Carrot Spice Muffin Loaf

by Jeannette Ordas of Everybody likes Sandwiches

Cake for breakfast? Why not! It's just a large loaf shaped muffin, really. It feels a bit naughty to scarf down a slice a cake before 9am, but it's something I'm all for. This cake is packed with all kinds of healthy good things like carrots, yogurt, walnuts, raisins, cinnamon and coconut so go on and indulge. It's delicious and it's kind of almost good for you too!

These can easily be made into muffins so you can easily take them on the run. In fact, the original recipe from Dorie Greenspan did call out for muffins, but I was feeling lazy and didn't want to oil up 18 muffin cups when oiling up a loaf pan seemed considerably easier. So make muffins or make a cake, it's up to you.

Carrot Spice Muffins
(adapted from Baking: My Home to Yours)
2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1 ½ t ground cinnamon
½ t ground ginger
¼ t ground cardamom
pinch ground nutmeg
¼ t baking soda
¼ t salt
½ c sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
2/3 c canola oil
2 large eggs
¾ c plain yogurt
1 t vanilla extract
1 c shredded carrots
½ c unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 c raisins
1/3 c walnuts
Preheat the oven to 375F. In a bowl, mix together the first 8 ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the sugars, oil, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla together. Slowly add in the flour mixture and blend until just combined. Gently stir in the carrots, coconut, raisins and walnuts. Add batter to greased muffin cups or loaf tin. Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes and if going with the loaf pan option, it will take about 50 minutes to 1 hour. When cake tester inserted into centre comes clean, the loaf will be done. Cool on wire rack.

Jan Halvarson

12 comments:

Rachel said...

Funny that you post this. I've been sneaking a slice of carrot cake for the past few days in the morning as I head out for the day. I baked it over the weekend and it stares at me as I make my tea each day.

It feels a little wrong, but I love it just the same. Maybe in the bread form I won't feel so sneaky haha.

Roxanne said...

The weather here in FL is just not what I'm used to in the NE, but I can cetainly pretend it's fall with this!

Anonymous said...

Looks yummy. What temperature did you bake at?

Ange said...

Righto then! My first carrot cake experience here in France was a disaster - but I'm looking forward to trying this one, and for a yummy autumn inside brekky treat! Thanks for the recipe (and looking forward to getting the oven temp too ;-)

Melynda@Scratch Made Food! said...

I think a slice of bread is easier to eat than a muffin, and might be why I rarely eat muffins. Great idea to bake muffins in a loaf shape.

un said...

this looks lovely but could you possibly give a uk version of canola oil please

kickpleat said...

un, just use any mild-flavoured vegetable oil.

ties. said...

hi, this is great ... i've tried it already and i think i got it right but i still would like to know what T, t and tn mean. i'm from europe and we use grams and ml. thanks for the great recipe!

kickpleat said...

ties, that would be a typo! my bad. it should read t for teaspoon.

Lisa said...

Oooh I am just about to make this (muffins instead of the loaf), but I just wanted to say that you should maybe rethink the font...maybe it's just my computer (or my eyes...), but it's a little hard to say whether the recipe calls for 1/4 cup yogurt or 3/4 cup.

Jan Halvarson said...

Thanks Lisa I see what you're saying. I'll look into this.

Jan

Unknown said...

spent a little while adjusting the temp/measurements for my welsh kitchen (baked at 190 oC), was a great success -thank you for the recipe! i didn't have any sliced almonds, so added ground ones instead, and supplemented the yogurt for half-fat creme fraiche.
the cake kept long enough to feed weekend guests too.

i used the rest of the creme fraiche to make this frosting for the 'licious 'loaf':
http://tinyurl.com/marthastewartlemonfrosting (again, didn't have candied peel, so used fresh lemon). yum!