Baby food carrot cake bars
Sheet Pan Carrot Cake Bars
Published : Updated : by Together As Family 3 Comments
CARROT CAKE BARS
I have found that you either love carrot cake or hate it. Which one are you? I am a carrot cake lover!
There are so many different types of carrot cake out there. Raisins, pineapple, nuts.... I am pretty sure that every carrot cake lover has their preference.
Lucky for y'all I aim to please and I have quite a few variations of carrot cake on the blog. Not one with raisins in it cause I just can't. Sorry.
Today's recipe for carrot cake bars require no peeling and shredding carrots! So if you're one of those people that likes carrot cake but not all the stuff and chunks in it, then you will definitely want to make these bars.
Carrot cake has such a warm and sweet spice to it and then top it with some tangy cram cheese frosting and it's pure heaven.
I am not a big frosting lover but cream cheese frosting is something I can tolerate because it's not overly sweet and has the perfect tang that pairs nicely with the sweet and moist carrot cake.
Topped with chopped walnuts and you won't be able to stop yourself from eating it.
Don't let the baby food turn you off to these bars because they are seriously amazing and you would never even know that there is baby food in them! I have to admit that I don't mind baby food at all.
It's like pureed fruit and I'd be lying if I said I have never licked the baby spoon after feeing my kids 🙂
The baby food acts like applesauce in these bars. It provides softness and richness with a lower fat ingredient.
HOW TO MAKE SHEET PAN CARROT CAKE BARS
- Combine sugar, oil, eggs, and carrot baby food puree. Add in your dry ingredients and mix together.
- Pour the batter into a cookie sheet with sides and bake in the oven.
- Once the bars have cooled completely you can frost them with a whipped cream cheese frosting.
- Serve these carrot cake bars at room temperature or cold. I prefer them cold.
MY TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- Make sure you spray the cookie sheet well with cooking spray to prevent any sticking.
- To make clean knife cuts in the bars, wet the knife with warm water and then wipe it dry between cuts. This helps the knife cuts be clean and precise.
- The most important thing is to let the bars cool completely before frosting. They cannot even be a little but warm when frosted. I always make these bars the day before and leave them out on the counter overnight. I frost them the next day and then leave them in the fridge until I need them. I prefer them cold from the fridge.
- If you really, really, really love frosting then feel free to double the frosting recipe (or 1 ½ x the recipe). I use the recipe as directed and think it's enough frosting.
TRY THESE OTHER CARROT CAKE RECIPES
- Pineapple Pecan Carrot Cake
- Carrot Cake Cheesecake Whoopie Pies
- Layered Carrot Cake with Pineapple Frosting
- Carrot Banana Bread
- Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake
Sheet Pan Carrot Cake Bars
Jessica
Sheet Pan Carrot Cake Bars are made with a surprise ingredient that makes them so moist, soft, and easy to make - carrot baby food! No shredding and peeling carrots needed for these delicious carrot cake bars topped with a whipped cream cheese frosting.
4.67 from 6 votes
Print Recipe Pin RecipePrep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 35 carrot cake bars
Calories 138 kcal
carrot cake bars
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 4 large eggs
- 12 ounces carrot baby food ( 3 jars - 4 oz each)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
whipped cream cheese frosting
- 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 5 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon full-fat sour cream
- ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet with sides(12"x18") by spraying with cooking spray.
In large bowl, add sugar, oil, eggs, and carrot baby food.
Beat together with a handheld blender until combined together and smooth. Add in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Blend together just until combined and no flour streaks remain.
Pour batter into the prepared cookie sheet and make sure it's spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Edges should be slightly pulled away form sides, the top will be a golden brown and then center should not be wet and jiggly. A toothpick inserted should come out clean or with moist crumbs.
Let cool completely before frosting.
To make frosting: beat together the butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl until combined and smooth. Add sour cream, vanilla extract, heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar. If wanted, add more or less milk depending on the consistency wanted.
Depending on how big or small you want these bars, you may get more or less than serving suggestion. I cut them rather big for the pictures but normally would cut them into smaller pieces so I would end up with about 30 servings.
Garnish with chopped walnuts. I found the cute carrot shapes at Target. They are completely not necessary but if you see them at the store, grab them, cause they look so cute on the bars.
