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–+ servings
Two carrot cake bars stacked on top of one another on a white plate.
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5 from 2 votes

Carrot Cake Bars

These carrot cake bars are perfectly moist, gently spiced, and swirled with cream cheese making them an easy dessert for Spring entertaining.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 220kcal
Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Ingredients

For the Carrot Cake Bars

  • 12 ounces pureed carrots*
  • 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 4 large eggs beaten
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • ¾ cup shredded carrots
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts optional

For the Cream Cheese Layer

  • 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For Bars

  • Preheat oven to 375F. Set rack to middle position. Prepare 13x9 pan with nonstick baking spray.
  • In a large bowl, add pureed carrots, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk together until evenly mixed.
  • In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
  • Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and add shredded carrots and walnuts, if using.

For Cream Cheese Layer

  • In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese and sugar with hand mixer or whisk.
  • Add in egg and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Assemble

  • Pour ¾ of carrot bar batter into prepared 13x9 baking pan.
  • Using offset spatula, spread thin cream cheese layer on top of carrot batter until no batter is showing through. Spoon remaining carrot batter into dollops randomly over cream cheese layer.
  • Swirl with butter knife the two layers together, creating a pretty swirl pattern.
  • Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes in pan. Serve warm or room temperature.

Video

Notes

  • Creating the Swirls. Gently pull a butter knife, skewer, or toothpick through the carrot batter splotches on the top to create a pattern. Only insert the knife only slightly into the top of layer of the batter.
  • Don't Over-Bake. Baking for too long is a sure-fire way to end up with dry dessert bars. Check it a bit ahead and remove it from the oven as soon as toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Cool Before Cutting. The dessert, especially the cream cheese swirl, will setup as the dessert cools.
  • Cutting the Bars. Use a sharp knife dipped in hot water and dried to make clean, precise cuts.

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 201mg | Potassium: 109mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 3220IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg