This is what happens when you’re craving carrot cake and banana bread with equal intensity and can’t bring yourself to choose.
Pretty sure it’s what Plato was getting at when he wrote about necessity being the mother of invention.
This simple bread brings together the signature spicing and creaminess of carrot cake with all the comfort, moistness and nostalgia (just me?) of banana bread. And let me tell you, the smell of it baking in the oven is its own kind of pleasure. Delicately sweetened and perfect with a spot of tea. Care to join me?
Moist & Delicious Carrot Cake Banana Bread (GF)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
A moist and delicious carrot cake banana bread that brings together the best of the classics without giving you a belly ache 🌱
Author: Kelly
Serves: 1 9" x 3" bundt cake
Ingredients
- 2 large and very ripe bananas
- ¼ cup (60 mL) olive oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (100 mL) maple syrup
- ½ cup (60 g) shredded carrots
- ½ cup (125 g) vanilla yogurt (I like Siggi's whole milk/4%)
- ⅓ cup (60 g) cream cheese
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup (56 g) almond flour
- ½ cup (70 g) brown rice flour
- ½ cup (45 g) old-fashioned whole grain oats (See Notes)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- pinch fine grain salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ cup (60 g) walnut pieces
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 F.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine: almond flour, rice flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices (cinnamon through allspice) and walnuts.
- In a separate large sized mixing bowl, combine: bananas, olive oil, vanilla, maple syrup and carrots with an electric blender - or a few pulses of your blender/processor - (the banana does not have to be smooth, bumps are welcome) add eggs, yogurt and cream cheese and blend again to combine.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.
- Pour batter into a well greased bundt cake pan (I'm used 9" x 3") don't forget to grease the inner tube!
- Place pan in oven and bake for 40-55 ish minutes (this will depend on the heat of your oven) until cake tester or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean - (I find tapping the top of the loaf gives me a very good indication - it should be gently firm to the touch (it will also be getting dark in color).
- Once done, carefully remove pan from oven and allow it to cool for at least 15 before carefully inverting onto a rack and allowing to cool for another 10 minutes or so before slicing. Garnish with additional oats/carrot pieces if you like and serve with a dollop of cream cheese, as desired.
Notes
Gluten Free: Oatmeal by nature is gluten-free however the issue with oats revolves around cross-contamination. To avoid this problem, be sure to seek out certified Gluten-Free Oats where necessary.
The Bananas: You will not get a tasty and moist bread from yellow bananas - you want to reach for those browning bananas.
The Bananas: You will not get a tasty and moist bread from yellow bananas - you want to reach for those browning bananas.
My daughter wants either an old fashioned banana or carrot cake for her birthday next Saturday I saw this recipe and thought this should be perfect giving her the best of both I can’t wait to try it sounds delicious
Hi Sandra, what a lovely note to receive; thank you so much for dropping in to let me know you’re planning on giving this bread a try (it is subtlety sweet I hope that qualifies as birthday cake :o) I hope you and your daughter enjoy it and I’d love to hear how it goes if you give it a try!
I’ve been around carrot cake and banana bread all my life – who hasn’t? – so why have I never thought of combining the two? Brilliant!
I haven’t made a carrot cake for ages… I love it so much! I am sure banana blends in perfectly. Your cake looks fantastic. I cannot believe the tiny amounts of fat and sugar (I mean syrup) you’ve added! Sounds like a cake for me; if I made it, it would probably the first time I wouldn’t need to cut down on sweetness!
I would like indeed like to join you! I was afraid you wouldn’t ask😉!
For a cake of this size, 1/4 cup of oil seems like nothing, I bet those bananas help with the moisture as well as taste! I’m pretty sure the hungry constructor would love this beauty!
Looks so delicious! I’m going to make this over summer break! 😊
Hi Amy! I hope you have a fantastic summer break together, lots of sunshine and laughter, and that this cake adds to the joy, x
This is the healthiest carrot cake /banana bread I’ve ever seen!! Looks fantastic too. Will try, thank you
thanks so much for your note – the ingredients are reasonable but I promise the cake tastes real gooood :)) enjoy!