Sourdough Carrot Cake Quick Bread (Warm Loaf in an Hour!)
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When you’re craving carrot cake , but you don’t want to bake an entire cake, this recipe is for you! This Sourdough Carrot Cake Quick Bread has everything you love about a traditional carrot cake – warm spices, shredded carrots and a luscious maple cream cheese frosting, now all in a smaller size.
This recipe is made with sourdough discard, but you can also long ferment the batter overnight if you plan ahead. It’s the perfect treat for Easter brunch, a spring breakfast, or any time you want something homemade and delicious!
🔍 Quick Look: Sourdough Carrot Cake Quick Bread
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 1 hour
- 🕒 Total Time: 1 hour, 15 mins.
- 👥 Servings: 1 loaf (9 servings)
- 📊 Calories: ~525 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: Mix in a bowl, pour and bake in convection oven.
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Super-moist, warm spices, add nuts & raisins for texture.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy, one-bowl, great for novice bakers.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Moist-The loaf stays tender and soft for days, just like my Sourdough Pumpkin Quick Bread.
- Quick-The batter comes together in minutes, so you can get it in the oven without much prep.
- Lets you own it-You can change up the spices or fold in chopped nuts, dates, or raisins to match what you like. You could also try a different quick bread, like Sourdough Discard Apple Cinnamon Quick Bread, for another quick bread that uses mix-ins.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Sourdough Discard-I prefer to use fresh sourdough discard, no older than 2 days, for sweet recipes like this carrot cake quick bread. You can replace the discard with active sourdough starter, just be sure to use the same amount in grams.
- Leaveners- Double-check that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh and not expired. Otherwise, the bread will not rise and will turn out dense.
- Oil-Use a neutral oil like vegetable oil or avocado oil for the moistest bread.
- Carrots- I like shredding my own carrots because pre-shredded ones are usually thicker and drier, so they don’t soften as much in the loaf. Fresh-shredded carrots add more moisture and sweetness, which makes the bread more tender and flavorful.
- Mix-ins-This quick bread is completely customizable with your favorite mix-ins. Personally, I love adding chopped walnuts or pecans, but chopped dates, raisins, or currants would also be delicious. If you are adding raisins or currants, be sure to soak them in boiling water for at least 10 minutes, then drain and pat them dry before adding them to the batter. This allows them to be plump and soft. I would stick to a total of ½ cup of mix-ins.
How to Make Sourdough Carrot Cake Quick Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan by greasing and lining it with parchment paper for easy removal. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt until thoroughly combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, egg yolks, vanilla, sourdough discard, and shredded carrots until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until just combined. Lastly, fold in the chopped nuts and/or raisins, if desired.
Long Fermentation Tip
Once you’ve mixed the wet and dry ingredients together, cover the batter and place in the fridge overnight. The following day, fold in the chopped nuts and/or raisins, if desired, and pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake as usual.
- Pour the quick bread batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let the bread cool completely.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add the softened cream cheese, softened butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Beat on medium speed for 2–3 minutes, or until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Scoop the cream cheese frosting onto the top of the loaf and spread it evenly with an offset spatula. Slice and enjoy.
McKenna’s Helpful Tips
- Shred your own carrots. If you’ve got extra carrots lying around, use them for this sourdough carrot cake bread. Pre-shredded ones are thicker and drier, so they don’t blend into the batter the same way. Fresh-shredded carrots add moisture and sweetness, which makes the loaf more tender.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Let your ingredients come to room temperature so the batter mixes evenly and bakes up without dense or gummy spots. Softened cream cheese also mixes smoother and keeps the frosting from getting lumpy.
- Make it your own with spices and mix-ins. Keep it simple or add chopped nuts, dates, raisins, or currants for extra texture and flavor.
How to Store
It’s best to hold off on adding the cream cheese frosting until you’re ready to serve. Keep leftover sourdough carrot cake bread in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days to maintain moisture. If it’s already frosted, store it in the fridge in an airtight container or wrapped tightly with plastic wrap for up to 5 days.
Sourdough Carrot Cake Quick Bread FAQs
Can I long-ferment this sourdough carrot cake batter?
Yes. Once you’ve mixed the wet and dry ingredients together, cover the batter and place it in the fridge overnight. The following day, fold in any mix-ins if you’re using them, pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and bake as usual.
What mix-ins work in this sourdough quick bread?
Most of the best breads out there contain a bunch of inclusions. This one contains chopped walnuts, pecans, dates, raisins, or currants. If you’re using raisins or currants, soak them in boiling water for at least 10 minutes, then drain and dry them before folding them into the batter. Stick to a total of ½ cup of mix-ins.
Can I make maple cream cheese frosting without a stand mixer?
Yes, a hand mixer works just as well. Beat the cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Use pure maple syrup rather than pancake syrup for the best flavor.
If you tried this Sourdough Carrot Cake Quick Bread recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
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Sourdough Carrot Cake Quick Bread Recipe
Yield: 1 loaf
Everything you love about carrot cake, now in a smaller size! This Sourdough Carrot Cake Quick Bread is ultra moist, tender, and packed full of shredded carrots, warm spices and chopped nuts or raisins if you like. Top it off with a luscious maple cream cheese frosting for a complete treat!
