Description

This carrot cake loaf is made healthier with whole wheat pastry flour, Greek yogurt, and coconut oil! Packed with carrots, pineapple, raisins, and walnuts, it’s served with a delicious vanilla bean maple ricotta topping. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a snack!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Carrot Cake Loaf:

2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour* (or all-purpose flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (118ml) coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (67g) packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, room temperature
1/2 cup coconut milk (or any milk), room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups canned crushed pineapple, drained well
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (use small side of box grater)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the Vanilla Bean Maple Ricotta Topping:

3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean (or 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract)

Instructions

1. Make the Carrot Cake Loaf:

Preheat and Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan or spray with cooking spray. Line the bottom (and optionally sides) with parchment paper for easy removal. Set aside.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose), baking powder, shredded coconut, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the melted (and cooled) coconut oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined. Add the room-temperature eggs, room-temperature Greek yogurt, room-temperature coconut milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk again until thoroughly combined and smooth.
Add Pineapple & Carrots: Stir the well-drained crushed pineapple and grated carrots into the wet ingredients.
Combine Wet and Dry: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
Fold in Raisins & Walnuts: Gently fold in the raisins and chopped walnuts.
Bake: Pour the batter (it will be thick) into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top evenly. Bake for 70-75 minutes (1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes), or until the top is golden brown, the center is set, and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Prevent Over-Browning: If the top starts to brown too quickly towards the end, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil for the last 20 minutes or so of baking.
Cool: Let the loaf cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes before carefully removing it from the pan. Let it cool completely on the wire rack before slicing and serving.

2. Make the Vanilla Bean Maple Ricotta:

While the bread is cooling, make the ricotta topping. Combine the ricotta cheese, maple syrup, and vanilla bean seeds (or paste/extract) in a food processor or blender.
Blend for about 1 minute, or until light, fluffy, and smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed. (Alternatively, whisk vigorously by hand in a bowl).

3. Serve: Slice the completely cooled carrot cake loaf and serve with a dollop of the vanilla bean maple ricotta topping.

Notes

Flour: Whole wheat pastry flour provides a tender crumb with whole grains. Regular whole wheat will be denser. All-purpose flour can be substituted. Measure correctly using spoon & level or weight.
Pineapple: Drain the crushed pineapple very well to avoid adding excess moisture to the batter.
Carrots: Grating carrots on the smallest side of a box grater helps them blend into the bread texture nicely.
Room Temperature Ingredients: Using room-temperature eggs, yogurt, and milk helps the batter mix evenly.
Do Not Overmix: Mix just until combined to keep the bread tender.
Cooling: Ensure the bread cools completely before slicing for the best texture and cleanest cuts.
Vanilla Bean: If you don’t have a vanilla bean, substitute 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract in the ricotta topping.
Storage: Store leftover bread tightly wrapped at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Store ricotta topping separately in the fridge.