Olive oil carrot quick bread with a tender crumb and topped with candied carrots. Jump to recipe.
Over dinner, she asks, “If you could be anyone, who would it be?” Before she and her sister were born, I might have entertained the idea, but now, I wouldn’t change a thing. Understanding the improbability of it all, she says that I can have them and Brian and still be someone else. I say, “Someone rich, I guess.” But then I can’t think of anyone rich or brilliant I’d really want to be. I can’t think of another life I’d trade for my stressful, messy, chaotic one. (Surely, some more intensive thought might turn up the ideal life – if only based on location; in the moment, though, this is how is was.)
We make such big decisions, and don’t even realize we’ve made them.
Later, I checked on my sleeping daughters, the dinner conversation still fresh in my head, and thought of how much chance there was in all this. These sweet faces could have just as easily not been. In September of 2001, I’d just moved to NYC, Master’s Degree (in painting) in hand. Twenty-odd days in, the towers went down, the city was thrown into a profound mourning, and most of the few people I knew in town lost their tentative-anyway jobs; after 4 months of unemployment, spent wandering the northern half of Central Park and neighborhoods near my Harlem sublet, I bailed on New York, stuffed my two ficus trees into my coupe, and got the fuck out. I still remember driving over the GW Bridge with open windows, my delicate plants blowing in the wind. I landed in Charlottesville and met Brian a month later. We didn’t hit it off right away – our story would unfold more slowly. Still, I think of all these ifs and buts that made these two tiny people sleeping in this house, and realize that we’re all just here because of a flip of the coin. All of us barely made it, and yet, here we are.
That may seem like a lot for an intro to a carrot bread recipe, and maybe it is, but cooking and eating bring us together in way that few other things do. Sitting down to a slice, after a busy day in which I’d hardly seen the girls and just before Brian went out the door for a hockey game, was one of those moments of tranquility and warmth that make the rest of our hectic life worthwhile. I hope it is for you, too.
An olive oil carrot quick bread recipe topped with candied carrots.
- 4 young carrots (I like the look of a little spray of greens, but they’re not necessary)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
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If needed, trim all but 1/2-inch of the carrot greens. Peel and halve carrots.
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In a wide sauce pan, heat the sugar and water over medium heat. When sugar has dissolved, add the carrots and turn heat down so that mixture bubbles ever so gently. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, for 20 minutes or until thinnest part of carrot is translucent.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. (Note that my pan was 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inches; I poured the extra batter into 2 buttered ramekins and baked those for 50 minutes.)
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In a small bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and soda, sea salt, and spices.
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In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs and sugar on low speed. Add grated carrots, zest, and vanilla. With mixer still on low, fold in half the flour, all of the olive oil, and then the remaining flour. Mix just until everything is well combined.
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Spoon into prepared loaf pan, and slide into oven. Set a timer for 40 minutes. Pull bread from oven and carefully lay 3 or 4 candied carrot halves across the top; spoon 2 tablespoons of the syrup over the top. (The idea here is for the carrots to sink into the top ever so slightly.) Slide back into the oven, and bake 20 – 30 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached.
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Cool 20 minutes, then flip out onto a platter or rack to cool completely. Slice and serve with a generous smear of salted butter.
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This carrot bread is best the day of, but will keep nicely wrapped in foil, at room temperature for a few days.
Oh my! The candied carrots in this bread sound so good! Lovely recipe!
“All of us barely made it, and yet, here we are.” What a profound statement. I love this post, and the bread looks just like something I’d want to eat while sitting around the table with people I love.
I love the story as much as the recipe. It’s funny how those decisions – however small or large – would have impacted the outcome of our lives. Had I not returned to a second year of tree planting – because I was seriously doubting it – I would not have met my love. Almost ten years later with a bun in the oven, I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
There are so many things to take away from this awesome carrot bread…olive oil? I’m definitely going to give that a try in my next baking project, and candied carrots? My new obsession…
I sometimes find myself obsessing over the ‘what ifs’ and like you, I sometimes look around my life now and realise how much of it is driven by a decision that seemed so inconsequential at the time. Life is a crazy thing. Luckily there’s always cake when it gets a bit too crazy.
