Carrot Apple Bread

This is carrot cake that’s been infused with apples and baked as a loaf. It’s an easy, no mixer recipe that goes from bowl to oven in minutes. I used melted coconut oil so there’s no butter to cream and no mixer to dirty. The bread is soft, tender, uber-moist, dense enough to be satisfying, but still light. The cinnamon and nutmeg really shine and add so much wonderful, rich, depth of flavor to the carrots and apples. The carrots dominate and the bread has a more pronounced ‘carrot cake’ taste than apple. Baking with both carrots and apples not only adds chewy texture and natural sweetness, but they add so much moisture. It was so flavorful and moist that I didn’t even need butter.

YIELD: ONE 9X5-INCH LOAF, ABOUT 10 SLICES

INGREDIENTS:

1 large egg
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup liquid-state coconut oil (canola or vegetable may be substituted)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cup sour cream (lite is okay; or Greek yogurt may be substituted)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
3/4 cup grated carrots (about 1 large peeled and trimmed carrot)
3/4 cup grated apples (I used 1 medium unpeeled Fuji; try Gala, Honeycrisp or similar)