Moist Apple Carrot Loaf Cake
Hello. Welcome.
Today, I present this moist apple carrot loaf cake. Because it’s the Jewish holiday of Sukkot (apples and carrots are traditional goods that customarily abound on this holiday), and also because it’s so, so good.
Like so good. Like insanely moist. Super tender. Light and fluffy with a nice amount of heftiness. Packed with flavor. Imbued with cozy fall spices. Chock-full of sweet carrot shreds and tart, succulent grated apples. So quick and easy to throw together. Dairy-free. And a whole lot more.
These photos really don’t do this apple carrot loaf justice. I mean, they do, in terms of attractiveness. This isn’t the prettiest cake out there. Far from it. It’s homely and simple. Or rustic and homestyle, if we’re being diplomatic.
But in terms of texture, yeah, I couldn’t quite capture the perfection. There’s a reason I titled this loaf cake “moist,” knowing the controversial effects, in the negative persuasion, such a word has on many.
I couldn’t help it. This apple carrot cake is so damn moist and squishy. It’s got that sticky sweet top, reminiscent of a honey cake, that melt-in-your-mouth interior, and that slightly dryer bottom crumb. It’s delightful.
AND. This cake legit improves the couple days after it’s baked. It’s better on the second and third and fourth days after it’s made than it is on the first. It gets squishier and more flavorful and more tender.
I have to warn you. After you mix together this apple carrot loaf cake, you might freak out and think you messed the whole thing up. Because this loaf cake consists of a weird AF batter.
You stir together all the dry ingredients. Then whisk in the wet. And you’re left not with the expected runny cake batter. But a thick, dough-like substance. As thick as a cookie dough. For real. And so, because of the thick batter'/dough/mixture thing you’ve created, you might have that freak out and think you erred somewhere with your measurements.
But don’t fret. The mixture is supposed to be that way. If you’re wondering how this apple carrot cake ends up being so moist and cake-like, wonder no more: it’s the grated additions.
Because, when you grate that apple into the loaf mixture, all the juices release from the shredded pieces. And those juices are essential, along with the carrot shreds, in providing moisture to the recipe.
So. GRATE YOUR APPLE. Don’t slice it! You need those fruit juices. And slicing the apple won’t provide the same succulence necessary as grating it will.
Moist and tender. Fluffy and hefty. Spiced and sweet and squishy. Packed with grated carrots and apples. Quick and easy. Dairy-free and delectable.
Moist apple carrot loaf cake — me, a thick slice of you, a cup’a tea, a cozy autumn night — satisfaction guaranteed.
Moist Apple Carrot Loaf Cake
Yield: 9x5” loaf/8 servings
1 1/4 cups packed flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola/vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large Granny Smith apple, grated
1 cup grated carrots (about 1 large carrot)
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x5” loaf pan well.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the first nine dry ingredients, through salt.
3. Pour the oil, egg, and vanilla extract over the dry ingredients and mix everything together until just combined. Mixture will be thick like a cookie dough.
4. Grate in the apple and carrot (make sure to grate the apple, don’t slice it, as you need all the juices from the apple to be released into the batter).
5. Flatten batter into pan. Bake loaf cake for 40-45 minutes, until cake springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cake cool before releasing from pan. Cake improves the next couple days after baking! Store in fridge fore even longer lasting freshness.
