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Side view of a morning glory loaf cake cut into slices on a wooden cutting board.
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Morning Glory Loaf Cake

Full of shredded apples and carrots, studded with pecans and dried cranberries, this Morning Glory Loaf cake is moist and full of flavor.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time1 hour
Setting1 hour
Total Time3 hours
Course: Afternoon Kaffee, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: carrot cake, loaf cake, morning glory, quick bread
Servings: 14
Calories: 299kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Cake Batter

  • 125 grams pecans unsalted
  • 200 grams carrot freshly grated, not pre shredded
  • 150 grams apple honey crisp, pink lady, or granny smith
  • 3 eggs large
  • 100 grams granulated sugar plus 50 grams for the topping
  • 60 grams dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 grams fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 orange zested
  • 125 grams full fat greek yogurt
  • 125 grams olive oil or any other neutral oil
  • 120 grams all purpose flour
  • 120 grams whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 100 grams dried cranberries

Instructions

Prep the veg & nuts

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
  • Add the pecans (or whichever nuts you choose) into a large flat pan. Place over medium low heat and toast, stirring frequently just until fragrant. They don't need to be visibly toasted just start to smell nutty.
  • Once toasted immediately remove from the heat and chop so that the pieces are no bigger than 1/4".
  • With a box grater or food processor grate the carrots - I snap off the small tip because otherwise it has a tendency to break off when grating and the carrot can slip.
  • Place the grated carrot into a large mixing bowl, then grate the apple in the same way. There's no need to peel the apple just make sure not to grate the core or the stem.
  • Gently squeeze the grated apple to remove any excess liquid. Toss the grated apple in with the carrots and roughly mix.

Cake Batter

  • In a separate large bowl, add in the eggs, both sugars, orange zest, salt, vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom. Whip on high for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Add in the greek yogurt and oil and mix again.
  • In a separate bowl whisk together both flours, baking soda and baking powder.
  • Pour the flour mixture over the grated apple and carrots. Pour in the toasted pecans and dried cranberries (or whichever dried fruit you choose to add).
  • Fold the grated produce in with the flour mixture and nuts until completely coated.
  • Dump the produce and flour mixture into the bowl with the whipped eggs and sugar and fold to combine. Be careful to fold and not to stir as you will make the cake tough.
  • If not using a non-stick USA pan, be sure to line your pan with butter and parchment or a baking spray that includes flour.
  • Pour the cake batter into the loaf pan. I used this large loaf pan but if using this medium pan you may have a little extra that needs to be baked in a ramekin or a muffin cup.
  • Sprinkle the top of the cake with 50 grams of white granulated sugar - this makes a soft crinkly top on the cake which I love but you can choose to omit it.

Bake the Cake

  • Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, rotate the cake 180 degrees and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes.
  • After 30 minutes, remove the cake from the pan and leave to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Tips for making a Morning Glory Cake
    • Use medium sized carrots, you don't want huge carrots and baby carrots will be a pain to grate. You can also use a food processor to grate the carrots. Be sure you're using a grater that is larger than a microplane but small enough that the carrots can soften. I usually use the standard medium hole on a box grater. Don't use pre-grated carrots as they tend to be a bit dry and too hard.
    • The apple will release a lot of moisture when grated be sure to squeeze out the excess but there's no need to make it perfectly dry. There's also no need to peel the apple in advance.
    • I baked this cake in this large loaf pan which is 10" x 5" which has 1.5 lb volume. If you are using a medium 1.25 lb loaf pan you may have a bit extra that needs to be baked in a ramekin or muffin cup. If using this small 1 lb loaf pan, decrease the batter by 1/3 so 2 eggs instead of 3 and adjust all other ingredients accordingly.
    • I like to use dried cranberries but you could also use raisins or tart cherries or neither.
    • I love the addition of pecans but almonds, pistachios, or walnuts will work too - you can also leave them out all together.
    • Don't be afraid of fully baking this cake, it should be a deep golden brown. The cake won't dry out because of the carrot and apple.
    • Once assembled, leave the cake to sit for at least an hour before slicing to let it firm up.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 299kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 354mg | Potassium: 172mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 2450IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg