Easter season is the perfect time for carrot cakes. But I will admit, I am a little too lazy to make beautiful layered version swathed in cream cheese frosting, decorated with icing or marzipan carrots. I tend to go for bundt or tube cakes, like these Carrot Ginger or Carrot Coconut version. My other cheat is these lovely bars packed with carrots then gently swirled with a cream cheese filling. It really is like bite size carrot cake. This is an old school recipe, but to add some interest, I’ve included a mix of spices that create a whiff of exotic flavor. Warm ginger, bright nutmeg, earthy cloves and classic cinnamon up the ante on a classic.
These bars are incredibly moist because of the carrots freshly grated on the small holes of a grater. Don’t be tempted to use the pre-shredded bagged carrots, they are too thick and dry. Thin wisps practically melt into the batter and add that lovely moistness with no stringy, chewy bits. I adore this mix of spices, but you could use all ginger or all cinnamon. These bars are nicely rich, so small squares served on the Easter buffet are a perfect little sweet bite, but I have no issue with large slabs either!
Ingredients
- For the Bars
2 large carrots, peeled (to make 1 cup lightly packed grated)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- For the Filling
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
- For the Bars
- Line an 8 by 8 inch baking pan with parchment or nonstick foil with an overhang to lift the cooked bars out. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grate the peeled carrots on the fine holes of a grater to produce on lightly packed cup of carrot.
- Put the sugar and melted butter in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and stir to completely combine. Add the flour, salt, baking powder and spices and stir until combined and there are no visible traces of dry ingredients. Fold in the grated carrots, making sure they are evenly distributed and there are no large clumps of carrot. Spread half of the batter into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.
- For the Filling
- Beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl with a hand mixer (or a stand mixer) to loosen it up, then add the sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and spices and beat until smooth and combined. Use a teaspoon to dollop blobs of cream cheese on top of the batter in the pan. Dollop the remaining carrot batter over the surface and gently smooth the top. It’s okay if the cream cheese and the batter spread together. Use a thin bladed knife to swirl the batters together, then smooth the top lightly, just so there are no big open furrows. Bake the bars for 30 – 35 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan, then lift out the bars using the foil overhang and cut into squares. These will keep, tightly wrapped, for 2 days on the counter.
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