Make sure to let the bars cool completely before frosting. I always make the bars the night before I need them. Once cooled, I cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter overnight. I frost them the next day.
Calories: 138kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 158mgPotassium: 86mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 1749IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg
Keyword carrot cake, carrot cake bars, easter recipe
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Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Jump to RecipeEasy and sweet “picnic” Carrot Cake Bars are made with creamy and tangy vanilla cream cheese icing and will make anyone happy! Flavors of cinnamon, puréed carrots, and spicy nutmeg are combined with sugar to create the best dessert bars you’ll ever eat!
Soft and Easy Carrot Bars Recipe
I love this carrot bar recipe! It’s so easy to make, and each and every time that I do, they are devoured.
I got this recipe out of an old church cookbook from 1980. The cream cheese frosting is the perfect topper for these delicious carrot cake bars!
Bake your feelings away with this baking recipe. The batter comes together in minutes and creates treats that are incredibly moist, pleasant, and definite dealbreakers for carrot cake lovers. Baby food carrots allow this recipe to be pillowy and filled with light textures that will make your mouth water! Who would have thought?
These carrot squares are great for picnics, holidays, and anytime you need to impress someone else (or yourself.) This is one of those recipes that really caught my attention when I discovered it years ago. Ever since I found this carrot recipe in the old-fashioned cookbook I mentioned earlier, we’ve been hooked ever since and make these dessert bars anytime we crave those classic flavors of carrot cake.
What is it about carrot cake that you just love? There is nothing quite like the nostalgia you can feel from eating your favorite carrot-flavored desserts. The magical duo–cream cheese and carrot cake–come in many forms such as this fan-favorite carrot bundt cake. There are so many great things to say about these recipes, but I will let the flavors do all the talking!
National Cookbook Month
October is National Cookbook Month. I have hundreds of cookbooks, but by far, my favorites are the good old-fashioned church cookbooks! I am participating in an event with a few other bloggers that showcase recipes from a cookbook of their choosing. You Can see what all of them chose at the end of this post, underneath the printable recipe card.
This recipe was adapted from one that I found in the Centennial Cookbook from Havelock United Methodist Church in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Why This Recipe is the Best
- Easy: One of my very favorite things about this recipe is just how simple it is! The cream cheese frosting can easily come together while the carrot cake bars cook!
- Indulgent: The rich flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg shine through this recipe and create the perfect pair with the cream cheese topping.
The baby food carrots allow the cake to be super moist and so easy to bite into. - Sweet: Not too sweet, but sweet enough, these bars are the best way to satisfy your sweet tooth desires!
- Perfect for the Family: Great for all ages, everyone will love these cake bars. I always make sure to bake extra because I know my family will eat all of them!
Ingredients Needed
Dry Ingredients
Sugar: Granulated white sugar is used to make these cake bars as sweet and soft as they can be.
Flour: All-purpose flour is an easy flour to use for this recipe because everyone usually always has it on hand!
Baking Soda: Baking soda is a leavening agent that allows the cake to rise and become fluffy.
Salt: Salt gives this recipe some extra flavor and balances out the sweet flavors!
Cinnamon: Use ground cinnamon for these carrot cake bars.
If you only have cinnamon sticks, then you can grate them with a boxed grater or break them up into pieces and put them in the food processor.
Nutmeg: Use ground nutmeg if you can! Of course, you can grate the whole nutmeg if that is all you have.
Wet Ingredients
Eggs: You will need four eggs for this recipe. Make sure you remove them from the fridge ahead of time!
Carrots: The secret to this recipe is using jars of baby food carrots. Puréed carrots give these bars extra moisture and true carrot flavors that are so delicious.
For the Icing
Powdered Sugar: Also known as icing or confectioner’s sugar, this light sugar is used to make the cream cheese frosting sweet and super delicious.
Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract gives the frosting yummy flavors of warm vanilla that are definitely a must!
Butter: Use either salted or unsalted butter for the frosting to make it extra good.
Make sure the butter is softened or it will be difficult to blend the frosting!
Cream Cheese: Softened cream cheese creates a frosting that is fluffy and rich with bold flavors. The smooth flavors of cream cheese are the best combination with the carrot cake.
Don’t know where to find jars of baby food? Find carrot baby food in the baby section at well-stocked grocery stores or supermarkets. Stores will usually always have jars of baby carrots.
