Spiced Carrot Pecan Bread

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Every once in a while, I like to buy those double bags of carrots from Costco. They make for great guilt-free snacks. They’re a great way for me to increase my fiber intake, and they’re a good source for vitamin A.

But as with so many other things from Costco, those bags are big.

Sometimes my family has a hard time getting through the carrots before their expiration date. Whenever I find myself with an overabundance of carrots, I have a quick and easy way to ensure we eat every last one.

Spiced carrot pecan bread.

Although carrots by themselves are a healthy, guilt-free snack, spiced carrot pecan bread is anything but. This is a guilty pleasure, naughty dessert, especially when smothered in cream cheese frosting.

I’m not going to lie.

This is essentially carrot cake, but in bread form. And I love it.

This spiced carrot pecan bread is an easy-to-make dessert for beginners. Just stir everything together and pop it in the oven and you’re done!

Time

Prep time:  15 Minutes
Rise time:  None
Cook time:  55-60 Minutes
Total time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes to 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Ingredients

Ready to make some delicious bread? Here’s what you’ll need:

• 210 Grams (1 3/4 Cups) All-Purpose Flour
• 161 Grams (3/4 Cups) White Granulated Sugar
• 2 Grams (1/2 Teaspoon) Baking Soda
• 4 Grams (1 Teaspoon) Baking Powder
• 1.5 Grams (1/4 Teaspoon) Salt
• 5 Grams (2 Teaspoons) Cinnamon
• 1.1 Grams (1/2 Teaspoon) Nutmeg
• 0.9 Grams (1/2 Teaspoon) Ground Ginger
• 0.2 Grams (1/8 Teaspoon) Cloves
• 169 Grams (3/4 Cup) Buttermilk *
• 80 Grams (1/3 Cup) Vegetable Oil
• 8.4 Grams (2 Teaspoons) Vanilla Extract
• 137.5 Grams (1 1/4 Cups) Grated Carrots
• 1 Large Egg
• 54.5 Grams (1/2 Cups) Chopped Pecans *

*Don’t have buttermilk? You can make a buttermilk substitute by adding 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup. Fill the rest of the cup with milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.

**The Pecans are optional but they add a tasty crunch.

Additional Equipment

Spiced Carrot Pecan bread doesn’t require any fancy equipment to make. However, you should have the following kitchen basics on hand:

• Large Mixing Bowls
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Kitchen Scale*
• 9-inch by 5-inch Baking Pan
• Oven Mitts
• Wire Cooling Rack

*If you don’t have a kitchen scale, I’ve provided weights by volume for your convenience.

Just as a heads up, I am an Amazon associate, so I do earn a small commission for recommending products that I love. Your purchases help keep my site running.

Instructions

Spiced Carrot Pecan bread is a quick bread, so you don’t have to worry about rise times. Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 degrees Celsius).

While your oven preheats, stir together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.

In a separate smaller bowl, combine the wet ingredients: buttermilk, vanilla extract, and egg.

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Don’t over mix or your loaf might sink in the middle.

Fold in the grated carrots and the pecans. Mix gently!

Pour the batter into a lightly greased bread pan. Tap the pan a few times so the batter settles.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. If an inserted toothpick comes out clean, your bread should be done! An inserted thermometer should read at least 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius).

Allow the bread to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Use a butter knife to loosen the edges of the bread and then turn it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

While your bread cools, feel free to make some cream cheese frosting. The frosting is optional, however, as the bread tastes amazing without it.

Feel free to smother your bread in frosting if that’s your thing.

Enjoy your tasty spiced carrot pecan bread!

Just the Basics

Don’t Forget the Cream Cheese Frosting!

Secrets to Success

Alrighty, this recipe is pretty straightforward, so if you follow the instructions, you shouldn’t have too many issues, even if you are a beginning baker.

However, I do have a few suggestions to make your bread picture perfect.

First, bring your egg and buttermilk to room temperature before adding it to the batter. At room temperature, these ingredients mix more evenly into your batter. At cold temperature, the eggs may reharden the fat in the buttermilk and have a curdling effect.

Second, if your bread sinks in the middle, your batter might be too wet. Dab off any excess moisture in the carrots with a paper towel before folding them into your mix.

Third, if your bread still sinks in the middle, consider spraying just the bottom of the pan. The bread will stick to the sides and have a little extra support as it rises in the oven. And don’t over mix! Over mixing quick breads also leads to a sunken loaf.

And last, as difficult as it may seem, wait for your bread to completely cool before you add the frosting. Warm bread will melt your frosting and make it drizzly. Of course, drizzly frosting is delicious, too, so do whatever makes you happy.

Nutritional Information

Spiced carrot pecan bread tastes amazing but it’s not exactly calorie friendly because of the sugar and oil. Here’s some nutritional information to keep in mind:

I calculated this information based on 12 slices per loaf. You might cut your bread into thinner or thicker slices, and that will affect your calories per serving.

Did You Try It?

I had a lot of fun making this spiced carrot pecan bread recipe for my family. And I definitely enjoyed adding a little cream cheese frosting to the recipe for an extra indulgent dessert. But what did you think about the recipe? Did you try it with or without the frosting? Do you prefer it with or without the pecans?

Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below. And I’m open for suggestions, too. I love to improve my recipes wherever I can.