I love everything about this post. Life is about the simple things. Gorgeous pictures, and beautiful recipe. I’m excited to try candied carrots!
You read my mind! I’ve been trying to think of a way for me to eat more vegetables (funny thing is, I’m mostly a vegetarian) as well as my family. I was thinking of zucchini bread but this carrot cake, well, takes the cake. I need to buy pastry flour. Thanks.
p.s. I hear you on the chance/flip of a coin thing.
I can’t wait to try this!! Baked goods without dairy that look this delicious are so rare! And carrots! I love carrots!
We’ve just had a month or so of barely making it, and yet we did. I can so relate to the chaos and glad you shared.
On a lighter note, thanks for a recipe that is still firmly a winter one, because we’re still surviving this one, and carrot bread can definitely help.
So glad you all made it through the whirlwind trip, Aimee. Hope it was every bit as wonderful (chaos, aside) and you’d hoped. And fingers crossed on spring – it has to come eventually, right?
The candied carrots on top are divine!
Thanks, Emily! They were super fun to make.
This post is so lovely, Elizabeth. It’s amazing how one decision or event can completely affect the course our lives take… I was just thinking about this today, actually, before even reading this post. It’s crazy.
And these photographs are stunning. I haven’t tried carrot bread in the past, and will definitely be giving this recipe a go.
Thanks, Abby! I’m glad to hear the post was on your wavelength (and it *is* crazy that you were thinking of it, too – maybe the spring air lends itself to these kinds of reflections?)
This is so lovely, all of it. Thank you for sharing, Elizabeth. This bread looks incredible (the candied carrots on top are a touch of genius!)
Awww, glad you think so, Cynthia. Thanks for dropping by!
Made this carrot cake this past weekend for my dinner-date with grandma. We both loved it (she had seconds and I had more for breakfast this morning 🙂 ). The olive oil in the batter is reminiscent of pound cake, but less heavy. Thanks for the stellar recipe!
Yes! I’m thrilled to hear that, Julia! I’m a big fan of that olive oil cake crumb too – it’s textured, rich, and moist all at the same time.
Thank you for this beautiful recipe and post. My house smelled like heaven and the cake is divine! Made it as a gift for my sister for Easter and the ramekins worked out great for my husband and I to enjoy as well. Love your blog. Happy Spring.
Hi Michelle, Comments like yours make my day! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and for letting us all know how it turned out! Glad it was a hit. Thanks for reading!
Love this post! Was drawn here by the beautiful carrot cake photos (via Food52), but was pleasantly surprised to discover some beautiful writing as well. Thanks for sharing!
DELICIOUS! I made this last night with a few minor alternations based on what I had on hand: I used only pastry flour, brown sugar instead of white, and 1 tsp of cinnamon in place of ginger.
I love the subtle zing that the lemon zest adds here. Thanks for the great recipe!
Would be nice to hear from a few more people who actually made this recipe…
Hi Lac, There are three comments from people who made it right above yours. Please see comments from readers Lana, Michelle, and Julia. Hope that helps!
Thanks for this recipe! Do you think these would work as muffins / cupcakes? If so, how long would you shorten the bake time to?
Hi Ellen,
I haven’t tried this as muffins, but I think they’d be great! I’d say cook them for 35 – 45 minutes and you should be set. (Check with a toothpick or wooden skewer at 35 minutes and add time from there.) I hope you’ll report back!
Just tried this recipe for our Easter dessert. It is amazing!!! Because of the stay at home order this year, I did not have the whole wheat pastry flour so I used what I had on hand. I made it with all purpose flour. It still was amazing. Instead of topping it with salted butter as reccommended in the recipe, I used chocolate hummus. I will definitely try it with the butter but the chocolate hummus took it to a new level. Delish! Thank you! This is a keeper.