Delicious Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Swirl: Easy & Classic
Moist carrot cake bars blended with a luscious cream cheese swirl make an irresistible treat—perfect for parties or a sweet snack.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup grated carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp plain vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 4 oz softened cream cheese
- 1 tbsp softened butter
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar (for glaze)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment for easy release.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until well blended.
- In another bowl, beat eggs, then add sugar, brown sugar, oil, vanilla and lemon zest. Whisk until silky.
- Combine wet and dry mixtures, then fold in grated carrots. The batter should be thick but pourable.
- Pour half the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface.
- Divide softened cream cheese into small portions; use a toothpick or plastic skewer to create a marbled swirl pattern on top of the base batter.
- Pour the remaining plain batter over the swirl, careful not to disturb it too much.
- Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in pan on a rack; the bars will firm up but remain tender.
- Once cool, cut into bars. Dust with powdered sugar before serving for that classic look.