These small but mighty carrot cake bars have all the classic carrot cake perks in an easy bake-and-take snackable form. Yum!
For me it’s non-negotiable ~ I’m committed to baking along with the seasons, and for early spring that means carrot cake. Or carrot muffins, or carrot coffee cake, or…today I landed on these user-friendly carrot cake bars. These little bars are everything I love about classic carrot cake, baked the easy way ~ because it’s spring, y’all, and nobody needs to spend the day fussing with layers.
The carrot cake shortcut
- NO LAYERS ~ Easy to bake in one pan and cut into snackable squares
- LOADED ~ With carrots, pineapple, golden raisins, pecans, and coconut
- THAT FROSTING ✔️ A thick layer guarantees some in every bite
- BAKE & TAKE ~ From the office coffee break to Easter brunch
Carrot Cake’s most controversial ingredient
Raisins might be the most divisive carrot cake add-in. Some bakers love the little bursts of sweetness they bring, while others feel they interrupt the soft, spiced crumb. I’m a fan of golden raisins ~ their lighter color blends right into the cake, and they’re usually plumper and a little sweeter than regular raisins.
Tip: If your raisins are shriveled, try soaking them first. A quick 10-minute soak in orange juice or rum plumps them up and adds flavor.
Why these bars are better the next day
Carrot cake is one of those bakes that actually improves after a rest. The moisture from the carrots, pineapple, and raisins has time to redistribute through the crumb, making the cake even softer and more cohesive. By the next day the flavors have settled in and the cream cheese frosting has firmed up slightly, so every slice holds together beautifully.
customize your carrot cake bars
Yes, a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour substitute usually works well in carrot cake because the batter is naturally moist and forgiving.
Yes, no adjustments needed.
It’s better if you use freshly grated carrots, I like to do this in my food processor or the large holes of a box grater. You can use bagged, but they will be coarser and drier, so will give you a slightly different result in carrot cake bars.
A few other low moisture veggies can work like golden beets, sweet potato, or butternut squash. Grate them finely.
Best idea is to 1.5x the recipe. The baking time will be similar, so check at 35 minutes.
Yes, leftover bars should be refrigerated because of that luscious cream cheese in the frosting. No worries, though, their texture becomes delicioulsy fudgy when chilled.
carrot cake bars ~ the bottom line
These loaded carrot cake bars got a universal thumbs up from all my taste testers, ages 3-70. They’re so much lighter than a layer cake, but are definitely rich enough to satisfy any dessert craving. The contrast between the moist chunky carrot base with the fluffy cream cheese frosting is really great.
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Carrot Cake Bars
Equipment
- 9×9 baking pan I recommend this USA pan
- parchment paper optional
Ingredients
wet ingredients
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed.
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
dry ingredients
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, measure with the spoon and level method for accuracy.
additions
- 1 cup finely grated carrot, not packed
- 1/4 cup well-drained crushed pineapple, I drain and then squeeze out excess moisture with paper towels.
- 1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans*, plus more for garnish.
- 1/4 sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
cream cheese frosting
- 4 Tbsp butter, softened
- 4 ounces whipped cream cheese
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, or more as needed.
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- a squeeze of lemon juice
- pinch of salt
garnish
- chopped toasted pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and butter your 9×9 baking pan. You can line with parchment paper if you like, this helps remove the cake for easy frosting and serving.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the wet ingredients well: the 1/4 cup melted butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract, making sure that the eggs are completely broken up and incorporated.
- Whisk in the 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. Fold in the 1 cup all-purpose flour and then, when the flour is not quite fully incorporated, start folding in the additions: your 1 cup finely grated carrot, 1/4 cup well-drained crushed pineapple, 1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans*, 1/4 sweetened shredded coconut , and 1/2 cup golden raisins. Fold until everything is well incorporated, be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Turn the batter into your prepared pan and spread out evenly. Bake in the middle rack of your preheated oven for about 35 minutes, or until set in the center. A toothpick should come out without wet batter, but very moist crumbs are expected.
- Let the cake cool in the pan to firm up a bit, and if you have used parchment paper you can remove it to finish cooling on a rack. In either case let the cake cool completely before frosting.
- Generoulsy frost your cooled cake and top with chopped toasted pecans.
cream cheese frosting
- Cream the 4 Tbsp butter, softened and 4 ounces whipped cream cheese together, then add the 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp milk, 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Add more milk if your frosting is too thick, or add a bit more sugar if you want it thicker.
Notes
Nutrition
More carrot cake!
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Classic Carrot Cake
The perfect carrot cake with just the right amount of spice, and a thick layer of cream cheese frosting ~ hold on to this recipe!
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Carrot Cake Muffins
These deliciously spiced carrot cake muffins are made in one bowl and frosted with a tangy & sweet cream cheese frosting!
Another sure to please recipe and one I bet the Easter Bunny will show up for too!
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