🥕 Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Soft, moist, warmly spiced carrot cake baked into easy-to-cut bars and topped with a rich, tangy cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
For the carrot cake bars
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups finely grated carrots
½ cup crushed pineapple, well drained
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
For the cream cheese frosting
8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, softened
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven:
Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
Combine dry ingredients:
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Mix the wet ingredients:
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
Add carrots:
Stir the grated carrots and drained pineapple into the wet mixture. If using nuts, fold them in as well.
Combine:
Gradually add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Don’t overmix.
Bake:
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25–32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
Cool completely:
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy.
Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, then add vanilla and a pinch of salt. Beat until creamy and smooth.
Spread the frosting evenly over the completely cooled carrot cake.
Sprinkle with chopped pecans or walnuts and a little cinnamon, if desired.
Cut into bars and serve.
🥕 Storage
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days because of the cream cheese frosting. Let the bars sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving for the best texture.
Tip: For especially moist bars, don’t squeeze the moisture out of freshly grated carrots. Finely grated carrots blend into the batter and keep the cake tender.
