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 actually the perfect of all of them. The texture is delicate, moist, and irresistibly fluffy!
And so they style similar to consuming home made cream cheese frosted carrot cake, within the handy type of a handheld bar.
One style, and it would be best to make these mini carrot cake bars yr spherical.
Additionally do this Carrot Cake Banana Bread
Carrot bar elements
The recipe requires only a few primary elements 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 optionally available raisins.
Carrots – The recipe works with each normal measurement and child carrots. Remember to peel the greens absolutely if they aren’t already peeled.
For a enjoyable variation, attempt purple, purple, 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 function flour.
See under if you happen to want a keto possibility with almond flour. I don’t suggest coconut flour or entire wheat flour right here.
Cinnamon – One and a half teaspoons of top quality 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 complete 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 possibly can 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 elements
Add ins – I like raisins in my carrot cake, so I nearly at all times combine in a fourth cup with the dry elements. You might add chopped dried pineapple, dates, or figs.
Stir in an optionally available handful of diced nuts, similar 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 if you happen to want.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
- 2 ounces butter or plant based mostly various
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optionally available 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 few cup, which is the proper quantity for topping the complete pan of carrot squares.
I’ll typically double the recipe and use leftover frosting on Chocolate Zucchini Cake or 4 ingredient Simple Cinnamon Rolls.
Step-by-step recipe video
Above, watch the complete carrot cake bar recipe video.
make moist carrot cake bars
Learn by the recipe directions, and collect your elements.
Grease an eight inch sq. pan, or line the underside of the pan with parchment paper.
Or if you need 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 optionally available oil.
Stir within the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, sugar, optionally available ginger and cloves, and optionally available raisins to kind a batter. To stop a dense and gummy texture, it is very important 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 largely 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: For those who 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 coated container. Or slice and freeze for about two to a few months.
Wholesome carrot cake squares
This basic carrot dessert doesn’t style wholesome in any respect. But on the similar time, it’s filled with vitamin.
And even with frosting, the carrot bars are underneath 100 energy every!
Only one serving offers you fiber, protein, potassium, vitamin Okay, vitamin C, folate, niacin, and over 25% of the RDA for vitamin A.
These bars are an awesome alternative for Easter brunch or for birthday events the place you need to accommodate completely different dietary preferences of company.
The recipe contains 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 home made cream cheese frosting recipe above, utilizing powdered erythritol or xylitol as a substitute of powdered sugar.
Reduce into bars or squares.
- 1 cup shredded carrot (200g)
- 1/2 cup applesauce or crushed pineapple or mashed banana
- 1/4 cup oil or extra applesauce for fats free
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups flour (See above for a keto model)
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup sugar or packed coconut sugar or xylitol
- 1 pinch floor ginger and cloves (optionally available)
- 1/4 cup raisins (optionally available)
- 1 handful shredded coconut, crushed walnuts or pecans (optionally available)
- 1 recipe cream cheese frosting above, or your favourite frosting or toppings
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To make carrot cake bars, first preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease an 8 inch sq. pan or line the underside with parchment paper. For those who want thinner bars, use a sheet pan or 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Stir all elements in a big bowl till simply evenly blended. Unfold into the pan. Bake half-hour in an 8 inch pan or quarter-hour on a sheet pan. The bars are finished when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out largely clear. Let cool absolutely earlier than frosting. Loosely cowl the pan with a towel and refrigerate. For those who can wait, the style and texture are even higher the subsequent day. After a day, retailer leftovers coated within the fridge or freezer for finest freshness. View Diet Details
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