Carrot Cake Bars – With Cream Cheese Frosting!

These carrot cake bars are filled with scrumptious carrot cake taste and topped with a thick cream cheese frosting recipe!

The very best carrot cake bars

For all of you carrot cake lovers, these bars are a should attempt dessert for Easter.

I’ve tried so many carrot cake bar recipes through the years, and this one is really the very best of all of them. The texture is mushy, moist, and irresistibly fluffy!

And so they style identical to consuming do-it-yourself cream cheese frosted carrot cake, within the handy type of a hand-held bar.

One style, and you’ll want to make these mini carrot cake bars 12 months spherical.

Additionally do that Carrot Cake Banana Bread

Carrot bar substances

The recipe requires just some primary substances and no cake combine!

You’ll need shredded carrot, applesauce, cinnamon, flour, apple cider or white vinegar, pure vanilla extract, salt, baking soda, sugar, and non-compulsory raisins.

Carrots – The recipe works with each customary dimension and child carrots. Be sure you peel the greens absolutely if they don’t seem to be already peeled.

For a enjoyable variation, attempt purple, crimson, yellow, or white carrots as a substitute of orange.

Applesauce – Be happy to go together with both sweetened or unsweetened applesauce. Or swap it out for an equal quantity of ripe mashed banana or drained crushed pineapple.

Flour – I’ve efficiently baked these carrot squares with entire grain spelt flour, white flour, oat flour, and gluten free all objective flour.

See under for those who desire a keto choice with almond flour. I don’t suggest coconut flour or entire wheat flour right here.

Cinnamon – One and a half teaspoons of top of the range floor cinnamon provides taste and compliments the candy carrots.

In case you have floor ginger and floor cloves available, stir in a pinch of every for much more depth of taste.

Sugar – Thanks the pure sweetness within the applesauce and spices, you want simply half a cup of sugar for the whole recipe.

White sugar, brown sugar, or unrefined coconut sugar are all nice choices. For bars with no sugar added, go for granulated erythritol or xylitol.

You’ll be able to technically substitute pure maple syrup or honey. Nevertheless, the feel comes out considerably gummy with this substitution so I don’t suggest it.

Optionally available substances

Add ins – I like raisins in my carrot cake, so I virtually all the time combine in a fourth cup with the dry substances. You could possibly add chopped dried pineapple, dates, or figs.

Stir in an non-compulsory handful of diced nuts, equivalent to walnuts, almonds, pecans, or shredded coconut if you want. No have to measure!

Protein powder – For prime protein carrot bars you may eat for breakfast, swap as much as a 3rd cup of the flour with unsweetened protein powder.

Oil – Together with a fourth cup of vegetable oil or melted coconut oil provides richness and yields a lighter texture.

For oil free, low fats, and low calorie wholesome carrot cake bars, you may substitute extra applesauce or mashed banana as a substitute.

Readers love these oil free Oatmeal Muffins

Do-it-yourself cream cheese frosting

Right here is my tried and true recipe for the creamiest, fluffiest carrot cake frosting. It pairs deliciously with the moist cake bar beneath, and every chunk will remind you of carrot cake cheesecake!

Be happy to prime your carrot cake bars with powdered sugar, Coconut Butter, retailer purchased vanilla icing, or almond butter for those who desire.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 ounces cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
• 2 ounces butter or plant primarily based different
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• non-compulsory milk or water as wanted

Let the cream cheese and butter come to room temperature so they’re softer and simpler to mix with beaters, a stand mixer, or a fork. Beat within the powdered sugar a half cup at a time. Then whip within the vanilla till easy. Skinny out the frosting with a teaspoon or two of milk or water.

This cream cheese frosting recipe from scratch yields a couple of cup, which is the right quantity for topping the complete pan of carrot squares.

I’ll usually double the recipe and use leftover frosting on Chocolate Zucchini Cake or 4 ingredient Straightforward Cinnamon Rolls.

Step-by-step recipe video

Above, watch the complete carrot cake bar recipe video.

Tips on how to make moist carrot cake bars

Learn by way of the recipe directions, and collect your substances.

Grease an eight inch sq. pan, or line the underside of the pan with parchment paper.

Or if you would like thinner bars, grease a sheet pan or a 9 by 13 inch rectangular pan. Set this baking pan apart.

Preheat the oven to 350 levels Fahrenheit.

In a big mixing bowl, whisk the shredded carrot, applesauce, vinegar, vanilla extract, and non-compulsory oil.

Stir within the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, sugar, non-compulsory ginger and cloves, and non-compulsory raisins to kind a batter. To stop a dense and gummy texture, you will need to not overmix the batter.

Unfold the carrot cake combination evenly into your ready pan with a spatula or spoon.

Place the pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake thirty minutes in an eight inch pan or fifteen minutes for sheet pan bars.

On the finish of the baking time, a toothpick inserted into the middle of the pan ought to come out principally clear.

Let cool earlier than frosting the bars with cream cheese frosting or your toppings of alternative.

As soon as cooled and frosted, loosely cowl the baking pan in material or paper towels and refrigerate for optimum freshness.

Tip: In case you can wait, the feel and style are even higher the subsequent day!

After a day, refrigerate leftovers for as much as 5 days in a lined container. Or slice and freeze for about two to a few months.

Wholesome carrot cake squares

This traditional carrot dessert doesn’t style wholesome in any respect. But on the identical time, it’s filled with vitamin.

And even with frosting, the carrot bars are beneath 100 energy every!

Only one serving offers you fiber, protein, potassium, vitamin Ok, vitamin C, folate, niacin, and over 25% of the RDA for vitamin A.

These bars are an amazing alternative for Easter brunch or for birthday events the place you wish to accommodate completely different dietary preferences of friends.

The recipe consists of dairy free, egg free, gluten free, fats free, added sugar free, and vegan choices.

Is there a low carb model?

For keto carrot cake bars, use this recipe for Keto Carrot Cake.

Bake in an oblong 9 by 13 inch pan as a substitute of two spherical pans.

Prime with your personal favourite sugar free frosting. Or make my do-it-yourself cream cheese frosting recipe above, utilizing powdered erythritol or xylitol as a substitute of powdered sugar.

Lower into bars or squares.

Straightforward Carrot Cake Desserts

Vegan Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake Muffins

Carrot Cake Baked Oats

Wholesome Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Carrot Bread

Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls

Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes