These carrot cake bars are simple to make, tremendous moist, filled with carrots and are topped with a dreamy cream cheese frosting. You may make them with all-purpose, entire wheat or gluten-free flour.
Right here’s a very easy Easter dessert. I’ve been making the layer cake model of this recipe since 2009. I make it yearly for Easter, and yearly, folks ask me for the recipe.
In the event you’re on the lookout for one thing tremendous easy however extremely tasty, that is it!
Components
Right here’s an summary of every part you’ll want.
Cake base
The recipe was tailored from my Wholesome Carrot Cake, which was tailored from Smitten Kitchen’s carrot cake recipe.
I used 25% much less sugar, 60% applesauce and 40% oil as a substitute of 100% oil, much less salt, and a bit extra carrots.
The cake recipe has three layers, however I do know not all people wants or needs a 3-layer cake, so I halved every part for a 8″x8″ pan.
So right here we’ve got a bar model.
These bars are simple to make and take about 23 minutes to bake, so that they’re excellent for a last-minute occasion. You’ll must let the bars cool fully earlier than frosting, which takes simply over an hour, so preserve that in thoughts.
The frosting
This frosting is much less sugary than your typical cream cheese frosting. It’s my More healthy Cream Cheese Frosting that I take advantage of in each recipe that requires cream cheese frosting.
In the event you can’t have dairy, you might use my Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting, which is made with maple syrup, coconut milk/yogurt and oil.
make them
Right here you’ll be able to see it’s an excellent primary cake base recipe. No egg separating, creaming butter, or something.
The complete recipe is under.
Some folks like step-by-step photographs, so right here they’re. In the event you discover them ineffective, please simply preserve scrolling. 🙂
The carrots don’t must be finely grated. I used the grater attachment on my meals processor, and it labored nice.
In the event you stay outdoors of the US or Canada, be sure you learn the notes regarding cream cheese beneath the recipe.
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Can I add nuts and pineapple?
Walnuts, pecans or raisins could be okay so as to add to the batter. I wouldn’t add pineapple or something liquid as a result of the cake base could be soggy.
Can I take advantage of almond/coconut/no matter flour?
You need to use a kind of flour that’s meant as a 1-to-1 sub for all-purpose flour. So which means no almond flour, coconut flour, buckwheat, oat flour, rice flour, and so forth., as these aren’t interchangeable with all-purpose flour.
In the event you’re on the lookout for a grain-free recipe, strive these Almond Flour Carrot Muffins. That recipe makes use of almond and coconut flour.
I’ve examined these bars with each Bob’s Crimson Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour and King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour. Each work nice.
The gluten-free model, after cooling and made with one of many manufacturers I discussed above, actually tastes prefer it was made with all-purpose flour.
Can I take advantage of a unique kind of oil?
I’ve listed canola or vegetable oil, however you should utilize any neutral-tasting oil, equivalent to grapeseed or olive oil.
You possibly can style the olive oil when the cake is sizzling and recent out of the oven, however you received’t be capable to style it as soon as it cools.
However don’t use a really flavorful or costly olive oil. You probably have mild olive oil, that’s an important alternative.
I haven’t tried coconut oil, however for those who do, I’d advocate utilizing refined coconut oil except you need some coconut style within the cake.
The cake wouldn’t be as moist for those who used butter as a substitute of oil. Butter is 80-82% fats, and oil is 100% fats, so it’s finest to go along with the oil for the moistest cake.
Sweetener
You possibly can’t use a liquid sweetener rather than the granulated sugar. However you should utilize coconut sugar!
The cake might be darker in colour, which you’ll not like for those who just like the orangeish colour. But it surely does style good.
This recipe already requires 25% much less sugar than the unique, so I actually don’t advocate lowering the sugar. Lowering it much more would end in a dry cake.
Can I take advantage of a unique pan?
This recipe makes use of an 8”x8” pan, however right here’s a helpful pan conversion chart for those who don’t have that measurement.
I don’t have the baking time for different sizes of pans, so that you’ll simply must preserve an in depth eye on the cake bars whereas they’re within the oven.
Ornament
You possibly can go the pure route and use toasted pecans for a little bit of crunchy richness. A single pecan per cake bar, or you might chop them up after roasting and sprinkle them all around the high.
For one thing additional tasty, you might use these maple syrup Candied Pecans or Maple Walnuts. With both a kind of, place them on the cake simply earlier than serving or else the maple syrup will liquify and create some moisture across the nut.
In the event you don’t have pecans, a dusting of cinnamon seems good.
For one thing extra festive, my photographer obtained a 12-pack of bunnies and carrots for $4.99 from Goal. The elements aren’t improbable, however you’ll be able to simply take away them earlier than consuming.
freeze
You possibly can freeze the bars frosted or unfrosted. Both manner, they’ll final about three months.
To thaw them, put them within the fridge in a single day or on the counter for about 1-2 hours or till thawed.
In the event you’d prefer to freeze the cake bars separate from the frosting, after which frost as soon as thawed – that additionally works. Cream cheese frosting freezes nice.
Extra treats for spring
I hope you’ll like these carrot cake bars! In the event you make them, please remark under to let me know what you assume. Thanks! 🙂
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- Prep Time:
- Prepare dinner Time:
- Prepared in:
- Yield: 16 bars
Components
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour, entire wheat flour, or for gluten-free use 1 cup (138 grams) Bob’s Crimson Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour or 1 cup (125 grams) King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour
- 1 teaspoon floor cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon floor ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon floor nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 giant eggs (50 grams every, out of shell), room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (91 grams) unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 7 oz (198 grams – 1 3/4 cups) grated and peeled carrots
- 1/3 cup (75 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- one 8-ounce bundle (250 grams) full-fat cream cheese, room temp
- 1/16 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
Bars:
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8”x8” (23 cm x 23 cm) pan with a chunk of parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Put aside.
- In a big bowl, whisk the eggs after which add the sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla and blend till mixed.
- Add the dry elements to the moist and stir simply till mixed.
- Then fold within the carrots solely simply till mixed.
- Bake for 23 minutes. It’ll have browned a bit. The toothpick got here out clear at 20 minutes, however I dug in with a fork, and it was nonetheless gooey within the center. At 23 minutes, it was executed.
- Let cool on a wire rack till fully cooled, about 70 minutes, earlier than frosting.
- Beat the butter and cream cheese with an electrical hand mixer or stand mixer till delicate and clean.
- Add the salt and vanilla and beat till mixed. Add within the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and beat till fluffy.
- Unfold over the cooled cake.
- Lower into 16 bars and high with pecans or Easter decorations.
- Cowl leftovers and refrigerate for as much as 4 days or freeze for as much as 3 months.
Put together the cake:
Put together the frosting:
Notes
- I used the grater attachment on my meals processor to grate the carrots, so that they weren’t tremendous finely grated.
Cake base tailored from from Smitten Kitchen’s carrot cake recipe
