Carrot Cake Banana Bread

Carrot Cake Banana Bread- This hybrid dessert combining two classic spring treats is made super easy thanks to store bought cake mix.

April 13, 2025 by Nicole Collins

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Today, we’re making Carrot Cake Banana Bread!

I’ve been a procrastinator my whole life, but I always produce some of my best work when I’m under the pressure of time. Well guess what, I totally procrastinated on springy, Easter recipes this year (so much so that there almost were none). And as a result, you get to eat some of my best work!

I had a completely different banana recipe planned. But, I didn’t get the bananas until after my brain was ready to move on to something else. So, I put it off and waited and found myself with overripe blackened bananas. And there are only three things that can happen with overripe blackened bananas: you freeze them for smoothies (and my freezer is already full), you toss them in the trash (not with the price of groceries these days), or you make banana bread. So, here we are!

You guys have seen banana bread recipes from me before, and they all start with boxed cake mix. This one is no different! We’re going to use a box of spice cake mix which is going to save us a ton of time and money on spices and ingredients.

To the cake mix we’ll add some super duper ripe bananas, some finely shredded carrots, and some crushed pineapple. A couple notes about each item. For the bananas, they HAVE to be ripe. We need them dark and mushy, because that’s when they are the sweetest. For the carrots, you HAVE to shred them yourself on the fine setting of a grater. Grocery store shredded carrots are too thick, and if you try to use carrot pieces that are too big/heavy/thick, your bread will fall apart. (I will not be taking any questions at this time on why I know that.) For the crushed pineapple, you don’t need to drain the juice first. The pineapple is replacing the liquid the boxed cake mix needs, so keeping some of that pineapple juice is a good thing! Don’t overthink it, just pour the pineapple from the can to your measuring cup, and you get what you get!

To finish the batter, we’ll add a couple eggs and a splash of oil. Then, we’ll mix everything together until it’s just combined. I actually like to mix the batter with the same fork I used to mash the bananas. It’s basically like a little whisk, and it helps save dishes! Then, we’ll pour the batter into a well sprayed loaf pan, toss it in the oven for about an hour to bake, then let the bread cool completely. We’ll let the bread cool in the pan for the first 5 mins when it comes out of the oven, then we’ll transfer it out of the pan to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Once the bread is cooled, we’ll finish it with a cream cheese glaze. All we need is some softened butter and cream cheese, a little powdered sugar, a splash of milk, and a dash of vanilla. We’ll use a hand mixer to beat everything together until it’s nice and smooth. Then we’ll spread that glaze all over our bread, and finish the whole thing off with a handful of springy sprinkles.

Now, this glaze is pretty soft. It never fully sets like an icing or a powdered sugar glaze would. So, don’t panic if it seems gooey. It’s supposed to be! That’s part of the magic. But, I do like to let it sit on the cake for about an hour to tighten up a bit so it doesn’t ooze everywhere when you slice into the bread.

When you’re ready to enjoy, we’ll slice the bread into pieces, arrange it on a pretty platter, and that’s all there is to it! Thanks to that little grocery store shortcut with the cake mix, this truly could not be any easier.

We all know that I LOATHE carrots. And, I tolerate banana bread. So the fact that I (someone that should very much not like any kind of banana bread recipe with carrots in it) can’t stop eating this sweet treat is really all you need to know. This bread has the absolute perfect balance of carrot cake to banana bread. You can equally taste the best parts of both in every single bite. It’s sweet, it’s got those classic warm spices, and it is SO MOIST. I know people hate that word, but it is!

Ok, everyone. We squeezed this Easter recipe in by the skin of our teeth. But later this week, I’ll have a delicious way to use up all those leftover Easter eggs. So, stay tuned!

I hope you guys enjoy. And, let’s eat!

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Carrot Cake Banana Bread

Serves: 9 slices          Print

Ingredients:

For the Banana Bread:

• 4 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork (about 1 ¼ cups total)

• 1 box (13.25 oz) spice cake mix

• 1 cup finely shredded carrots (about 1 med-large carrot)

• ½ cup crushed pineapple

• 2 eggs

• 2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil

• Cooking spray

For the Cream Cheese Glaze:

• 2 oz cream cheese, softened

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

• ½ cup powdered sugar

• 2 tbsp milk (I used 1%)

• ¼ tsp vanilla extract

• Sprinkles, for garnish

Directions:

1. Make the Banana Bread: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of a 9x5in loaf pan with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, bananas, cake mix, carrots, pineapple, eggs, and oil. Stir with the same fork used to mash the bananas by hand until just combined. Pour batter evenly in to loaf pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread. Remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

2. Make the Glaze: Add cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla to a bowl. Use a hand mixer to beat on low until just combined and smooth.

3. Pour glaze over top of cooled banana bread. Use a small offset spatula or butter knife to spread over surface, if necessary. Top with sprinkles, if desired. Allow glaze to set (about 30 mins- 1 hour) before cutting and serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
   

Recipe notes:

*Super duper ripe bananas are best for banana bread. We're talking just about black peels and mushy on the inside. That is when they're the sweetest! The bananas should be almost like an applesauce texture when you're done mashing them with a fork.

*If your glaze mix is lumpy, you can run it through a fine mesh sieve to catch any pieces, but I find the sprinkles hide most of the lumps just fine.

*You want to shred the carrots yourself using the fine grates as opposed to buying store bough julienne or shredded carrots. The store bought kind are too thick and tough for this delicate bread.