It was a super busy busy week, but don’t think for one second I was going to leave you without a tasty Easter recipe!
Carrot cake, from all the delicious treats you can make & bake this time of the year, is definitely my go-to Easter dessert.
But what happens when carrot cake meets super moist and sweet banana bread? Carrot cake banana bread! Aka your Easter breakfast, brunch, tea all sorted in one mouth-watering slice. Or two. Or three. It’s holiday after all.
If there’s a thing such as “healthy” cake, this Carrot Cake Banana Bread probably deserves to be it.
It’s quite low in refined sugar and fats compared to your usual cake, and loaded with fruit & veggies – because I care to help you get your 5 a day.
The addition of extra ripe bananas is great in this recipe, because you don’t need to add as much sugar as you normally would. Also, for a lighter cake I’ve cut the fats and used coconut oil instead of butter or oil.
Finally, to make it super moist and soft, I added a bit of fresh whole a2Milk into the mixture. This award-winning milk brand produces naturally milk without the a1 protein, so it’s suitable for sensible tummies (like mine!).
And let’s not forget about the ricotta frosting. In my opinion it kind of makes this cake/bread extra special. I used for my homemade ricotta, which is also made with a2Milk making the whole thing super easy to digest and gentle to your tummy.
This Carrot Cake Banana Bread tastes deliciously moist, has the perfect crunchiness inside and a luscious healthy frosting on top – A real treat to make for Easter breakfast or any other occasion!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Please let me know how you liked it! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thepetitecook! Looking at your pictures always makes me smile *and super hungry*!
Carrot Cake Banana Bread
Ingredients
Wet ingredients:
- 2 very ripe bananas
- 100 g demerara sugar
- 120 ml coconut oil
- 2 medium free-range eggs
- 50 ml fresh whole milk I use a2milk
- half pod vanilla seeds
Dry ingredients:
- 240 g whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3 pinches of sea salt
- 1 pinch grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- -
- 300 gr finely chopped carrots
- 3 tbsp chopped walnuts
- 3 tbsp chopped almonds
For the frosting:
- 250 gr fresh ricotta well drained (I use homemade)
- zest of one orange
- 80 gr demerara sugar
- 2 tbsp chopped walnuts to decorate
- 1 tbsp grated carrot to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/360F, and line a 8x4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork, then mix in all the remaining wet ingredients.
- In a another bowl mix together the dry ingredients.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Mix until fully combined, being careful not to overwork the mixture.
- Finally add chopped carrots and nuts.Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes.
- In the meantime, whisk the ricotta cheese with sugar, until you to get a smooth and rich cream. Add freshly grated orange zest and mix until just combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- When the cake is ready, remove from the pan and let cool.
- Spread the cream on top, and sprinkle with chopped walnuts and grated carrot.
- Serve immediately, or store in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
This post is sponsored by a2Milk. I am a huge fan of this brand and I’m really proud to collaborate with their team. I use a2Milk regularly and I can’t recommend it enough. Thank you for supporting the brands that support The Petite Cook!