How to Make Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Make sure to follow these steps word by word so your cake bars will come out delicious! Follow the pictures from left to right.
First Step – Preheat Oven
First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a jelly roll pan (10 ½” x 15 ½”) and set it aside. You can grease the pan with either butter or spray oil.
Second Step – Cream Ingredients
With a wooden spoon or electric or stand mixer, cream together the eggs and sugar until fluffy.
After that, mix in the oil. Next, stir the carrots until just mixed and smooth.
Third Step – Sift Dry Ingredients
Next, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and pour the sifted dry ingredients into the carrot mixture. Meanwhile, stir the mixture as you go.
Fourth Step – Bake
Next, spread the cake batter into the prepared jelly roll pan. After that, bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Keep in mind different ovens will have different baking times and temperatures.
Fifth Step – Cool
Next, remove the carrot cake bars from the ocean and allow them to cool while you prepare the frosting.
Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting
Meanwhile, cream together the butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Then, add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Next, mix the frosting until very smooth and no lumps remain.
Frost the Carrot Bars
Finally, frost the cooled cake with a rubber spatula or offset spatula.
Make to evenly spread the frosting on top.
Enjoy these bars immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. Enjoy! You are going to LOVE these bars!
LOVE THIS CARROT RECIPE? PIN IT!
Save these carrot cake bars with cream cheese frosting for the next time you desire carrot cake! These bars are mixed together in only one bowl and are so easy to make, too. Finally, Pin it to Pinterest!
Tips
- Be careful to not overbake the bars or they will turn out to be dry.
- Serve these carrot bars with chopped pecans or raisins for extra flavor and texture.
- Place bars in a single layer in an airtight container and cover. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- Instead of carrots, then use puréed pumpkin or squash.
Serving Suggestions
These baked treats are delicious after main course meals and lunch. I like to bake these bars whenever we are tailgating because I know everyone will be begging for them! This carrot bar recipe is yummy served with a glass of your favorite milk or a cup of coffee or tea–delicious!
Other Tasty Bars You Will Enjoy
Be sure to look at all of my desserts to choose something you really like! There is something for everyone!
- Lemon Brownies
- Double Chocolate Brownies
- Citrus Carrot Cookies
- Pumpkin Spice Bars
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Bars
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Ingredients
For the Bars
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 (4 ounce) jars of strained baby food carrots
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
For the Icing
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 Tablespoons butter, softened
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Grease a jelly roll pan (10 1/2" x 15 1/2) set aside. - With your mixer, cream together eggs and sugar until fluffy. Mix in oil.
- Stir in carrots.
- Sift the dry ingredients together, and slowly add to the wet mixture, stirring as you go.
- Spread into prepared jelly roll pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool before whipping together icing ingredients and frosting bars. Eat immediately or store in the fridge until you enjoy them.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
Offset Spatula , SIMEEGO Icing Spatula Set with 6 8 10 Inch Stainless Steel Blades
-
Glass Batter Bowl
-
Rubber Spatulas
-
Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
-
KitchenAid Hand Mixer
-
Wilton Performance Pans Aluminum Jelly Roll and Cookie Pan, 10.
5 x 15.5-Inch
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
20Serving Size:
2Amount Per Serving: Calories: 303Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 280mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 1gSugar: 28gProtein: 3g
Please note that nutrition is not guaranteed accurate.
National Cookbook Month Blog Post Contributors
- Betty Crocker Blueberrry Muffins by Art of Natural Liviing
- BBQ Chicken Tortilla Wraps by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting by An Affair from the Heart
- Chickpea Tortilla Soup by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Chocolate Crepes by That Recipe
- Joanna Gaines Chocolate Chip Cookies by Jen Around the World
- French Classics Made Easy: Savory Stuffed Crepes by Our Good Life
- German Chocolate Cookies by Blogghetti
- Helga’s Meatballs by Palatable Pastime
- Lima Beans with Bacon and Mustard by Food Lust People Love
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins by Family Around the Table
- Vegan Green Loobia Polo by Magical Ingredients
- Wild Rice and Onion Bread by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
If you make this recipe, I’d love to know! Snap a picture, share the photo on social media with the hashtag #AnAffairFromTheHeart – I’d love to see what you made! – Michaela
Step-by-step recipe, baby carrot bars
baby carrot bars
Back Forward
My mother used to make them when we were little! They are very wet! The secret lies in baby food!
