Carrot Cake Quick Bread w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

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A quick and easy quick bread turns into a healthy version of carrot cake. Instead of lots of oil, applesauce keeps the bread moist while keeping the fat content down. I usually try to reduce as much refined sugar as possible in my baking but I had to keep the brown sugar, because it gives the iconic carrot cake flavor. The warmth of cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of allspice make the bread complete. Well, almost. If you’re like me, you can’t have carrot cake without cream cheese frosting. So top the bread with a generous layer of cream cheese frosting! A sprinkling of chopped pecans adds some crunch and texture to finish it off. Basically it’s carrot cake in bread form, except you can start your morning with it, because bread is perfectly acceptable for breakfast!
from a-kitchen-addiction.com

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Ingredients

  • For the Bread
  • 3/4 C whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 C white whole wheat or all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp allspice
  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 C butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/2 C milk
  • 1 C shredded carrots
  • For the Frosting
  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tbsp butter, softened
  • 1 C confectioner’s sugar
  • chopped pecans, optional

Preparation

Step 1


Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8×4 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a small bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and brown sugar.
In a large bowl, whisk together egg, vanilla extract, unsweetened applesauce, butter, and milk. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in shredded carrots.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check bread at 30 minutes and if top is getting brown, cover with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time.
Remove to a wire rack to cool.
While bread is cooling, prepare frosting. Beat together cream cheese and butter until creamy. Beat in confectioner’s sugar until smooth.
Spread frosting over cooled bread. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Serves: 12

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