Carrot Cake Banana Bread (Printable)
Moist loaf blending carrot cake spices 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
→ Add-Ins
15 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
16 - 1/2 cup raisins
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or grease thoroughly.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger until well blended.
03 - In a large bowl, mash the bananas thoroughly. Add the grated carrots, brown sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. Mix until fully incorporated.
04 - Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just until no dry streaks remain. Be careful not to overmix.
05 - Fold in the nuts and raisins if desired, distributing evenly throughout the batter.
06 - Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top evenly with a spatula.
07 - Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached.
08 - Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
# Helpful Tips:
01 -
- The texture hits that perfect sweet spot between cake and bread, dense enough to feel substantial but light enough for breakfast
- The warming spices make your whole house feel cozy while it bakes, which is half the magic honestly
- It uses up those overripe bananas nobody wants to eat plain but everyone secretly hopes you'll bake into something magical
02 -
- A few moist crumbs on your toothpick are actually perfect, because if you wait until it comes out completely clean, you'll end up with dry bread
- The grated carrots should be fine, not in big shreds, or they'll create little moist pockets that feel underbaked
- This loaf freezes beautifully wrapped individually, which has saved many hectic mornings
03 -
- Grate your carrots by hand instead of using a food processor, which tends to make them too wet and throw off your ratios
- Line your entire pan with one piece of parchment, including up the sides, and you'll never struggle with stuck edges again