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Swirled Ginger Crunch Carrot Cake Bread. Better than you could get at any bakery, this quick and flavorful bread melts in your mouth. Soft carrot cake made with shredded carrots, sweetened with maple syrup, and swirled with cream cheese and cinnamon sugar. Top this quick carrot cake loaf with a ginger-cinnamon crunch topping and bake away. Enjoy just as is, or serve with salted sweet cream butter. Each soft slice has a little ginger crunch with every bite. Everyone loves this soft yet crunchy bread.
After all the chocolate we’ve consumed this week, I thought a nice carrot recipe would be just right for today. Spring is on the horizon, Easter is coming up, and it’s about that time of year anyway!
I haven’t always loved carrot cake, but I made the most delicious carrot cake muffins last spring, and now I can’t get enough. Today’s bread, however, might even be better.
It’s the ginger CRUNCH. It really makes this cream cheese-swirled carrot cake that much more special.
Since Easter is so early this year (it falls on Sunday, March 31st), I’m already looking ahead to those holiday-themed recipes. Slow-cooked meats, vegetable sides, coconut cupcakes, and carrot cake are all top of mind!
Around here, we love our winter holidays the most, but Easter is always fun too!
And with this carrot cake on the menu, we can make delicious food as well! No boring Easter menus this year!
Here are the details
Step 1: mix the better. Start with the wet ingredients
This is all made in one bowl. Simply mix the wet ingredients with the dry, and that’s it. For the wet ingredients, it’s just melted coconut oil mixed with maple syrup as the sweetener. I used maple syrup mostly because I LOVE the warming flavor that it adds to baked goods. Now mix in the eggs and lots of vanilla for super yummy flavor.
And then the carrots! I used a good amount of freshly shredded carrots. The carrots also contribute to the bread’s sweetness and provide a soft/moist texture and pretty color too.
Step 2: now the dry ingredients
For the dry ingredients, you’ll need whole wheat pastry flour (or use all purpose flour), baking soda, and then cinnamon and salt.
You’ll also need crystalized ginger pieces and cinnamon sugar.
Step 3: mix and swirl
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Then spoon half the batter into a bread pan, spread the melted cream cheese evenly over the batter, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar and crystalized ginger pieces over the cream cheese. Now, add the remaining batter on top.
If you don’t love cream cheese, you can omit it, but I think it works well with the flavors in the carrot cake.
Step 4: the ginger crunch
The secret to this quick carrot bread is a sprinkle of cinnamon ginger crunch over the entire loaf.
This mixture was inspired by the cinnamon crunch bagels Panera bread sells. I love them so much, but the addition of crystalized ginger pieces makes the cinnamon crunch mix so much better. The crystalized ginger pieces are my secret to everything delicious right now. I’m really loving them so much.
The crunch is a mix of brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger pieces, and butter. Mix everything together until clumps form. Now sprinkle the clumps overtop of the loaf before baking.
Step 5: bake
And then you bake. This quick bread will take about an hour in the oven. As the bread bakes, the cinnamon and ginger melt into the sugar and butter, becoming nice and gooey. At the same time, the ginger topping begins to caramelize, becoming crunchy.
It is DELICIOUS!
As the carrot cake bread bakes, your kitchen will smell incredible. It’s going to make you excited for springtime baking recipes.
This is a very easy quick bread, totally no-fuss. Enjoy a slice or two with soft, salted butter. Such a wonderful treat to enjoy!
