulent. My eight year old, who hates all cakes, gobbled three slices and is begging for more. Keep the fruit-sweetened recipes coming!
Aww I'm so happy you both loved it!! Thank you for the 5 stars, it means so much. Don't worry, I have many more fruit-sweetened recipes coming. Enjoy! :)
Wow another delicious recipe! Keep them coming :)
I made it together with my kids and we all absolutely loved it! This is a real treat
Thank you so much
Hi Rachel! I'm so happy you and your kids loved it. Enjoy!
I am in love with this recipe and how "sweet" it tastes with no sugar! It has been the perfect pick-me up treat. Thank you!!
Hi Victoria, I'm so happy you like it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I always love hearing what other's think! Enjoy. :)
I just made this, and I'm trying to not eat the whole batch in one sitting! So delicious! I added walnuts and dark chocolate chips for a more "dessert" kind of feel, and it's absolutely fabulous. And quick to pull together too! Thanks Caroline!
Hi Rachael, thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. I'm so happy you love it! those add-ins sound delicious. Enjoy! :)
Have you tried freezing this? I am expecting a baby and would love to freeze some treats beforehand
Thank you
I have tried freezing it actually and it was still great when thawed! I froze it in an airtight container and let it thaw overnight in the fridge. Also, congrats on the baby! Freezer food definitely helps with a new baby. :)
Turned out great. Followed the recipe exactly. Thanks for a treat free of refined sugar.
I'm so happy you like it! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. Enjoy!
I enjoyed making these with a few substitutions. I omitted ginger, nutmeg, and clove, 'cause I didn't have them. I added a few tablespoons of almond flour, and some water because whenever I bake with whole wheat flour, the finished product turns dry and dense. Taste-wise, it's good. Would you know how many calories are there in one slice?
I'm happy you liked the taste of it! I'm sorry you gave it a 4 star review though as you didn't exactly follow the recipe. It might be a little misleading for others looking at doing the recipe. Thank you for explaining your substitutions though. I don't calculate the calories for the recipes on my blog at this time, but it's something I'm hoping to do in the future. Sorry for the inconvenience! Have a great weekend. :)
Hi!
I've just come across your blog & loving all your recipes. This carrot cake recipe is just what I was looking for. I wondered what your thoughts on rye flour for this recipe are? Would it work?
I tend to bake with spelt/rye/grain free flours, I'm no expert in that but it's because I try to avoid wheat for health reasons.
I hope you can let me know what you think!
Thanks
:)
Hi Faaiza, thank you so much! To be honest, I've never used rye flour myself (other than buying rye bread), so I can't be sure. However, I have tried the recipe with spelt flour and it was delicious! If you try it with rye, let me know! Otherwise, I hope the spelt gives you an option. :)
This is delicious!!! I've been looking for whole fruit sweetened dessert recipes for a long time, and they're definitely few and far between. Thank you for this site! I'm excited to try your other recipes. I made a few modifications to the carrot loaf: used 1 whole apple instead of applesauce (chopped and whirred with dates), 1/3 c olive oil for a slightly richer crumb, and doubled the ginger for a little more spice. Yum!!!
I'm so happy you liked it! Thank you for letting me know and and I'm happy it turned out well with the adjustments. I hope you'll love the other recipes too. Enjoy!!
I tried it twice and both times it was so wet that it was unedible yet the outside was brown. So upset that I wasted all those ingredients. Straight into the green bin.
I'm so sorry that happened. I'm not sure what to say as I've never had this issue and I've had great feedback from everyone who's tried the recipe. Did you by any chance change something in the recipe?
I didn't have any applesauce or dates, but I do have two bags of carrots and two bunches of bananas, both at the end of their rope. So I crossed my fingers and switched the applesauce and dates for two cups of mashed bananas (and made muffins instead of bread in case they were a little soft) and this has turned out quite well! Now I'm eager to get to the grocery store and try this as it was meant to be.
It's quite difficult to find "sugar free" baking recipes where sugar isn't just replaced with honey or maple syrup, so I've really been enjoying this site!
Hi Em, thank you so much for your sweet comment! I'm so glad it turned out well, even with the substitutions. I'll have to try it myself too! I hope you'll enjoy the original recipe as well. :) Happy weekend!
Great recipe!!! I tried it using flax eggs and it worked really well. I made it for my 16 month old daughter, and she gobbled it.
That's so great to hear Natalie! I'm happy it worked out well with the flax egg, I have to try it myself. Thanks for sharing!