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 Double Strawberry Cupcakes Baked Chocolate Fudge Glazed Doughnuts Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Carrot Cake Muffins Cinnamon Crunch Quick Bread 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!
