Carrot Cake Monkey Bread Recipe (2024)

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This Carrot Cake Monkey Bread will wow your family and friends! Make it for Easter Breakfast or Brunch, and they’ll be begging for more!

Do your kids watch Daniel the Tiger? It’s this PBS show that’s sort of an animated spin off of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. It’s cute enough, teaches good lessons like sharing and being kind. Anyway, Emma’s really taken a shine to it.

There’s this song that goes, “I like you, I like you, I like you just the way you are!” And she sings it all. the. time.

At first, it was pretty cute. She just kind of sang to herself everywhere we went. And anytime we started to say “I love you,” she’d break in with a chorus of “I like you, I like you, I like you just the way you are!”

But we’ve moved past cute to downright hysterical borderline embarrassing.

Because she’s all of a sudden discovered volume. And now she knows she can sing at the very top of her lungs, and she does it everywhere we go! For instance, we were checking out of the grocery store today. And the clerk starts to tell Emma that she likes Emma’s sparkly shoes. She says, “I really li–” which immediately triggers: “I LIKE YOU! I LIKE YOU! I LIKE YOU! JUST THE WAY YOU ARRRRRRRRRRRRE!!!!!!” The cashier waits for her to sing and then tries to say something polite, like “oh, she’s so cu–” but Emma bursts into song yet again, effectively thwarting any attempts at polite chit chat between me and the cashier.

So we continue the check out in silence (two of us, anyway), and I give her a smile and a shrug as I walk off, hoping to communicate “so-sorry-about-my-singing-cinderella-dressed-toddler-thanks-for-checking-us-out-have-a-nice-day!”

Anyway. That’s what’s going on in my life today. Just a whole ‘lotta cuteness. All day every day 😉 .

That and Monkey Bread! Last month’s Red Velvet Monkey bread inspired this Easter Breakfast recipe, since it only involved switching out the Red Velvet cake mix for Carrot! The Carrot cake taste isn’t quite as strong in the recipe as it is in some of the others I’ve done (like this Carrot Cake Poke Cake), but I think that makes me like it even more. It has a great subtle spice cake flavor, and the cream cheese frosting and pecans set it off perfectly.

This is the perfect breakfast recipe to WOW any Easter guests you may have this year! It does take some prep time (basically, just letting the dough rise), so be sure to plan accordingly!

Ingredients

For the Dough:

• 1 box of Carrot Cake Mix
• 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 cups of warm water
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 5 cups of all-purpose flour

For the Monkey Bread:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• optional: chopped pecans for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Fill a bowl or measuring cup with 2 1/2 cups warm (bath-like) water. I like to use a 4-cup measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over top, and then sprinkle the sugar over the yeast. Let rest and foam.
2. Meanwhile, mix together the cake mix, salt, and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer.
3. Once the yeast has proofed (looks foamy), pour the yeast and water into the mixing bowl. Add the vanilla. Attach the dough hook, and mix on a low speed until dough forms (add more flour if a dough ball doesn't form).
4. With floured hands, remove the dough from the bowl and spray non stick cooking spray generously inside the bowl. Replace the dough in the bowl, and spray the top of the dough. Cover and let rise until doubled in size (I always set mine on a heating pad to rise, so it's done in about 30 minutes).
5. While dough is rising, prepare the cinnamon sugar by mixing together the cinnamon and the granulated sugar in a gallon sized zip top bag. Set aside.
6. Prepare the bundt pan by generously greasing and flouring the inside of the pan. Set aside.
7. Once risen, punch down the dough and split it into two even portions. Cover one portion and set aside (either for another monkey bread, or to make an actual bread loaf-- like I did).
8. Pinch of golf ball sized portions of the dough and place into the zip top bag filled with sugar (I did 4-5 balls at a time). Seal bag and shake until the dough is thorough coated. Place each dough ball into the prepared bundt pan. Continue with the rest of the dough. Bundt pan should be about halfway full.
9. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 20 minutes.
10. Meanwhile, place the butter, brown sugar, and honey in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute (or until butter is melted) and whisk until combined. Pour evenly over top of the dough in the bundt pan.
11. Bake at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the dough comes out clean.
12. Let cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, use a hand mixer to beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
13. Gently push a rubber spatula down the sides of the bundt pan to loosen the dough from the sides of the pan (it also helps to firmly tap all around the outside of the pan-- and by "firmly tap," I mean "hit it hard." This should loosen it from the side of the pan pretty well.) Invert the bread onto a plate. Spread the cream cheese frosting over top (or you can pipe it on like I did) and sprinkle on the chopped pecans. Serve warm!

Notes about this recipe:

• Yes, I do mean granulated sugar in the frosting recipe and not powdered sugar. I promise, it’s not grainy after about 2 minutes, and it’s a perfect consistency! You’ll love it, I promise.
• I hear people like raisins with carrot cake. So if you’re a raisin lover, throw a handful or two in with the dough balls before baking! I’d rather die, but… that’s just me 😉 .

Carrot Cake Recipes from Friends

• Carrot Cake Brownies from Crazy For Crust
• Carrot Cake Truffles from Fifteen Spatulas
• Carrot Cake by i am baker