this healthy and cozy gluten-free carrot cake bread is everything i want this time of year: moist, lightly fudgy, warmly spiced, and just sweet enough to feel special without being over-the-top. it’s the kind of loaf that works just as well for breakfast with coffee as it does for an afternoon snack or dessert.
Course Breakfast, Desserts
Cuisine American
Keyword bread, carrot cake,, gluten free
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 44 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour4 minutesminutes
Servings 8
Ingredients
carrot cake banana bread
2medium ripe bananasmashed
2large eggs
1/3cupplain greek yogurt2% or full-fat
1/4cupmaple syrup
1/4cupcoconut sugar
1/4cupmelted coconut oil or butter
1tspvanilla extract
dry ingredients
1cupoat flour
1/2cupalmond flour
1/4cupvanilla or unflavored protein powder
1 1/2tspcinnamon
1/4tspnutmeg
1tspbaking powder
1/2tspbaking soda
1/4tspsea salt
fold-ins
1cupfinely shredded carrotspacked, not wet
1/3cupchopped dates
1/3cupchopped walnuts
maple cinnamon cream cheese frosting
5ozcream cheesesoftened
1tbsppure maple syrup
1/2tspvanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1/2–3/4 tsp cinnamon
pinchof sea salt
Instructions
preheat oven to 350°f. grease or line a 1 lb loaf pan (8.5 x 4.5 inches).
in a large bowl, whisk together mashed bananas, eggs, greek yogurt, maple syrup, coconut sugar, melted oil, and vanilla until smooth.
add all dry ingredients directly into the same bowl. gently stir until just combined — do not overmix.
fold in shredded carrots, chopped dates, and walnuts.
pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
bake for 45–55 minutes, loosely tenting with foil around the 40-minute mark if the top is browning too quickly.
loaf is done when the center is set and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
cool completely in the pan, then transfer to a rack.
frosting directions
add cream cheese, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt to a bowl.
beat until smooth and creamy.
chill 15–20 minutes to slightly firm, then spread over the fully cooled loaf.
storage
frosted loaf: store covered in the fridge 3–4 days