Description
Moist and spiced carrot cake bars swirled with rich cream cheese, perfect for cozy afternoons and festive celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 0.5 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 0.5 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 0.5 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup freshly grated carrots
- 4 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 0.5 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Create a well, then add softened butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until just combined.
- Gently fold in grated carrots.
- In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese with granulated sugar and egg yolk until smooth.
- Pour carrot batter into the pan, dollop cream cheese mixture on top, and swirl with a knife.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and slice into squares.
Notes
You can prepare the batter and cream cheese mixture ahead of time.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 29g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
Keywords: carrot cake, cream cheese bars, dessert, baking, cozy treats