This is the best carrot loaf cake ever! Super moist and tender carrot coconut cake with lemon frosting.
CARROT LOAF CAKE
This carrot coconut cake is one of the rare recipes that I have been making over and over again for years.
I discovered the recipe in an old issue of Good Food that was lying around in the coffee room at my former workplace in London, I copied it out and then I promptly forgot it.
After returning to Germany I found the recipe again and gave it a try. Since then I must have made it dozens of times.
This carrot loaf cake was one of the first cakes I have ever made. You can make it easily, no matter how experienced a baker you are and you will be sure to impress everybody.
I mean, look at that color, who needs a fancy decorated cake, when you have a color like that without any extra effort.
And the carrot loaf cake does taste amazing, I have yet to find anybody who didn't like it. It is unbelievably moist, it tastes of carrots and coconut and has a wonderful lemon flavor due to the lemon glaze, which trickles into the cake through the wholes you will have to poke into it after it is baked.
Store the cake airtight and it will remain moist and delicious for several days.
CARROT COCONUT CAKE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS FOR THE CARROT LOAF CAKE:
Carrots:
- Make sure you weigh the carrots after you've peeled them, otherwise you will not have enough and the cake will not be as moist as it should be, which is the moistest cake I have ever eaten. 🙂
- I have purposely not given a cup amount for the grated carrots, because the cup measuring would be too inaccurate in this case. If you squash the carrots too much into the cup you will have too much of them, if you pack them too loosely you will not have enough. So, do yourself a favor and weigh them properly.
Coconut:
- Use unsweetened desiccated coconut flakes for the cake, if you use sweet ones, the cake will be too sweet.
- I think coconut flakes for baking only come in the unsweetened form in Germany, the only sweet ones I have ever seen are the very large one for snacking.
- But I have read in many recipes that they also come in a sweetened form in other parts of the world, so if they do, make sure you don't use those.
Sugar:
- The amount of icing sugar you need for the frosting depends on the size of the lemon.
- If you have more juice, you will need more sugar. Also, if you would like to have a stiffer frosting you can use less lemon juice, but I prefer the frosting to be a little wetter than it normally is, this way more of the juice gets into the cake, making it even moister and tangier.
Oil:
- I use oil to make the carrot coconut cake, I think that also contributes to its being so moist.
- The original recipe suggested a sunflower oil and that was what I used to take, but nowadays I prefer to use a more neutral tasting canola oil. The sunflower oil taste was good, but still I prefer to taste more the carrots, coconut and lemon than the oil.
Baking powder:
- I always recommend using Dr. Oetker baking powder for best results when baking my recipes, this is the typical baking powder used in Germany and in Europe and it is single-acting baking powder and not double-acting like the American baking powder.
- One important thing when baking with single-acting baking powder is to preheat the oven before you start mixing the batter, and place the cake in the oven immediately after mixing it. If you leave it for a while, the baking powder will loose its power and the cake will not rise.
Can I make the carrot loaf cake in advance?
- I find that the carrot loaf cake tastes even better the next day.
- I usually make it the day before I want to serve it, soak it with the lemon frosting directly in the loaf pan. I let it cool down well in the pan (about 2-3 hours), then I take it out and leave it on a wire rack for several hours.
- I pack it in aluminum foil until the next day and I slice it just before serving. It is amazing, you have to trust me on that! 🙂
Ahh, just talking about this cake makes me drool, it really is one of my favorite cakes!!!
Other delicious carrot cakes:
Carrot Cake with Almonds and Orange Juice Filling
Vegan Carrot Coconut Cake with Jam and Cinnamon
Carrot Cupcakes or Muffins with Blueberry Frosting
Nigella Lawson's Best Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Easy and Spicy Carrot Cookies with Orange Icing
PIN IT FOR LATER!
The Best Carrot Coconut Cake
This is the best carrot loaf cake ever! Super moist and tender carrot coconut cake with lemon frosting.
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Servings: 14 -16
Calories: 396kcal
Ingredients
- 280 g carrots finely grated, 10 oz (Notes 1,2)
- 280 g all-purpose flour 10 oz/ 2 ⅓ cups
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 200 g granulated sugar 7 oz/ 1 cup
- 4 eggs
- 2 lemons one for the cake and one for the frosting
- 200 ml neutral-tasting oil (like canola) 6.7 fl.oz/ 1 cup without 2 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 100 g desiccated coconut unsweetened, 3.5 oz/ 1 cup
- 150 -175 g icing sugar 5.5-6 oz/ 1 ½ – 1 ¾ cups
Instructions
Carrot loaf cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour a loaf tin of 26 cm x 9 cm/ 10x 3.5 inches measured at the base of the form.
