Carrot Cake Breakfast Bread

Yum

There is something so deliriously and deliciously spring-like about carrot cake.  Let’s face it– nothing pleases the Easter bunny more than good old fashioned carrots– especially if they are baked into a mouth-watering treat.  But if you are short on time, or if you just want a little portable snack to share with your friends and neighbors for a fun Easter breakfast, then look no further than this Carrot Cake Breakfast Bread.  It has all the taste of carrot cake, with the ease and portability of a quick bread.  You may find yourself channeling your inner Easter Bunny year-round so you can have an excuse to enjoy it more often.  😉

What are we waiting for?  Let’s do this!

Carrot Cake Breakfast Bread

(Adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

3 eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cardamom

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups shredded carrots

1 cup coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup crushed pineapple, undrained

1 cup raisins

Glaze Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar

1-2 tbsp. milk, depending on your preference

Directions:

In the bowl of your stand mixer beat together eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar, and vanilla.  Add in spices and mix.  Add in flour and baking soda until mixed.  Stir in carrots, coconut, nuts, pineapple, and raisins. Divide batter equally into 6 mini loaf pans which have been buttered and floured.  Bake loaves at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until loaves pass the toothpick test and spring back when lightly touched.  Allow to cool completely before drizzling with glaze.

Now, in pictures! 🙂

This recipe is SOOOO easy and SOOOO delicious!  It makes a perfect breakfast bread or an Easter gift for your friends and neighbors.  So let’s walk through the steps, and soon your entire house will be smelling like a Yankee candle.  😉

Start out by beating together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of your stand mixer. I use the kitchenaid mixer, here.  I would say if you can’t afford any other piece of kitchen equipment, then the kitchenaid mixer should be your splurge.  I think it’s probably the most useful tool in my kitchen.  I use it just about every day.  Well, that and my coffee cup.  Definitely have a nice, tall cup for coffee, too.  😉

Next, add in your spices and mix.  Then slowly mix in your flour and baking soda.  Your dough will become this beautiful tan, spicy smelling batter. YUMMMM.  It’s about to smell GOOD in here!

Now, let’s talk carrots.  It really doesn’t matter what kind of carrots you use– you can use baby carrots, or regular carrots with the peels removed.  You can either use a hand grater to grate the carrots, or (about 100 times easier) a food processor.  The one I have is this little workhorse from Black and Decker, here.  Personally, I think it’s worth having a food processor JUST to avoid grating carrots for about 25 years. haha.

Take your sweetly spiced batter and stir in your carrots, coconut, nuts, pineapple, and raisins. If you prefer not to add the nuts, you can leave them out.  I won’t tell the pecan police.

Divide your finished batter equally into 6 mini loaf pans which have been buttered and floured.  If you have trouble with the flour “clumping” when you’re trying to flour a pan, I strongly recommend using a tea infuser (like this $5 cheapie here).  It helps the flour to sift overtop of your pan, rather than clumping and lumping.  How’s that.  I just made you a poem.  You’re welcome.

Bake your loaves at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes until they spring back lightly when touched and pass the “toothpick test.”  If they seem gooey in the middle give them another 5 minutes and check again.  Cover the tops with foil if the little cuties are getting too brown before the centers are completely baked.

When the loaves are finished baking, run a knife lightly around the edges of your pans and turn the loaves out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

When the loaves are cool, go ahead and drizzle them with the glaze.  It makes cleanup a cinch if you do your “glazing magic” overtop of a silpat mat.  I use those things for everything– they are more slippery than a politician.  NOTHING sticks to them.  Instead of scraping dried glaze off of a cookie sheet, you can just wipe everything off the silpat, no problemo.  See?  I told you. Everyone needs a silpat.  Or two.  Or . . . 10.

When your loaves are cool and the glaze is dry, you can wrap these sweet little treats in individual plastic bags.  Take one to a friend or neighbor.  Share with your kids’ teachers– they deserve a little treat for all the hard work they do.  Or just have a little slice for yourself, out on the porch.  Sip your coffee and listen to the creak of the porch swing.  Ahhh.  Now this is living, isn’t it?

You did it. And I’m just so proud of you.

 

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