These carrot cake bars are filled with scrumptious carrot cake taste and topped with a thick cream cheese frosting recipe!
One of the 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 one of the best of all of them. The texture is delicate, moist, and irresistibly fluffy!
And so they style similar 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 yr spherical.
Additionally do that 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 elective raisins.
Carrots – The recipe works with each commonplace dimension and child carrots. You should definitely peel the greens totally if they aren’t already peeled.
For a enjoyable variation, attempt purple, purple, yellow, or white carrots as a substitute of orange.
Applesauce – Be at liberty to go along 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 goal flour.
See under when you choose 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 of the range floor cinnamon provides taste and compliments the candy carrots.
When you have floor ginger and floor cloves readily 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 your entire 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. Nonetheless, the feel comes out considerably gummy with this substitution so I don’t suggest it.
Elective elements
Add ins – I like raisins in my carrot cake, so I virtually at all times combine in a fourth cup with the dry elements. You can add chopped dried pineapple, dates, or figs.
Stir in an elective handful of diced nuts, similar to walnuts, almonds, pecans, or shredded coconut if you want. No have to measure!
Protein powder – For top protein carrot bars you possibly can 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 possibly can substitute extra applesauce or mashed banana as a substitute.
Readers love these oil free Oatmeal Muffins
Selfmade 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 at liberty to prime your carrot cake bars with powdered sugar, Coconut Butter, retailer purchased vanilla icing, or almond butter when you choose.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
- 2 ounces butter or plant primarily based various
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- elective 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 clean. 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 total 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 total carrot cake bar recipe video.
How you can make moist carrot cake bars
Learn by way of 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’d 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 elective oil.
Stir within the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, sugar, elective ginger and cloves, and elective raisins to type a batter. To forestall 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 fabric or paper towels and refrigerate for optimum freshness.
Tip: Should you can wait, the feel and style are even higher the following day!
After a day, refrigerate leftovers for as much as 5 days in a lined container. Or slice and freeze for about two to 3 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 beneath 100 energy every!
Only one serving provides you fiber, protein, potassium, vitamin Ok, vitamin C, folate, niacin, and over 25% of the RDA for vitamin A.
These bars are an ideal alternative for Easter brunch or for birthday events the place you wish to accommodate totally different dietary preferences of friends.
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.
High with your individual 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.
- 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 (elective)
- 1/4 cup raisins (elective)
- 1 handful shredded coconut, crushed walnuts or pecans (elective)
- 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. Should you choose 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 performed when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out largely clear. Let cool totally earlier than frosting. Loosely cowl the pan with a towel and refrigerate. Should you can wait, the style and texture are even higher the following day. After a day, retailer leftovers lined within the fridge or freezer for greatest freshness. View Diet Info
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