Carrot Cake Bars Recipe
Soft, chewy, perfectly spiced, and wonderfully sweet— these carrot cake bars bring all the cozy flavors of a classic carrot cake in an easy, sliceable treat. Topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting and choppd nuts, they’re impossible to resist.
Equipment
- 1 9 x 9 (23 cm) pan
- 1 sheet parchment paper
- 1 whisk
- 1 vegetable peeler
- 1 box cheese grater
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Bars
- 1¼ cups (150 g) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon all spice
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (180 ml) melted butter
- 1 cup (200 g) light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 1½ cups shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup (57 g) room temperature butter, sliced
- 4 oz. (113 g) cream cheee, room temperature
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup chopped nuts for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line an 9 x 9 (23 cm) pan with parchment paper along the bottom and two sides.
- Whisk the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt together until well combined. Set aside for now. Peel and shred the carrots. I like to use the smaller holes on a box cheese grater. Set aside for now.1¼ cups (150 g) all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon all spice, ¼ teaspoon cloves, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In another large mixing bowl whisk the melted butter with the light brown sugar until well combined. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until well combined. Once all the wet ingredients have been mixed together, whisk in the dry ingredients, followed by the shredded carrots until just combined.¾ cup (180 ml) melted butter, 1 cup (200 g) light or dark brown sugar, 2 large eggs, room temperature, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract , 1½ cups shredded carrots
- Evenly spread the carrot cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake the carrot bars for 20 - 22 minutes. The sides of the carrot cake bars will pull slightly away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of the carrot cake will have a few wet crumbs. If there is wet batter or streaks of batter mixed with some crumbs, the bars need 2 - 5 more minutes to bake.
- Cool the cake bars in the pan until room temperature. If you would like, transfer the carrot cake to the fridge to chill before topping with the cream cheese frosting.
- Cream together softened butter with the room temperature cream cheese until creamy and well combined, about 3 - 4 minutes on low speed. Stop and scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in the sifted powdered sugar ½ cup (60 g) at a time, mixing each addition of powdered sugar until incorporated. Once all the sugar has been added, mix in the vanilla extract and salt. Mix on medium- high speed until the cream cheese frosting is fully incorporated and desired consistency. If the frosting is too thick, add an 1 - 2 tablespoons (15 - 30 ml) milk of choice, mixing until well incorporated.¼ cup (57 g) room temperature butter, sliced, 4 oz. (113 g) cream cheee, room temperature, 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Using a small offset icing knife, spoon or piping bag with piping tip of choice, apply the desired amount of frosting to the top of the carrot cake bars. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top if you like.¼ cup chopped nuts for topping
Notes
Store: Once the carrot cake bars have cream cheese frosting, they need to be stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
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