Carrot Cake Bars with a Cream Cheese Swirl
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Carrot Cake Bars with a cream cheese swirl is a delicious combination of carrot cake and luscious cheesecake. Sweet, creamy cheesecake plus the flavor of classic carrot cake in one bite. Prepare to be wowed by this gorgeous bar that swirls together two desserts into pure deliciousness.
So pretty, and of course, delicious!
Carrot Cake Bars
Carrot Cake Bars loaded with freshly grated carrots, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a sweet, rich cream cheese swirl make for a truly decadent treat.
For me, a cream cheese swirl puts any recipe over the top! The added creaminess makes these bars irresistibly moist and sumptuous.
Even better, these carrot cake bars can easily be made a few days in advance of when you want to serve them. They keep well in the fridge for up to five days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can eat them straight from the fridge or at room temperature.
Make up a batch for dessert tonight, Easter, or serve at your next family gathering, book club meeting, or weekend brunch. (I like making bars as opposed to a cake for a big group; just a little easier to portion out and serve.)
Why You Should Make These Carrot Cake Bars
- Moist and fluffy – These carrot cake bars have a nice, moist texture.
- Rich, sweet cream cheese filling – The swirl of cream cheese baked into the bars is a delicious change of pace from the traditional carrot cake topped with cream cheese icing.
- Can’t decide whether to make carrot cake or cheesecake? – These carrot cake bars with cream cheese are the perfect combination of both.
Ingredients And Tips For Making Carrot Cake Bars
(Ingredients at a glance, you will find the full recipe with ingredient amounts in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
Carrot Cake:
- Butter | Melted butter works best.
- Brown sugar | Any kind of brown sugar will work to sweeten these bars; light or dark.
- Egg | Any kind of egg will work in this bar recipe. I usually bake with large, white eggs.
- Vanilla extract | Use real vanilla extract, not imitation extract.
- Flour | All-purpose flour is used to make these carrot cake bars.
- Cinnamon | I used ground cinnamon in these bars.
- Baking powder | Baking powder helps these bars rise just a touch.
- Salt | A pinch of salt enhances the flavor.
- Carrots | You’ll need one cup shredded or about 2 medium fresh carrots. I like to peel the carrots first. Don’t use pre-shredded carrots that you purchase at the store. They can be too dry.
Cheesecake filling:
- Cream cheese | Block cream cheese is best. Full fat is what is suggested for the recipe, but low fat works too. Make sure the cream cheese has softened to room temperature for best results.
- Sugar | White granulated sugar is added to sweeten the cheesecake filling.
- Egg | large.
- Vanilla extract | I always suggest using the best real vanilla extract over imitation.
How To Make Carrot Cake Bars
1 Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit.
2 In a large bowl, whisk butter and brown sugar together. Whisk in egg and vanilla extract.
3 Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients in until just combined.
4 Stir in carrots.
5 Spread 3/4 of the batter into a greased or parchment-lined 8×8-inch baking pan.
6 In a smaller mixing bowl, use a stand or hand mixer to beat cream cheese and granulated sugar together until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla until fully incorporated.
7 Spread the cream cheese mixture over the carrot cake layer. Dot with remaining cake batter.
8 Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the edges begin to brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan.
9 Slice into 12 bars and serve.
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Recipe Tips
- Bring the eggs, butter, and cream cheese to room temperature before you begin assembling the recipe. They will blend easier than if used straight from the fridge.
- Wash and dry the carrots well before shredding them. You can use a hand grater or a food processor to grate them.
- You don’t want to pack the flour into the measuring cup to measure the flour. (This happens when you use the measuring cup to scoop the flour out of the container.) Instead, use a spoon to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then use a butter knife to level off the cup.
- Don’t overmix the carrot cake or cheesecake batter.
- Line the baking dish with parchment paper for easy removal from the pan. I like to secure the parchment paper to the sides of the pan with small binder clips.
- For best results, you can transfer the pan to the fridge to completely chill for at least 3 hours after baking.
Variations
- Add some nutmeg or allspice to the carrot cake batter.
- Add 1/2 cup of finely chopped walnuts, pecans, or raisins to the carrot cake batter.
- Add 1/2 cup of shredded sweetened coconut to your carrot cake batter.
- Top your bars with a crumble topping. (1/2 cup butter, cubed, 3/4 cup flour, 1/3 powdered sugar. Whisk together flour and sugar. Add the butter and use your fingers to mix the sugar/flour mixture into the butter until pea-sized pieces are formed. Sprinkle over the top of the carrot cake bars.)
Storage
You can store these Carrot Cake Bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze your leftover bars. Stack in an airtight container, separating the layers with wax paper to prevent them from sticking together once frozen. For best results, freeze up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge.
FAQs
Why are my carrot cake bars not moist?
If your bars are not moist, it could be because you overbaked them.
Why did my carrot cake bars sink in the middle?
The most common culprit is over-mixing the batter. When you overmix, too much air is incorporated into the batter, causing it to rise too fast and then sink. Mix the batter only until just combined. Another reason is that the bars were not baked long enough and were not set completely in the middle. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Should I peel the carrots before I shred them?
To peel or not to peel is really up to you. I prefer to peel my carrots. If left unpeeled, any imperfections in the carrot will darken in the oven.
Can Carrot Cake Bars be Made Ahead?
Yes, this is one of those recipes that gets better the longer the bars sit. You can make this recipe one to two days in advance. Let the bars cool to room temperature, wrap them in plastic wrap, and store them in the fridge.
Can I use low fat cream cheese for the cheesecake swirl?
You can use low-fat cream cheese for the swirl but I recommend you use full fat for a richer taste and better texture.
How long do these Easy carrot cake bars last?
These carrot cake bars will last up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. You can freeze leftover bars tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 months.
Looking for more Dessert bar recipes?
For more ways to serve carrot cake, be sure to check out my round-up of 39+ Carrot Desserts.
Did you make these Carrot Cake Bars?
Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. If you share an image on Instagram or Facebook, be sure to tag me and use #scatteredmomrecipes!
Carrot Cake Bars
- Prep Time: 12
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: desserts
- Method: oven
Description
Carrot Cake Bars with a cream cheese swirl is a delicious combination of carrot cake and luscious cheesecake. Sweet, creamy cheesecake plus the flavor of classic carrot cake in one bite. Prepare to be wowed by this gorgeous bar that swirls together two desserts into pure deliciousness.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded carrots (about 1 large)
Cheesecake filling:
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit.
- Whisk butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl.
- Whisk in egg and vanilla extract.
- Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix until just combined.
- Stir in carrots.
- Spread ¾ of the batter into a greased or parchment-lined 8×8-inch baking pan.
- In a smaller mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar together until smooth.
- Beat in egg and vanilla until fully incorporated.
- Spread over the carrot cake layer.
- Dot with remaining cake batter.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes until edges begin to brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool in the pan.
- Slice into 12 bars and serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 299
- Fat: 13
- Carbohydrates: 38
- Protein: 8
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