Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Bread with Cream Cheese Icing
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By Alyssa Rivers
on Jan 09, 2017, Updated Apr 24, 2021 |
Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Bread is a lightened up and completely delicious version of the Carrot Cake we all know and love! Drizzled with the best cream cheese frosting you will love this recipe!
Made with whole wheat flour and greek yogurt, this is such a delicious and moist quick bread! If you are like me and love carrot cake and the warm spices that are so satisfying try Carrot Cake Cupcakes, Carrot Cake Donuts, or Frosted Carrot Cake Cookies.
Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Bread
I am super excited to share my lightened up and totally delicious carrot cake bread recipe with you! As many of you know, I am trying to eat healthier lately, without cutting out food groups and still being able to enjoy food. This time of year is so great. As it is warming up, and me and my family are outside more, getting more active, and eating better. Now, let me just stop here and say, I cannot give up bread! So, I have to find ways to lighten it up. The first trick I have learned is to tweak ingredients to make the things I love with less fat and calories. In this whole wheat carrot cake bread I use wheat flour and Greek yogurt to replace white flour and more fattening ingredients. Plus, I loaded it with shredded carrots and was able to add less oil than most recipes.
This carrot cake bread is so hearty and filling and by adding fresh orange zest, it really brightens the flavor. I added orange zest to both the bread and the icing in this recipe and I highly recommend not skipping that. This bread is soft and moist and the flavor will remind you of carrot cake, but instead you are eating a much healthier slice of bread. I love to enjoy it with my coffee in the morning or even for an afternoon snack. This was a huge hit with my husband and he even asked me to make more so he could take some to a work event. Trust me, this is a recipe you will not regret trying out!
Carrot Cake Bread Ingredients:
- Whole wheat flour: Using whole wheat will not only add more nutrition, but also a great nutty flavor to these cupcakes.
- Warm spices: Ground ginger, cloves, and cinnamon give these cupcakes a great depth of flavors.
- Salt: Salt will bring out all the flavors in this dynamic cupcake!
- Baking soda and baking powder: These ingredients are for leavening and give the cupcakes the perfect shape!
- Sugar: The sweetness of the sugar is the perfect balance in this cupcake.
- Canola oil: This oil will keep your cupcakes moist.
- Greek yogurt: I use non-fat and plain
- Vanilla: Use high quality vanilla, not imitation.
- Zest of 1/2 an orange: This is what makes these cupcakes so special! The fresh citrus taste makes these cupcakes pop!
- Egg: The egg will give these cupcakes structure so they won’t crumble.
- Egg white: The extra egg white gives the extra leavening and structure the cake needs to balance out the grated carrots.
- Grated carrots: Very fine, small pieces of carrot so that the cupcake will still hold together.
Orange Cream Cheese Icing
- Fat free cream cheese: Soften first for easy blending and smooth icing.
- Powdered sugar: This super fine sugar keeps your icing from being to gritty.
- Grated zest of 1/2 an orange: I love California Navels for zesting, their skin is thick and very flavorful!
- Fresh orange juice: The orange juice gives this icing a blast of extra orange flavor!
How to Make Carrot Cake Bread:
- Preheat oven: Set to 350 degrees.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, baking soda and baking powder; set aside.
- Combine sugar with wet ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, yogurt, vanilla, orange zest, egg and egg white and mix until smooth.
- Gradually stir together ingredients: Add the dry ingredients and the grated carrots to the wet ingredients and stir together until just combined.
- Bake: Pour batter into a 9×5-inch loaf pan that has been greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven for about 47-48 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely and then top with Orange Cream Cheese Icing.
- Make Icing: For the Orange Cream Cheese Icing: Mix together softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and orange zest until combined. Stir in enough orange juice to reach desired icing consistency. Drizzle over cooled bread.
Some Healthy Tips:
- Why whole wheat? Whole wheat flour has more protein and fiber making it easier to digest than white flour.
- Go nuts! Add nuts and seeds when you can for more nutrients. Chopped walnuts are always popular in a bread like this one. And lately, I have been adding chia or flax seeds to every bread that I make.
- Plan ahead! Feel free to freeze for later! Then, when a craving hits, you have this healthier option ready to grab. To freeze: Allow them to cool completely after baking, then store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, microwave a slice for 45 seconds-1 minute or until warm. I suggest freezing without the the glaze and simply adding the icing when you’re ready to enjoy them. (The icing will also freeze well for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature and mix well before using).
- Egg-less: To make these without the egg, replace the egg with a flax egg by combining 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal and 3 tablespoons of water.
- Topless: Instead of the glaze, sprinkle the bread with cinnamon and coarse sugar.
- Pro Tip: Line your pan with parchment: Place your pan on a large sheet of parchment paper. Trace the bottom of your pan with a pencil to cut the perfect size piece. Grease the pan and the parchment paper to prevent any sticking.
More Irresistible Bread Recipes to try:
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Orange Cream Cheese Icing
Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Bread:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, baking soda and baking powder; set aside. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, yogurt, vanilla, orange zest, egg and egg white and mix until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and the grated carrots to the wet ingredients and stir together until just combined.
Pour batter into a 9x5-inch loaf pan that has been greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven for about 47-48 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely and then top with Orange Cream Cheese Icing.
Orange Cream Cheese Icing:
Updated on April 20, 2020
Originally Posted on January 9, 2017
Calories: 167kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 208mgPotassium: 107mgFiber: 2gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 1359IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.