Well which one is it?
A Carrot Cake or Apple Bread?
All four of those things in one recipe for Carrot Apple Cake Bread!
After all most quick breads that are baked into loaf pans are merely hi ratio batters posing as a healthier alternative to cake!
I think we just feel better about eating a few slices of sweet bread; rather than sitting down to an entire slice of cake!
Iced with cream cheese glaze ~ this recipe is going to change your life!
It is a slightly modified version of my original Vegan Carrot Cake recipe which already has shredded apples in the batter
I’ve tightened it up a bit with some added flour and an extra boost of baking powder for that bread rise we all love.
By taking out some of the oil and replacing it with applesauce I’ve also lightened it up a bit. *read more below
Whether you like walnuts or not
This bread is super moist, loaded with apples and carrots and the egg replacer is flax
So you don’t have to go searching for some obscure ingredient!
It’s a one bowl mix so you don’t even have to break out your electric mixer!
The cream cheese glaze is completely optional but seriously is what takes this cake to new levels!
You can also bake this batter into muffins for a quick morning grab and go breakfast.
This recipe makes 2 smaller standard loaf pans (8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inches)
Unfortunately I just would have been too much to add all that batter for just one 8.5″ loaf pan
So I apologize in advance for the strange yield of this batter.
If you have a jumbo loaf pan then you would bake all the batter into 1 -10″ x 5″ pan
Cake layers are also an option for the most amazing Carrot Cake ever!
My original recipe for this was baked into 3- 7″ layers and filled and iced with the best vegan cream cheese icing you will ever try!
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR THIS RECIPE MADE INTO A TRADITIONAL CARROT CAKE
Notes for Success:
The applesauce addition is not necessary
However I use it as a nice way to lighten up an oil cake recipe.
A mashed banana is another option to take out some of that oil too
But for those who want to stick to the original recipe, just replace the applesauce with oil or melted vegan butter
I will say that this bread is pretty perfect with out the icing.
Although I am definitely a lover of icing I will say I did slightly regret it once I poured it on!
It just didn’t need it!
But you certainly can’t go back once you commit to the icing!
And believe me I fully committed!
Next time I will probably leave the cream cheese icing for a full carrot layer cake and let this bread stand alone
For more awesome quick bread and muffin recipes click the links below!
- Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Zucchini Bread
- The Only Muffin Recipe You Need!
The Only Muffin Recipe You Will Ever Need
The mini loaves took about 20 minutes to bake at 350°F but the time will vary depending on the size of your pan. I always recommend to check your bread/cake at about 20-30 minutes to see how much longer they need or if they are done.
- Vegetable Oil 5 Tablespoons (75ml)
- Applesauce ½ cup (113g) *see note above recipe for information on substituting this ingredient
- Granulated Sugar ½ cup (100g)
- Light Brown Sugar ½ cup (105g)
- Plant Milk 2 Tablespoons (30ml)
- Hot Water 6 Tablespoons (90ml)
- Flax Meal 3 Tablespoons (24g)
- Vanilla Extract 2 teaspoon (10ml)
- Fresh Ginger 1 teaspoon *optional ingredient
- Salt ¼ teaspoon
- Cinnamon 1¼ teaspoon
- All Purpose Flour 2 cups (250g)
- Baking Powder 1½ teaspoons
- Baking Soda 1 teaspoon
- Shredded Carrots approx 3 medium for approximately 1½ cups
- Shredded Granny Smith Apple 1 small-medium for ¾ cup
- Lightly toasted walnuts ¾ cup *optional ingredient
- For the Icing: *optional
- Confectioner's Sugar ½ cup
- Vegan Cream Cheese ¼ cup
- Vegan Butter melted 2 teaspoons
- Vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
- Lemon juice fresh squeezed 2 teaspoons
- Preheat the oven to 375°F
- Grease a loaf pan *see notes in text above the recipe for pan sizes with pan grease or oil spray.
- Combine the flax meal with the hot water and whisk smooth- reserve
- Shred the apple and carrots and reserve
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and whisk to combine evenly
- In another bowl combine the oil, applesauce, fresh ginger *optional, flax paste, vanilla extract, plant milk and both sugars. Whisk smooth then add to the dry ingredients in the bowl
- Whisk everything together by hand until evenly combined then add the shredded carrots & apples & walnuts
- Divide the batter into your loaf pans or whatever pans you are using. *see notes above in text for pan sizes.
- bake in preheated 375°F oven for 10 minutes then turn the temperature down to 350°F and continue to bake for another 30-35 minutes or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist NOT RAW crumbs.
- Cool in the pan(s) until you can safely touch it with your fingers them turn the bread(s) out onto a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
- Once it is thoroughly cooled, combine the confectioners sugar with the vegan cream cheese, vanilla extract, lemon juice & melted vegan butter and whisk smooth, pour over the bread.
This is a very moist bread that can encourage fast molding, so it is best to keep this bread in the refrigerated for up to 1 week wrapped loosely.
This bread will freeze well for up to 2 months wrapped well
3.5.3251
I tried this with great hopes but it didn’t turn out as well as it smelled while baking. I think it needs more than a half cup of sugar. Also, even though the toothpick came out clean, it was like carrot bread pudding inside. I put it back in the oven for a total baking time of an hour. I wasn’t planning to frost it but I think I will. It seems very healthy though, with a good cinnamon carrot flavor. I didn’t put in fresh ginger, but added a little ground ginger.
I just realized it probably took longer because I put the whole recipe in a large loaf pan.
Hi Chris! Thank you for commenting, I appreciate the feedback. I will bake this again (maybe tomorrow) since I can sometimes have bad math in the conversion of recipes from testing 2-3X then when I write the final I am sometimes crazed and glazed! LOL But I will definitely see what I come up with after a another review!
Okay, Update here! I added a lemon glaze and stored it in the fridge overnight. It all came together in the fridge and now it’s amazing! Moist and spicy and firm. It just needed to chill.
This is also my first attempt a vegan baking, BTW.
Hi, I made this vegan cake bread and in the instructions it said to use both sugars. I only saw granulated sugar in the recipe. Is there some brown sugar in the recipe like your vegan carrot cake?
I have tried a lot of your recipes and they are all delicious. Thank you!
Lynn
Hey thankyou for catching that! I’m not sure how that got messed up! But this is a spinoff from my Tropical carrot Cake recipe which has both light brown & granulated sugars!
Hi Gretchen! I am definitely making this recipe. I was wondering if I could make muffins out of this recipe instead of a bread…? Would I need to add something else? Thank you so much!