One of my most visited recipes is my brown butter banana bread, but I figured, now it’s carrot’s turn! An interesting thing about carrots is that their starches sweeten during the colder months to protect them from frost. This means using carrots during the winter is using them at their sweetest. So there’s no excuse not to add this Salted Date & Brown Butter Carrot Bread to your winter baking list, no?
Now a common belief I have about baking is usually the best bakes are not fussy. They include minimal ingredients, low-effort, and you just pop them in the oven to get a great result. This carrot loaf is no different. The only thing you could call slightly “advanced” is the not-too-sweet cream cheese cardamom icing, which takes minutes and only requires a hand mixer on your end. While it’s not mandatory, it’s pretty delicious. I’ll always recommend having it to pipe onto each slice of this carrot bread when you serve it!
Table of contents
- Why butter is better than oil when it comes to carrot cake
- Ingredients you will need for this brown butter carrot bread
- The best way to make this Salted Date & Brown Butter Carrot Bread batter
- How to make the not-too-sweet cream cheese cardamom frosting
- Why does this recipe use grams?
- Looking for similar recipes?
Why butter is better than oil when it comes to carrot cake
Hot HOT take – I prefer brown butter to oil when I’m baking loaves. This is for a few reasons:
- The FLAVOR: It is so much easier to build flavor into butter (which we are by browning it!) than it is to do the same with oil. While I love a cake that uses oil every now and then, the toasty-roasty undertones is something I miss. And something that pairs amazingly well with carrots and cardamom.
- The texture! Another thing people will fight me on, but I have had millions of loaves or cakes that just feel a bit too dry and a bit too dense, and 9 times out of the 10 they are oil based. We’ve all had an olive oil cake experience that we are super excited about, only to discover that it’s drier than we’d think! I promise, butter is a fat that will enhance the moisture of the carrots, not detract, so it’s my obvious route when baking this loaf.
Ingredients you will need for this brown butter carrot bread
The loaf itself is a very easy set of pantry staples. Here is what you will need:
- 12 ounces carrots, 350 grams
- ½ cup salted butter, 113 grams
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, 165 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 210 grams
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, use half if using Morton’s
- 6 medjool dates, 120 grams
- 3 cardamom pods, for topping
- Flaky salt, for topping
The best way to make this Salted Date & Brown Butter Carrot Bread batter
The batter here only matters because you must (must!) add the wet ingredients together first before adding the dry ingredients. Everything else is pretty forgiving.
First, add the carrots to a food processor and chop them as finely as possible. Add these to a large bowl.
Set a small sauté pan over medium heat and add 113 grams of salted butter. Let it melt and foam. The milk solids will begin to brown at the bottom of the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until deeply brown. Transfer this to the bowl with the carrots. Mix so the carrots cool the butter.
Add 165 grams of dark brown sugar, 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients together. Then add 210 grams of flour, 1 teaspoon of cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix to form a batter. It will be thick, so don’t worry!
Pit the dates and either chop them or tear them into bean-sized pieces. Mix most of them into the batter, reserving some for topping.
Pour the batter into a parchment-lined 9 by 4-inch loaf pan. Dot the top with dates, crack open the cardamom pods and sprinkle the cardamom on top, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of flaky salt.
After that, the loaf is ready! As easy as it comes.
How to make the not-too-sweet cream cheese cardamom frosting
This frosting is my love language, it’s lower on the sugar side, but that’s what makes the texture and flavor TOO good.
To make it, just make sure your butter and cream cheese are softened. Then use an electric mixer to beat together 57 grams of salted butter and 57 grams of cream cheese. Add 120 grams of powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom and continue to beat until an icing forms.
Transfer this to a piping bag. You can use the bag to pipe dollops on the slices like you see in the photos on this blog post!
Why does this recipe use grams?
Baking is a very finicky and exact science. The only way to ensure complete accuracy is through measuring by weight, and not volume. As much as I wish I could give you multiple ways to measure ingredients, in this recipe measuring by cups might cause some volatility and miss-matched results. I want to ensure you get the best results with this brown butter banana bread recipe (and I want to keep this recipe fool-proof!) so I highly recommend getting a small affordable kitchen scale if you want to move forward with this particular recipe!
Looking for similar recipes?
Here are a few that people love on the baking side of the blog!
And that’s it for this Salted Date & Brown Butter Carrot Bread!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Salted Date & Brown Butter Carrot Bread
Equipment
- 1 food processor or box grater
- 1 9×4-inch loaf pan
- 1 sheet of parchment paper
- 1 Hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 12 ounces carrots 350 grams
- ½ cup salted butter 113 grams
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 165 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 210 grams
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt use half if using Morton’s
- 6 dates 120 grams
- 3 cardamom pods for topping
- Flaky salt for topping
For the not-too-sweet cardamom cream cheese frosting
- 1/4 cup salted butter softened, 57 grams
- 1/4 cup cream cheese softened, 57 grams
- 1 cup powdered sugar 120 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
- Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
- Add the carrots to a food processor and chop them as finely as possible. Add these to a large bowl.