Parameters
- servings: 24
- output: 13 x 9 inch pans
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 7 ½ oz junior baby food carrots
- ½ cup fresh carrots, chopped
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 (12 oz) container softened cream cheese
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 oz = 28.
35 grams
* 1 lb = 453.59 grams
Specifications
- Servings:24
- Output: 13 x 9inches pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 7 ½ oz junior baby food carrots
- ½ cup fresh carrots, chopped
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 (12 oz) container softened cream cheese
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 oz = 28.
35 grams
* 1 lb = 453.59 grams
- Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, eggs, vanilla and oil in a large bowl. Add baking soda, salt and flour to it. Mix baby carrots, raw carrots, raisins, and walnuts in a jar. Mix well.
- Bake in a greased and floured pan measuring 13x9inches at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) for 20 minutes. Check after 20 minutes by inserting a clean knife into the center. The knife should come out clean. Cool thoroughly before cutting.
- To Make the Frosting: Whisk together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Frost chilled the bars.
sillyblake10
best carrot bar recipe out there.
...have made this for years and family loves them......I sometimes substitute carrots for pumpkin and they come out great!!!!!
LINDSAY4
On the plus side, these bars tasted great and the frosting was amazing, but overall I wasn't impressed. The texture of the bars was too soft, which reminded me of baby food. The icing also needs to be cut in half.
hollydifrances
I made this recipe for my friends and they loved it too. It was moist and the frosting was amazing. The kids love it too. a basic recipe would be good for banana bars too.
Elizabeth
I made this yesterday for my 1 year old son's birthday cake and it was amazing! The only thing I have changed is that I make my own baby food for him, so I used homemade boiled carrot puree. Also, I halved the frosting recipe, but it was still a bit too much for our taste, so I'll try less next time - although it was delicious!
SHAMMA
I brought it to work and it was a great success.
Very moist and easy to prepare. This is the keeper.
TSTAAB
Half glaze was enough. Excellent.
TJACKSON
I got nothing but rave reviews for this cake. It really does look more like carrot cake than carrot bars, but who cares?! It's delicious - and you'll get the funniest look when people find out that baby food is a "secret!"
Kathy Sheets
Even though I have made some changes to this recipe (after reading all the reviews) I just have to give it 5 stars because I couldn't have come up with something so incredibly good without the original recipe. Here are the changes I made: I couldn't find a 7 1/2 oz baby food jar, so I used 2-4 oz jars of baby carrots. I only used 1/2 cup canola oil as I have substituted applesauce for all the butter in the recipe many times and only made 1/2 of the frosting recipe using 1/3 less fat cream cheese. It made a lot of frosting. Also, FYI, about 2 medium carrots chopped in my mini food processor made 1/2 C.
It might just be my oven, but I had to bake it for a total of 35 minutes before the cake tester came out clean . The end product is a cake, not a cookie, very moist, very delicious! I keep this in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting. Thank you star!
LINDA MCLEAN
Bugs Bunny has no idea what he's missing! Incredibly moist and delicious. However, next time I will cut the frosting recipe in half as I only have a little left.
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90,000 carrot squares with dried apricots, seeds and oatmeal, step -by -step recipe for 2750 kcal, photo, ingredientsAdd recipe
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Description ! Take any nuts and seeds, maple syrup, agave syrup or liquid honey will do instead of ginger syrup, and if your carrots are sweet, you can try to do without syrup altogether.
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The food value of the portion
458
kcal
19%
| Squirrels | 15 g |
| 20 g |
| Carbohydrates | 55 g |
% of the daily norm
4 %
4 %
4 %
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0294
| Dried and peeled sunflower seeds | 2 handfuls |
Snecessary seeds 9029 2 h.
| ginger syrup | 3 tbsp. l. sea salt0293 1 pinch |
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recipe photo reports3
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Step-by-step recipe with photo
Peel and finely grate the carrots.
Finely grate orange and lemon zest.
Cut dried apricots very finely or grind them in a food processor.
Grind cardamom seeds in a mortar.
Add orange and lemon zest, dried apricots, all seeds, oatmeal, crushed cardamom, ginger syrup to grated carrots, salt everything and mix.
