Carrot Cake Bars

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Cooling30

Total Time1 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Carrot Cake Bars

Servings: bars

2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutemg
1/4 teaspoons ground clover
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil (180 ml)
1 cup brown sugar (210 grams) light or dark
1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams) caster is fine too
1/4 cup sour cream (60 ml) or plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups finely shredded carrots
1/2 cup crushed pineapple (about 100 grams after draining) drained, I recommend pineapple that's in juice instead of syrup
1/2 cup chopped walnuts optional
1/2 cup raisins optional

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Lightly grease a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan, then dust with flour. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs. Then whisk in the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla and sour cream Whisk until there are no more lumps of sugar or sour cream.
Stir the drained pineapple (optional) and shredded carrot.
Stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Fold the ingredients in gently and stop mixing when you no longer see lumps or streaks of flour.
Gently fold in the optional raisins or chopped walnuts. If adding raisins - make sure to separate them first before adding them to the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the top looks set, the edges are starting to pull away from the pan and an inserted toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs but no gooey cake batter.

In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth.
Chop the cream cheese into cubes (about 8-10 is fine) and add to the bowl. Beat together until just combined.
Add in 2 cups sifted powdered sugar along with the vanilla and salt. Beat together, starting with the mixer on a low speed until combined.
Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time, alternating with 1 tablespoon of cream as needed until the desired sweetness is reached.
Ensure the bars are fully cooled first (you can speed this up by placing in the fridge). Then frost with a flat edge knife. I like to sift a little nutmeg or cinnamon on top of the bars for a little visual appeal, but that's optional.

Carrots: For this recipe, I recommend finely shredding the carrots. Because the bake time isn't too long, the finely shredded carrots dissolve better. Do not use shredded carrots that come in a bag from the grocery store, as I find these are too large for baking with.
Crushed Pineapple: I recommend crushed pineapple as opposed to chopped pineapple because it will dissolve more as the bars bake.
Raisins & Walnuts: I recommend using either raisins or walnuts for this recipe. I find that when using both, the bars do not slice as well.
Cream Cheese: Be sure to use brick-style, full fat cream cheese. Do not use low fat, low calorie, or anything labeled spreadable or whipped.
Storage: Store bars covered or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 bar with frosting, assuming the recipe yields 20 uniform bars.