Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Are you a fan of Carrot Cake? I enjoy carrot cake, but I am not the biggest fan because most carrot cakes contain a thick layer of frosting, and I wouldn’t say I like frosting. Well, I started making my own because it is so simple, and homemade will always beat store-bought.

To be honest, nobody in my family likes frosting unless it’s whipped cream cheese and preferably homemade cream cheese-based frosting.

If I make a real cake, which is extremely rare, but if I happen to make a nice cake usually use whipped cream instead of the frosting because it tastes so much better.

On the other hand, carrot cake and cream cheese frosting go perfectly together. Don’t you agree? When I started making my own I realized that I do not hate it at all.

I had quite many notorious bakers in a family that I grew up with. They would bake their heart out, and me, well, I know how to make rolls, pies, bread, and things of that nature.

Cakes? Cakes are not my niche. Although I merely improved, I still can’t decorate for shit. I am just being honest here!

I do have more of a savory tooth if you know what I mean, however, I enjoy sweets as well, especially after dinner.

This is a simple cake, and that’s what I genuinely like the most — Cup of coffee and a simple slice of cake to make my day! These bars are so delicious. Sometimes I add seeds and oats or maple syrup instead of sugar. I hope you guys like it as much as we did.

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20 Servings

Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Name: Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 20
Cuisine: AMERICAN
Ingredients: 2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese chilled; 8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened at room temperature; 1 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar sifted after measuring; 2 tablespoons pure Vanilla Extract; Walnuts, Pecans, or Almond for garnish; 1 lb Grated Carrots strain, and pat dry; 1 cup Crushed Pineapple drained (reserve juice); 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon Baking powder; 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated; 1/4 teaspoon Ground Allspice; 1 cup packed light Brown sugar; 1 cup Granulated Sugar; 4 large eggs at room temperature; 3/4 cup Vegetable oil; 1 cup Chopped Walnuts; 1 cup Raisins, golden and black or whatever kind you have Soaked in Pineapple or Orange juice, rum if you prefer

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Easy and tasty Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1 lb Grated Carrots strain, and pat dry
1 cup Crushed Pineapple drained (reserve juice)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Baking powder
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated
1/4 teaspoon Ground Allspice
1 cup packed light Brown sugar
1 cup Granulated Sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup Vegetable oil

Optional

1 cup Chopped Walnuts
1 cup Raisins, golden and black or whatever kind you have Soaked in Pineapple or Orange juice, rum if you prefer

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese chilled
8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened at room temperature
1 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar sifted after measuring
2 tablespoons pure Vanilla Extract
Walnuts, Pecans, or Almond for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and eggs until thick and pale. Stir in the oil, then gradually mix in the sifted dry ingredients. Fold in the carrots and nuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

FROST THE CAKE:

Place 1 cake layer on a large plate and cover the top with about 1/3 of the frosting. Invert the second layer on top of the frosted bottom layer so that the flat side (the bottom) is on top. Spread the remaining frosting on the sides and top of the cake, if you wish. If you use walnuts or pecans in the cake, sprinkle the frosting with a few tablespoons of lightly toasted chopped nuts. Also, I sliced the cake in half and added a thin layer or frosting in between. It is not necessary, but it tasted great.
Before serving, slice the cake into equal squares and serve as bars.

Notes

TIPS Don't over-mix or let your cake sit too long. Baking soda reacts immediately so if you over-mix or leave it around, the gas will escape and your cake will be flat. Use the good pans.

Line the bottom of your layer pans with wax paper or parchment paper. To make a bundt, bake at 325 for 75-90 minutes.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 463Total Fat 26gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 72mgSodium 284mgCarbohydrates 53gFiber 2gSugar 36gProtein 6g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate, but we try our best.