Last Updated on March 1, 2021 by Kathryn Donangelo
These Carrot Cake Bars are incredibly moist, perfectly spiced and have a creamy cheesecake filling swirled into each bite! These bars make a delicious dessert for Easter!
These Carrot Cake Bars are a combination of a classic Carrot Cake and cheesecake. Imagine the two desserts combined and transformed into bars- that’s exactly what this recipe is like! Made with a classic Carrot Cake recipe and has a decadent cream cheese filling that is swirled throughout the bars to give these bars an extra special touch.
If you’re looking for a dessert for Easter, these bars would be perfect! Be sure to also try my Spring Cake Mix Cookies and this Lemon Poppy Seed Yogurt Bread.
Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts so of course I had to add it to these bars to make these Carrot Cake Bars extra delicious! The cheesecake swirl filling adds richness and a creamy texture. If you love cheesecake you’ll love my Best Ever Cheesecake Bites, Lemon Cheesecake Bars and Dunkaroo Fufetti Cheesecake Bites.
Spring time is the perfect time to make these Carrot Cake Bars because you can enjoy these bars as a dessert, snack or it can be added to a brunch menu. I have always loved a good old fashioned slice of moist carrot cake and this recipe suffices just that. I feel like eating Carrot Cake should happen more than just Easter or Spring time. After all, carrots are a vegetable so you don’t have to feel too guilty about these bars!
There are only a few simple steps to these bars and the cheesecake swirl filling gives these bars just the right amount of sweetness. You won’t even miss the classic cream cheese frosting you get on carrot cake! Since these are cut into bars, they make it extra easy to eat!
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE CARROT CAKE BARS
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Egg + egg yolk
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Ground cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Shredded carrots
- Nuts
- Cream cheese
- Granulated sugar
HOW TO MAKE CARROT CAKE BARS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or line the pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the melted butter and brown sugar until combined. Stir in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract.
- Add in the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, salt and nuts (optional). Mix together until completely combined.
- Fold in the shredded carrots until the carrots have been incorporated into the batter. Set aside.
HOW TO MAKE CHEESECAKE SWIRL
- In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer and mix together the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE CARROT CAKE BARS
- Add half of the carrot cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Evenly spread the batter with a butter knife or spatula.
- Add half of the cheesecake batter to the carrot cake batter. Drop dollops (about a tablespoon) of the cheesecake batter over the carrot cake batter.
- Add the remaining carrot cake mixture to the baking pan and evenly spread the top with a butter knife or a spatula. Add the remaining cheesecake batter to the top and with a toothpick or skewer, swirl the batters together. You can swirl as much or as little as you prefer!
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until batter isn’t jiggly and the edges are golden brown. Cool completely and then cut into bars. Enjoy!
LEFTOVERS
Since there is cream cheese in these Carrot Cake Bars, the safest way to store these is in the refrigerator. You can store them in an airtight container or simply place them on a plate and cover them tightly with plastic wrap. The will stay fresh for up to 3-4 days and you can eat them cold, straight out of the fridge! I prefer to eat these bars cold and they will firm up a bit too.
LOOKING FOR OTHER EASY DESSERTS? TRY THESE EASY RECIPES!
- Strawberry Nice Cream
- Perfect Chocolate Chip Bars
- Funfetti Dunkaroo Dip
- S’mores Cookies
- Easy Butterfinger® Ice Cream
- Glazed Buttermilk Donut Cake
- One Bowl Brownies
- Caramel Apple Toffee Dip
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Carrot Cake Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter; melted
- 1 cup brown sugar; packed
- 1 whole large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/4-1/2 cup chopped nuts; optional
Cheesecake swirl
- 4 ounces cream cheese; softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or line the pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the melted butter and brown sugar until combined. Stir in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract.
- Add in the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, salt and nuts (optional). Mix together until completely combined.
- Fold in the shredded carrots until the carrots have been incorporated into the batter. Set aside.
To make the cheesecake swirl
- In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer and mix together the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
To assemble the Carrot Cake Bars
- Add half of the carrot cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Evenly spread the batter with a butter knife or spatula.
- Add half of the cheesecake batter to the carrot cake batter. Drop dollops (about a tablespoon) of the cheesecake batter over the carrot cake batter.
- Add the remaining carrot cake mixture to the baking pan and evenly spread the top with a butter knife or a spatula. Add the remaining cheesecake batter to the top and with a toothpick or skewer, swirl the batters together. You can swirl as much or as little as you prefer!
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until batter isn't jiggly and the edges are golden brown. Cool completely and then cut into 9 regular sized bars or 16 small sized bars. Enjoy!
Ohhh, I’m so glad you shared these! I just adore carrot cake, especially with the spring right around the corner, and I love that these come in bar form. Really makes it simple for serving.
Thanks Amanda! These bars so easy to make and taste just like an original carrot cake! I hope you get a chance to try them!
These are so original, I love this idea for carrot cake bars! Can’t wait to try them. Perfect for our family. We love carrot cake so much! Thank you!
You are so welcome! I hope you love these carrot cake bars! 🙂
I hate the hassle of making a layered cake, so finding this is really exciting. I love the different textures you have in this carrot cake bar.
ME too! These bars are so much easier and tastier too in my opinion 😉
These Carrot Cake Bars look soooo mouthwatering! I am so excited to make this today.
Thanks Dennis! I hope you love them!!
Wow this recipe made such a moist carrot cake. Love it, thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much! So happy to hear you loved them!
These bars are so tasty, creative and clever. I’ve been wanting to make a cheesecake or something like it and I love this recipe plus several others of yours.
Oh then this recipe is perfect since it’s a combo of carrot cake AND cheesecake! I hope you get a chance to try it out! 🙂
Oh my gosh these sound amazing! I’m crushing hard on these pics! I love carrot cake and yours looks perfect!
AW thanks is much Lori! They are a spring favorite of mine that’s for sure!
Your carrot cake bars look delicious and perfect! Such a fun and unique twist for carrot cake!
They really are! Thanks Tammy!
You had me at cheesecake swirl! This one is to die for and my son is going to be so excited when I make this one for him.
I hope you love it just as much as we did, enjoy!
This carrot cake recipe was fantastic! The entire family enjoyed it, and I will be sharing the recipe with a few coworkers that enjoy this cuisine, Have a great week!!!
Heidy
That is great to hear, thank you Heidy!
What a unique and original recipe! I love both cheesecake and carrot cake and appreciate that this recipe allows me to try them both together.
Thank you Moop. I agree! This recipe is perfect especially if you love both cheesecake and carrot cake.
These turned out Fabulous!! Thank you for the recipe! I multiplied the recipe 5x and baked in a half sheet cake pan and cut into bites for a crowd. Baked at 325 for 50-60 minutes
Thanks for letting me know, Summer! 🙂 So happy you loved these bars and love the large batch version!