Oh, lets not call this cake.  Lets call this bread.  You know, so we can eat it for breakfast.  I feel like I should give a disclaimer that this bread absolutely does not need cream cheese frosting to be good.  However, I still recommend you add it, because it’s delicious with it, and because you can.

One of my favorite places to eat at Disneyland is actually not in the park at all, but across the street- Mimi’s Cafe.   The food is always great, and it is very reasonably priced, but I go there mostly for two big reasons.  Their corn chowder, and their carrot raisin bread.

This recipe is very close.  It’s not identical- Mimi’s has pineapple in theirs, and this one does not.  I honestly didn’t miss it.  Maybe cause of all the frosting. 🙂

This cake, erm, I mean, BREAD is chock full of delicious spices like cinnamon and cloves, and speckled with golden raisins.  It is amazing.

If you don’t have cloves, don’t worry.  You can use more cinnamon.  I am a firm believer that there is no such thing as too much cinnamon.  A pumpkin pie spice would go really nicely in this as well.

If you like nuts in your baked goods (I don’t) throw some in- about 3/4 cup will do nicely.  If you don’t like raisins, leave them out.

Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks

Ingredients:

For the Bread:

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

3/4 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

2 1/2 cups grated carrots, loosely packed

1 cup golden raisins (or regular raisins)

For the frosting:

4 oz room temperature cream cheese

1/4 cup room temperature butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Grease 4 mini loaf pans (or two 8×5 loaf pans, or a bundt pan) and line with a parchment paper sling.

In a mixer, mix together the butter, oil, eggs, buttermilk, sugars, and vanilla extract until smooth.  Add in the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and mix until just combined.

Fold in the carrots and the raisins with a wooden spoon, and spoon evenly into your baking pans, filling each one about 3/4 full.  Bake about 20-30 minutes (if using mini loaf pans, longer if using bigger pans) until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool completely.

Mix together frosting ingredients in a mixer until light and fluffy.  Spread lightly over the top of the cooled loaves.

Enjoy!