This chocolate carrot cake is a soft, moist chocolate loaf cake filled with grated carrots and topped with a thick chocolate glaze! It’s made with simple ingredients and there’s no mixer needed!
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This chocolate carrot cake combines two favorites: chocolate cake and carrot cake! It’s a super chocolatey loaf cake with freshly grated carrots. This recipe makes the the perfect snacking cake or healthier dessert for Easter!
Carrot chocolate cake is adapted from my chocolate zucchini bread. Vegetables like zucchini and carrots make cakes super moist. They are also a great way to sneak in a little extra nutrition!
If you’re a big carrot cake fan, try my pumpkin and carrot cake and mini carrot cake recipe!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This chocolate carrot cake only takes a few minutes to mix up. You don’t need a mixer to make it like my carrot cake loaf.
- It’s full of rich chocolate flavor. It’s made with both cocoa powder and chocolate chips and topped with delicious chocolate glaze.
- Fresh carrots make this cake soft, moist and delicious. It also makes the cake healthier kind of like my sweet potato chocolate cake and chocolate chip avocado muffins.
Ingredients
Here are useful notes on some of the ingredients needed to make this recipe for this chocolate carrot cake recipe.
- Cocoa powder- Use Dutch process or unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Unsalted butter– Butter adds extra flavor. Use melted, slightly cooled butter.
- Oil– Oil makes this bread extra moist. Use vegetable oil or olive oil.
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar– This carrot and chocolate cake recipe uses both granulated sugar and brown sugar. Use light or dark brown sugar. The brown sugar adds flavor, sweetness, and extra moisture.
- 2 eggs- Use two large, room temperature eggs.
- Carrots: Use 2-3 medium carrots for 1 1/2 cups of shredded carrots. Grate the carrots on the small holes of a box grater or use a food processor. For another yummy carrot recipe, try my carrot cupcakes recipe!
- Chocolate chips- You can use semisweet or dark chocolate chips. Use regular sized or mini chocolate chips.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Swap in more oil in place of the butter.
- Add 1/2 cup of nuts. I recommend chopped pecans or walnuts. Toast the nuts before chopping for extra flavor.
- I haven’t tested a gluten free version of this cake recipe. Most of my cakes can be made gluten free using a 1:1 gluten free flour.
Instructions
Step One– (Photo 1 above) Whisk to combine the melted butter, oil and sugars.
Step Two– (Photo 2 above) Add the eggs followed by the vanilla extract.
Step Three– (Photo 3 above) Fold the dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir in the shredded zucchini. Fold in the chocolate chips in.
Step Four– (Photo 4 above) Pour batter into a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan. Top with remaining chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.
Step Five– (Photo 5 above) Stir to combine all the ingredients for the glaze.
Step Six– (Photo 6 above) Allow carrot chocolate chip cake to cool completely. Drizzle or spread the glaze on top.
Expert Tips
- Grate your own carrots. Store-bought shredded carrots are very dry compared to freshly grated carrots.
- Use the small holes on a box grater or food processor to grate carrots.
- Don’t overmix. Overmixing makes the cake less soft.
- Let the chocoalte and carrot cake cool completely before cutting it. Use a serrated knife to slice it.
Recipe FAQs
I don’t recommend it. Store bought shredded carrots tend to be dry. For best results, I suggest grating the carrots at home.
Yes! They will bake a lot faster than the cake. Check for doneness at about 20 minutes.
Store chocolate carrot cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
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Chocolate Carrot Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Carrot Cake
- 1¼ cups (156 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup (28 g) Dutch process cocoa powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (73 g) brown sugar light or dark, packed
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter melted, slightly cooled
- ¼ cup (59 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (192 g) grated carrots about 3 medium carrots
- ¾ cup (135 g) chocolate chips semisweet or dark, divided
Chocolate Glaze
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (10 g) dutch process cocoa powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon optional
- 2 tablespoons (29.57 ml) heavy cream or whole milk, use 2-4 tablespoons til
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Chocolate Carrot Cake
- Spray sides and bottom of a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with baking spray. Line pans with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with baking spray. Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves (or allspice), cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk to combine the melted butter, oil and sugars. Add the eggs followed by the vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together until just combined. Stir in the grated carrots and ½ cup of the chocolate chips.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and add the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 42-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
- Place pan on a wire rack. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes then remove cake from pan. Allow to cool completely on the rack. Make the glaze and top the cake with the glaze once the cake when it has cooled completely.
Chocolate Glaze
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk to combine the powdered sugar, salt and cinnamon. Whisk in the heavy cream. If it's too thick, add more heavy cream. If the glaze is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. It should be spreadable but not too thin or liquidy. Spread or drizzle it over the cooled cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Annette Swanson
this looks awesome… thanks ✌️ 😊
Natalie
Thank you-my pleasure Annette! Hope you love it 🙂