- Peel and weigh the carrots, you should have 280 g/9.9 oz prepared carrots. Grate the carrots on the finer grater. Set aside.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the sugar. Set aside.
- Wet ingredients: Beat the eggs shortly in a medium bowl. Add the zest and the juice of only 1 of the lemons. Add the oil and the vanilla extract.
- Dry ingredients: Carefully fold in the flour mixture. Add carrots and coconut to the mix and pour everything into the prepared tin.
- Bake for about 55 - 60 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Frosting:
- Mix the juice and zest of the second lemon with enough icing sugar to form a paste.
- The amount of sugar needed depends on how large and juicy your lemon is.
The paste should be runny enough to be easily spread on the cake and to be able to sicker into the holes you poked into the cake. - Frost cake: Prick the top of the cake with a toothpick all over and pour over the frosting. Let the cake cool completely in the pan.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Use a digital kitchen scale to measure the ingredients when baking; it guarantees for best results.
- I have purposely not given a cup amount for the grated carrots, because the cup measuring would be too inaccurate in this case. Weigh the carrots after peeling.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 196mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 31g
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Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
If you have made this over a dozen times, I KNOW it has to be good! Love the coconut and carrot pairing with the lemon flavored frosting! I don't think I have ever had carrot and coconut together before, but I bet it tastes amazing! Plus, there is carrot so it's healthy which means I can eat the whole cake... right? 😉 #Winning Cheers, girlie!
Adina says
Riiiiiiiiiight!!! 🙂
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
This cake is right up my alley, Adina. It looks and sounds amazing—I love the sound of carrot, coconut, and lemon together. Pinning.
Adina says
They do fit well together, Thao, this is really one of my favorite "dry" cakes.
Rachel @ Simple Seasonal says
What a beautiful sweet bread! And that glaze looks like perfection!
Adina says
Thank you, Rachel. The first times I have made this cake I left the glaze out because I thought nobody needs the extra sugar. But I have to admit it definitely belongs on the cake, the lemon in it makes things complete.
Roland says
Good, that you put the dry in quotation marks. The cake is really moist and gives his whole aroma when it is parceling the mouth. I really enjoyed the cake.
Adina says
Dankeschön. 🙂
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
What a lovely cake! It looks very moist and that crumb....it looks just perfect. I don't usually weigh items when I am baking. I know if comes out more accurate, but I just haven't done it.
allie says
Hi Adina - what a fantastic loaf cake! Perfect for springtime. I was so interested to learn about single and double acting baking powders. I've always wondered. You're always a wealth of information, so glad to drop by. Hope everyone is well at your house and that spring has arrived there. xo
sneha says
I'm not a Carrot cake fan , but after I tried a price at a coffee shop here in Frankfurt, I vowed I should make it .I am glad I found you Adina.
This is the perfect recipie .
I was so impressed I'm scouring your blog to find the perfect recipie for my son's birthday cake .
Adina says
Thank you, Sneha. I hope you find something you like. This carrot and coconut cake is our favorite carrot cake, I make it very very often.
Alejandra Castro says
I tried your recipe this afternoon. It’s really yummy. Did not include the lemon glazing as my hubby is diabetic. Used less than a cup of granulated sugar too.
Adina says
Hi Alejandra. Thank you for the feedback, so glad you liked it. I often leave the glaze as well.?
Kella says
I cannot find the single baking powder, is it ok to go with the regular baking powder, what difference will it make? Going to try this soon as a gift for a friend.
Adina says
Hi Kella. I have never used the double acting baking powder because it is not available in Germany. However, I have read many times that most of the times it doesn't really make a big difference, the only thing that's important is that when you use the German baking powder you definitely have to preheat the oven. Let me know if you tried the cake with double acting baking powder, maybe it will help other users as well. Thank you.
Christine Birgit Lounder says
Thank you so much for this gorgeous recipe !
The cake is absolutely divine and I shall add it to my all-time favourites !
Adina says
So happy to read your comment, Christine. We love this cake too. 🙂
Lori says
It's in the oven now. Sounds amazing. The instructions say to poke and frost while still in the pan, and then cool. So how do I get the cake out without ruining the frosting?
Adina says
Hi Lori. This is not a thick, decorating frosting, most of it will sicker into the cake. It will be easy to get the cake out without damaging the look.