Looking for other sweet recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Maple Banana Bread with Cinnamon Spice Butter
Blender Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
Giant Double Blueberry Muffin Cookies
Bakery Blueberry Vanilla Crunch Muffins
Blueberry Swirl Coffee Cake Muffins
Baked Chocolate Fudge Glazed Doughnuts
Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Carrot Cake Muffins
Lastly, if you make this Swirled Ginger Crunch Carrot Cake Bread, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Swirled Ginger Crunch Carrot Cake Bread
Servings: 1 loaf
Calories Per Serving: 355 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrots
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 ounces cream cheese, melted
- 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons crystallized ginger pieces
Ginger CRUNCH
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2-3 tablespoons crystallized ginger pieces
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a (9×5 inch) bread pan.2. In a large bowl, stir together the oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Stir in the shredded carrots. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until just combined.3. Spoon half the batter into the prepared bread pan. Dollop the cream cheese over the batter, then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and crystallized ginger pieces. Evenly spoon the remaining batter over the sugar/ginger. 4. To make the crunch. Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, crystallized ginger pieces, and butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar mix over the loaf.5. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the center is just set. Remove the bread and let cool. Or enjoy warm slathered with salted butter. YUMMMM!
I was disappointed in the overall taste – maybe just me but for the overall amount of effort I wouldn’t make it again. the prep time for me was 1 1/2 hours – not 25 min as listed on the recipe. I counted assembling all ingredients, shredding carrots, loosely chopping the ginger ( mine came in large chunks), measuring & melting the coconut oil, then all the other ingredients! It was such a lot of ingredients and work in reality. My husband loved it!
Hi Jennifer,
So very sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is something specific that I can help with! xx
Really wanted to love this one but it was a fail. It’s definitely a bread – not a cake at all. My family and I were expecting the sweetness of a cake. Our expectation was off, I guess.
It is moist but overall very bland. This is the first one of your recipes I was disappointed by. Oh well – onto the next. Won’t be making this one again.
Hi Tricia,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear this was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
Can you make this in muffin tins instead of one big loaf pan? And if so, do you know what the timing in the oven would be. Thank you!
Hi Eleonora,
I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you! I would probably start checking for doneness at 25 minutes. Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xT
What can I use instead of coconut oil? Thank you
Hi Lori,
You can use another neutral oil in place of the coconut oil:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
On your Instagram you poured melted butter over the top of the loaf right before baking – is that additional butter or was a step missed? How much butter total? Thanks in advance!
Hi Elizabeth,
There is no additional butter, you can follow the recipe as directed. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Has anyone made this with Gluten free flour?
Hi Debbie,
You should be able to use an equal amount of gluten free flour. I hope you love this recipe! Xx
What ratio do you make your cinnamon sugar?
Hi Lynn,
I use 1/4 cup sugar to 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Xx
This looks soooo yummy- definitely gonna try it- what are your storage suggestions (asking due to cream cheese)?
Thanks Dawn!! You can store this in an airtight container at room temperature. I hope you love this recipe! xT
I have whole wheat flour..but not whole wheat pastry flour..how does one over the other effect the outcome?
Hi Michele,
The whole wheat pastry flour is going to give a lighter texture to the bread. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Which type of brown sugar do you prefer?
Hi Ani,
For this recipe, I used light brown sugar. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Xx
Question- the crystallized ginger pieces- how big Re those. My chrystallized ginger comes in 1/4 – 1/2 inch chunks. Am I chopping it into smaller pieces? Thx
Hi Karen,
The ones I used are about the size of chocolate chips, you can view what mine looked like in the photos above:) I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Which gluten free flour would be best.to make.this recipe?
Hi Michelle,
I like Bob’s Red Mill. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I always make your recipes with Bob’s Red Mill GF flour (the red bag, not blue). Works every time!
Thanks so much for sharing Leah!!
How should you store this cake? Is room temp ok or does it need to be refrigerated?
Hi there,
You can store in an airtight container at room temperature:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
What is a good substitue for the melted coconut oil? Not something I normall keep on hand.
I like walnut oil in carrot / hummingbird cake recipes. You can even sub some applesauce for some of it. Melted margarine or butter would work, too.
Hi Rani,
Another neutral oil that you enjoy will work well! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Do you melt the cream cheese into liquid?
It says to melt the cream cheese (easy to do in microwave), then Step 3 says to dollop it on top of the first half of batter in the pan.
Hi Colleen,
It won’t be fully liquid like water, it will just be creamy and in a form to which you can drizzle. I hope this makes more sense! Happy Friday! xT
Yes! Thank you.