The BEST carrot cake bars and you don't have to shred a single carrot! Would you believe that you can get the same delicious flavor using carrot baby food? Soft and fluffy carrot cake bars spread with cream cheese frosting. Your family will love these!
You might also like our Easter basket sugar cookies, our chocolate peanut butter eggs or our frosted banana bars!
Watch our step by step video!
These carrot cake bars are ridiculously soft and fluffy. Not dense at all like classic carrot cake recipes. I love that they still have the classic carrot cake flavors and richness and are made from scratch. You can slice them into 12 generous portions and eat them with a fork, or cut them into small, bite-sized, pieces. This is what I usually do!
Carrot Cake Bars Made With Carrot Baby Food
Baby food? That's right. No peeling or shredding carrots. Simply mix in ½ cup. pureed carrot baby food! The baby food gives the bars a beautiful orange color and adds a delicious flavor. So easy.
It's best to let them sit until the frosting begins to set (you can speed this up by placing the baking dish into the refrigerator for 15 min.) before cutting into squares. You'll get a cleaner cut and the bars are easier to pick up.
Ingredients
Bars
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 4 oz. (½ cup) pureed carrot baby food
- 4 oz. (½ cup) pureed apple baby food (or applesauce)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 oz. cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp. milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Note: if you don't care for cream cheese frosting I highly recommend using the vanilla frosting recipe that I use in my frosted banana bars.
How To Make Carrot Cake Bars
Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer.
Add egg. Beat until mixed thoroughly.
Add baby food and applesauce. Mix.
Add dry ingredients. Mix and spread mixture in 9"x13" baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Bake bars at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick, inserted, comes out clean.
Cool COMPLETELY.
While bars cool, beat frosting ingredients together. Spread frosting over cooled carrot cake bars and top with chopped walnuts (if desired).
Allow bars to sit until frosting begins to set up before cutting. You don't HAVE to do this, but it does make it easier to get clean cuts. Cut bars into 12 portions for cake or 48 portions for bite-sized bars (cut into 12 pieces then cut each piece into quarters), wiping knife clean (with a paper towel) after each cut to wipe off the excess frosting.
Store bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container or covered in plastic.
I hope you enjoy this bite-sized dessert as much as we do!
If you'd like to make a half sheet of carrot cake bars, make 1.5 batches of batter and bake in a 13x18" half sheet pan.
The BEST Carrot Cake Bars
Carrot Cake Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 4 oz. pureed carrot baby food (½ cup)
- 4 oz. pureed apple baby food (or applesauce) (½ cup)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 6 oz. cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in egg.Mix in baby foods.
- Add dry ingredients and mix.
- Spread batter into 9"x13" baking dish sprayed with non stick cooking spray.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until toothpick, inserted, comes out clean.
- Allow carrot cake bars to cool completely.
- While bars cool, beat frosting ingredients together.Spread over cooled bars.Sprinkle with chopped walnuts, if desired.
- Allow frosting to set up slightly before cutting. You can speed this up by refrigerating the frosted bars for 15 minutes. Wipe knife after each cut for clean cuts.
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