Name: Carrot Cake Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 C all-purpose flour; ⅓ C old-fashioned rolled oats; 1 tsp baking soda; ½ tsp baking powder; 1 tsp apple pie spice; 1 pinch salt; ½ C brown sugar; 1 C mashed ripe bananas ((about 2 medium bananas) ); ¼ C unsweetened applesauce; 1 C shredded carrots; 3 Tbsp maple syrup; ½ tsp vanilla extract; ¼ C milk; 4 oz cream cheese; ½ C powdered sugar; ¼ tsp cinnamon; ¼ tsp vanilla extract

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As the coronavirus quarantine drags on I’ve been doing a lot of baking. There’s something about a fresh-baked breakfast that helps get the day started right. One of my all-time favorite breakfasts has been a carrot cake banana bread recipe that I’ve been working on.

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I am a huge fan of carrot cake. Combining it with banana bread is a great way to get more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet! This recipe uses fresh carrots, bananas, and unsweetened applesauce.

You can easily turn this recipe completely vegan with a few small changes. It’s a simple recipe to change to fit many other dietary differences as well.

Carrot Cake Banana Bread Recipe

This tasty variation on traditional banana bread is a great way to add a unique flavor to your breakfast. The addition of carrots and a creamy cream cheese frosting takes banana bread to a whole new level.

This recipe combines the flavors of fresh fruit, maple, and cinnamon for a truly unique taste. As with any of my recipes, I recommend playing with the flavors to make your blend.

You can change these ingredients to match your family’s dietary needs. However, I always recommend staying with natural and fresh ingredients whenever possible. This helps to decrease unwanted sugar, sodium, and other side effects of heavily processed foods.

Ingredients Needed for the Banana Bread

2 C all-purpose flour

1/3 C old fashioned oats

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp apple pie spice

1/8 tsp salt ( I use this one for baking)

1/2 C brown sugar

1 C mashed ripe banana ( about 2 larger bananas)

1/4 C natural unsweetened applesauce

1 C shredded carrots

3 Tbsp maple syrup

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla ( I use this one)

1/4 C milk ( or a non-dairy milk substitute)

Ingredients Needed for the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 C powdered sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp vanilla

This carrot cake banana bread has so many fresh ingredients that it comes together in a breeze. The longest part of this entire recipe is the baking. It is bread though, there’s just no quick way of baking bread.

Step 1

Combine the dry ingredients of the bread in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

I like to use a sifter to add a little bit of extra air into my flour. It’s also a good idea to use a whisk to lightly combine your dry ingredients. This will help get a little more air into the mix.

Step 2

Mash the bananas using a fork or special mashing tool. (I always just use a fork but having a special tool can be fun too!)

It’s best to use bananas that have started to get little brown spots in them. Some think that they have more flavor at this stage. For me, they are just a little bit softer and easier to mash to a smooth consistency.

You can mash them down to an almost smooth paste or you can leave small pieces of banana. This is completely up to you and your personal preferences.

Step 3

Add the applesauce, vanilla, and egg to the mashed bananas. Stir to combine and add in the shredded carrots.

You can use chopped carrots if you prefer. You just don’t want to have any large chunks of carrot for someone to bite down on while eating your bread. They will soften as they cook, but it’s best to keep the carrots as small as possible.

Step 4

Add the maple syrup to the dry ingredients. You must use good pure maple syrup for this part. You don’t want to use pancake syrup because that is mostly just sugar and it won’t give you the flavor of true maple syrup.

If you don’t have high-quality maple syrup on hand you can use raw organic honey or you can just skip this step. I highly recommend trying to get maple syrup if you can though. It adds an important layer of flavor to this carrot cake banana bread.

combining wet and dry banana bread ingredients

Step 5

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and then add the milk. Use a spatula to gently fold the ingredients together rather than vigorously stirring them with a spoon.

You want to be sure that you scoop the bottom of the bowl while you are folding the ingredients together. This will help to ensure that the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.

You should have a sticky dough once you have finished combining ingredients. Transfer your dough over to a parchment paper-lined loaf pan to bake the bread in a 350-degree F oven for about 45-55 minutes.

You want to check the bread starting at 45 minutes because every oven cooks a little differently. Use a toothpick to check the bread. If it comes out clean then your bread is done. If you get a little bit of dough on the toothpick you want to put your bread back in for a few more minutes and try again.

Step 6

You want to make sure the carrot cake banana bread is completely cooled before you ice it. Icing the bread before it cools completely can lead to runny icing that won’t set properly.

Once you have completely cooled your bread you can combine the ingredients for the cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed until fully combined and smooth.

Use an icing spatula to spread a thin layer of the cinnamon cream cheese icing to the top of the carrot cake banana bread.

Carrot Cake Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Lorilei

This bread combines the delicious carrot cake and traditional banana bread in a tasty breakfast treat!

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 50 mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 10 slices

Ingredients

For the Banana Bread

2 C all-purpose flour
⅓ C old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp apple pie spice
1 pinch salt
½ C brown sugar
1 C mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium bananas)
¼ C unsweetened applesauce
1 C shredded carrots
3 Tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ C milk

For the Frosting

4 oz cream cheese
½ C powdered sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Sift the dry ingredients for the banana bread in a medium mixing bowl and use a whisk to stir lightly until just combined.
Mash the bananas using a fork or other mashing tool.
Add the applesauce, egg, and vanilla to the mashed bananas and stir until combined.
Add the shredded carrots and maple syrup to the mashed banana mixture and fold together until combined.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mashed banana mixture and stir until just combined.
Transfer the bread dough to a parchment paper-lined loaf pan and bake for about 45-55 minutes. ( Be sure to watch your bread those last 10-20 minutes as oven times can vary)
Let the bread cool completely before icing.
When your bread has cooled completely you can begin to make your icing by combining the cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed.
Add the cinnamon and vanilla extract to the bowl of the stand mixer and continue blending until everything is smooth and fully combined.
Use a spatula to apply a layer of the icing to the top of the banana bread and chill for about 1 hour to allow it to set completely.

Keyword banana bread, breakfast, carrot cake, cream cheese frosting

How to Store a Carrot Cake Banana Bread

You want to store this carrot cake banana bread in the refrigerator as the cream cheese icing will spoil if left out on the counter longer than about 2 hours.

Generally, you want to eat banana bread within about 3-4 days. I always find banana bread best within the first day or two though. You can freeze it for up to about 3 months.

Carrot Cake Banana Bread