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Ingredients
Sourdough Carrot Cake Quick Bread
- 180 grams all-purpose flour 1 1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon
- 4 grams baking powder 1 teaspoon
- 6 grams baking soda 1 teaspoon
- 1 gram salt 1/4 teaspoon
- 3 grams cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons
- 1 gram ginger 1/2 teaspoon
- 1 gram nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon
- 120 grams oil 1/2 cup
- 2 eggs yolks
- 210 grams light brown sugar 1 cup
- 80 grams sour cream 1/4 cup
- 4 grams vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
- 120 grams sourdough discard 1/2 cup
- 200 grams grated carrots 2 cups, about 4 medium carrots
- optional chopped nuts or dried fruit about 1/2 cup
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 113 grams cream cheese, softened 4 ounces
- 28 grams unsalted butter, softened 2 Tablespoon
- 260 grams powdered sugar, sifted 2 cups
- 40 grams pure maple syrup 2 Tablespoons
- 2 grams vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan by greasing and lining it with parchment paper for easy removal. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.180 grams all-purpose flour, 4 grams baking powder, 6 grams baking soda, 1 gram salt, 3 grams cinnamon, 1 gram ginger, 1 gram nutmeg, 210 grams light brown sugar
- In a separate bowl, add the oil, egg yolks, vanilla, sour cream, sourdough discard, and shredded carrots. Whisk until smooth.120 grams oil, 2 eggs yolks, 80 grams sour cream, 4 grams vanilla extract, 120 grams sourdough discard, 200 grams grated carrots
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter, as this will lead to a dense quick bread.
- Add chopped nuts or raisins, if desired and fold into batter.optional chopped nuts or dried fruit
- Long-ferment: Once you’ve mixed the wet and dry ingredients together, cover the batter and place in the fridge overnight. The following day, pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake as normal.
- Pour the quick bread batter into the prepared loaf pan, then bake for 55-65 minutes. If you notice the top of the bread is getting too brown, cover it with aluminum foil. The quick bread is done when a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Transfer the quick bread on a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the meantime, prepare the cream cheese frosting.
- To a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the softened cream cheese, softened butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy.This can also be done with a hand mixer. And for the best flavor, opt for pure maple syrup over pancake syrup.113 grams cream cheese, softened, 28 grams unsalted butter, softened, 260 grams powdered sugar, sifted, 40 grams pure maple syrup, 2 grams vanilla extract, pinch of salt
- Scoop the cream cheese frosting on top of the completely cooled loaf and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Helpful Tips:
- Shred your own carrots. If you’ve got extra carrots lying around, use them for this sourdough carrot cake bread. Pre-shredded ones are thicker and drier, so they don’t blend into the batter the same way. Fresh-shredded carrots add moisture and sweetness, which makes the loaf more tender.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Let your ingredients come to room temperature so the batter mixes evenly and bakes up without dense or gummy spots. Softened cream cheese also mixes smoother and keeps the frosting from getting lumpy.
- Make it your own with spices and mix-ins. Keep it simple or add chopped nuts, dates, raisins, or currants for extra texture and flavor.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Sourdough Discard-I prefer to use fresh sourdough discard, no older than 2 days, for sweet recipes like this carrot cake quick bread. You can replace the discard with active sourdough starter, just be sure to use the same amount in grams.
- Leaveners- Double-check that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh and not expired. Otherwise, the bread will not rise and will turn out dense.
- Oil-Use a neutral oil like vegetable oil or avocado oil for the moistest bread.
- Carrots- I like shredding my own carrots because pre-shredded ones are usually thicker and drier, so they don’t soften as much in the loaf. Fresh-shredded carrots add more moisture and sweetness, which makes the bread more tender and flavorful.
- Mix-ins-This quick bread is completely customizable with your favorite mix-ins. Personally, I love adding chopped walnuts or pecans, but chopped dates, raisins, or currants would also be delicious. If you are adding raisins or currants, be sure to soak them in boiling water for at least 10 minutes, then drain and pat them dry before adding them to the batter. This allows them to be plump and soft. I would stick to a total of ½ cup of mix-ins.
Nutrition
Serving: 1loaf | Calories: 4728kcal | Carbohydrates: 688g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 210g | Saturated Fat: 58g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 39g | Monounsaturated Fat: 100g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 610mg | Sodium: 3065mg | Potassium: 1533mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 500g | Vitamin A: 36657IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 825mg | Iron: 13mg
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Hey! Can I bake cake after mix and don’t leave in the fridge overnight ?
Absolutely!
Can you use maple syrup in place of the brown sugar?
Great question! I haven’t personally tested this recipe with maple syrup, so I can’t guarantee the exact results.
Since maple syrup is a liquid, it will change the texture of the batter and can make the bread more moist and slightly denser. If you’d like to try it, I’d recommend replacing only part of the sugar first and slightly reducing another liquid in the recipe to compensate.
If you experiment with it, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
So excited to try this! Do you think subbing cashew yogurt for the sour cream would work ok?
Great question! I haven’t personally tested it with cashew yogurt, but it should work as a substitute. Just keep in mind that cashew yogurt is often a bit thinner than sour cream, so the batter may be slightly looser. If needed, you can add a tablespoon or two of extra flour to balance it. The flavor and texture may be a little different, but it should still turn out well.
My go-to whenever I’m craving carrot cake but don’t want to bake a whole cake. Perfectly spiced and so moist!