- Set a small sauté pan over medium heat and add 113 grams of salted butter. Let it melt and foam. The milk solids will begin to brown at the bottom of the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until deeply brown. Transfer this to the bowl with the carrots. Mix so the carrots cool the butter.
- Add 165 grams of dark brown sugar, 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients together.
- Add 210 grams of flour, 1 teaspoon of cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix to form a batter. It will be thick, so don’t worry!
- Pit the dates and either chop them or tear them into bean-sized pieces. Mix most of them into the batter, reserving some for topping.
- Pour the batter into a parchment-lined 9 by 4-inch loaf pan. Dot the top with dates, crack open the cardamom pods and sprinkle the cardamom on top, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of flaky salt.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
- While the loaf is baking, use an electric mixer to beat together 57 grams of salted butter and 57 grams of cream cheese. Add 120 grams of powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom and continue to beat until an icing forms. Transfer this to a piping bag.
- When the loaf is out of the oven let it cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
- I like to serve each slice by piping on a 2 tablespoon circle of icing and sprinkling with more salt, but it’s up to you how to combine the two!
Such a sweet and wholesome approach to cooking. Delicious and thoughtful as well as creative!
Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it 🥹
If you are looking for your next fave carrot cake, this is THE ONE 👏🏻👏🏻 so so tasty, light and flavourful, the dates are something else. Even the end piece was DIVINE. obvs browning the butter is an extra step but so worth it as everything else is easy peasy. Thanks so much for sharing 🤗
AHHHHH so glad you liked it!!
Made this tonight and it was easy and delicious! The cardamom really elevates this from a standard carrot cake profile.
I am so thrilled you liked it!
The recipe looks amazing! I don’t have access to dates, could I substitute something else or should I just leave them out? Thank you 🙂
Raisins are a great sub! But you can also just leave ’em out 🙂
What are your thoughts on subbing in prunes?
Love a prune, I say go for it!
I couldn’t wait for it to cool after coming out of the oven so I burnt my mouth a bit but extremely worth it – this was SO GOOD! Perfect combination of flavors and great texture. Can’t wait for my next excuse to eat it!
YAY I’m sorry about your mouth but everything else is music to my ears!
Oh my god. I just happened to buy some cardamom seeds recently (cardamom is my absolute favorite thing) and I hadn’t used them yet. The crunch they give the top along with the chewy dates and the Malden, the sweetness of the carrot. I mean I am FLOORED. Obsessed with this and will be making it on the reg.
Omg I’m honored!! So glad you liked it!
Can’t wait to try this!! Can I use gf flour? If so, how much? Thanks.
Hi there! I haven’t tested it with gluten free flour but I find people usually find success with a 1:1 ratio of the King Arthur Baking gluten free flour blend!
Really want to make this recipe! But i dont have access to cardamom? Is it okay to leave it out?
Totally fine to leave it out 🙂
I just used bob’s red mill 1:1 gf flour with the weighed measurements and it was delicious! My 2.5 and 1 yr old devoured their pieces ☺️
Made a mini loaf of this and it’s DIVINE
Do you have any advice/changes if I were to make it in a muffin/cupcake tin instead? I would love to make this for a party in a more shareable form ❤️ love all your recipes!
Hello! Okay, so they will make 16 muffins, but the muffins won’t be as domed as you are used to. But portion them out the same you would a muffin and begin checking around the 22-25 minute mark. They will be done when you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean!
This was gorgeous! i chopped the dates super fine because im not a fan of their chewyness but love their flavour. Wondering, have you tested this with sugar substitutes like honey or maple syrup?.. or by adding toasted nuts? thanks for the recipe!
Hi there! I haven’t tested it with sugar substitutes but I do have a Pistachio Honey Carrot Cake that uses both honey and nuts!
This was just exceptional. I needed to use up my carrots and dates! Great use of pantry staples. Really appreciate your thoughtful and approachable recipes. I didn’t have cream cheese to make the frosting. The bread by itself speaks for itself! Cardamon absolutely elevates this bread as others highlighted above me. Will absolutely be making again. Thanks for yet again, another dependable recipe.
my partner and i made this last night and it’s insanely delicious! it’s the perfect blend of sweet and salty, and the cardamom and cinnamon give it a chai-esque vibe. we’ve already eaten half the loaf and i’m planning to make it again as soon as we run out
Omg I’m honored – so glad you like it!!
my partner and i made this last night and it’s insanely delicious! it’s the perfect blend of sweet and salty, and the cardamom and cinnamon give it a chai-esque vibe. we’ve already eaten half the loaf and i’m planning to make it again as soon as we run out!
Really stellar take on a carrot cake. I will definitely make this one again! Thank you. Good thing you had the grams there because the size of my dates must have been a fraction of yours. But just to double check: you are calling for 120 grams of dried, pitted dates? If not, how much does a date-pit weigh? Or never mind, the dates were a delicious contribution regardless.
I’m calling for medjool dates with the pits in, but the weight amount is for the dates after you have pulled the pits out! These dates tend to be bigger and jucier and life-changing, I’d recommend trying to get the Rancho Meladuco dates just once and you’ll see what I mean!
I’m excited to try this. Do you think it’s best to 1.5x this recipe if I want to bake it in a 9inch spring foam pan for a single layer birthday cake?
I’d start with leaving it the same amount, it can be a deceptively large batter!
Wonderful! I really appreciate the inclusion of gram measurements. It’s so easy to toss and tare. Can you advise what the internal temp should be when done? Thank you!
My range is 170°F-190°F, but use the higher range to be on the safer side!
Loved the date + carrots combo! Beautifully earthy yet delicate. Subbed cardamom for ginger since I’m not big on it, and it work great. Will be making this again!
Delicious! Kept the icing and still called it breakfast!
This turned out absolutely PERFECT! Followed the recipe to a tee and the result was a beautifully soft and delicious loaf cake. I’m a sucker for anything with dates and this is no exception! Sending my friends this recipe ASAP so they can make it too 🙂
This is the Goldilocks sweet treat. I struggle with finding desserts/treats that are interesting and delicious, sweet but not TOO sweet BUT not too healthful where you wonder why you bothered in the first place. I followed this recipe to a T with my gram scale and could not be happier with the results. The cinnamon/cardamom flavor base creates a symphony which perfumes the brown butter that coats the sweet winter carrots and dates. The frosting is perfect, easily the best frosting I’ve ever had. You can actually individually taste the butter, cream cheese, and sugar notes which is just delightful. Make both the bread and frosting and experience true harmony. This is the kind of recipe you scrawl on an index card which accumulates butter stains over the years.
Holy wow, Justine you’re a genius. This cake is perfect – flavourful with a perfectly moist, soft texture, and the brown butter adds a beautiful complexity & richness. The icing isn’t too sweet (as promised) but is a perfect lil tangy addition to an already delicious cake. Also I adore how you’ve written the quantities for ingredients in the method too – a thoughtful recipe through and through! Definitely adding this to my collection!!
Ohhh this comment is the highest honor! So glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Great recipe! Love the combo of dates and carrots along with the warming spices. I changed it just a bit by adding 1/4 c tahini and cutting the butter to 1/4 c to compensate because I also love the combo of carrots and tahini! Still kept that good sweet and salty vibe.
I need to make the carrot and tamarind cake on your site too. I have been eying it for a while.
Looking forward to trying this! How would you suggest to store it overnight? In the fridge or just out on the counter?
I store mine on the counter, but to ensure it keeps for longer than a day or two, feel free to pop it in the fridge!
Incredible and simple recipe! The texture was just great and the cardamom + salt made it phenomenal. Will be making this again. I omitted 25g of sugar due to personal preference and did not feel an impact to the texture. I use grams and was a bit confused by the translation of 6 dates to 120g. Was wondering if that was correct? Or maybe my dates are super small? Thanks!!
Your dates are probably small, I use Rancho Meloduco dates and you’d love the difference! That’s why I put weight measurements, too. Since ingredients can always vary!
My bread is still baking, but if it tastes even 10% as good as the batter, this will be on repeat forever in my house! So good!
I made this on Valentine’s day and it was such a treat! I will definitely be making it again
Made this and it was delicious! Left it out overnight and found out the hard way that carrots turn green sometimes due to baking soda AFTER I tossed out the whole loaf thinking it was moldy 🙁
Do you have any tips on how to prevent this from happening?
I’ve never experienced that before! I always recommend to store things in the fridge in an air-tight container to preserve freshness 🙂
Absolutely amazing! I am gluten-free and it is sometimes a gamble subbing with gf flour, but it turned out PERFECT! I had never made a carrot cake or carrot bread, but I a hooked! I have a couple of banana haters in my family, so I am usually the only one who eats banana bread lol! But this carrot bread my family loved! The brown butter is a fantastic addition too. Overall, I am so glad I made it and will definitely make it again! Thanks Justine!!
AHHHH YAYAY this makes me so happy!!
Do you think this would work with frozen carrots? I have a big bag of chopped frozen carrots (I think they might already be cooked) that I want for use up!
Looks delish btw!
It should, but they’ll let out excess moisture so thaw them first and drain out any water before using them!
The recipe was so delicious! I followed it to a T and it turned out so beautiful and moist. It was a hit! Is there a way I can make this vegan friendly without the eggs? Thank you!
Hello! So glad you liked it!! I’ve not tested it with flax egg, but that’s always my first recommendation when trying vegan baking 🙂
Made this today and absolutely loved the texture. The taste was a bit interesting, I almost feel like the carrots didn’t fully marry into the batter (I used shredded) and maybe the quantity of baking soda/baking powder was a bit high because the taste wasn’t quite there but the texture was too good so I couldn’t help but reach for more. Thanks Justine!