These sheet pan carrot cake bars are super moist and topped with a super indulgent cream cheese frosting. As an added bonus, they are so so easy. Mix the ingredients, throw the batter into a sheet pan, and bake--it's that simple.
Every fall, my mom makes the best pumpkin cake bars, and I crave them all year long. Unfortunately pumpkin is a fall thing, so I only get to indulge on her pumpkin bars once a year. If pumpkins are the official food mascot of fall, then carrots have to be official food mascot of spring. So why not make the pumpkin cake into carrot cake?
This sheet pan carrot cake is everything you want in an easy spring recipe. It's super moist, super easy, and super delicious. I like to cut this carrot cake into bars, but you can do whatever you want. It's the perfect cake for Easter and spring celebrations.
If you like this dessert, try our no-bake cookies, pumpkin bread with streusel topping, or banana bread muffins.
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Key Ingredients
For the cake:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Oil. We use avocado oil, but regular vegetable oil works too!
- Carrots. We used whole carrots--you can use whatever you have on hand.
- Apple sauce
- Cinnamon
- Salt
For the cream cheese frosting:
- Unsalted butter
- Cream cheese
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Step 2: In a food processor or blender, puree the peeled and washed carrots. Add the apple sauce, and puree until smooth.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
Step 4: In a separate large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar together with a hand or stand mixer, then add the oil and beat well. Add the carrot puree and the shredded carrots, then gradually add the flour mixture and mix until combined.
Step 5: Add the batter to a greased half sheet pan (18x13 inch) (you can line the sheet pan with parchment paper instead of greasing it if you prefer) and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 6: While the cake is cooking, add the butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl and mix with an electric mixer on medium until well combined.
Step 7: Once the cake is done, let it cool completely, then top with frosting and spread evenly. We like to cut our cake into rectangular bars, but you can serve it however you like. To cut it into rectangular bars, cut the cake crosswise into fourths, then cut the fourths into thirds. Then cut lengthwise into fourths. Decorate with sprinkles, chopped nuts, or little piped carrots (just reserve some of the frosting, color it, and pipe onto the cake with a piping bag).
Frequently asked questions
You can decorate it with sprinkles, chopped nuts (pecans would be great), or little piped carrots. I just reserved some frosting, colored it with orange and green food coloring, and then piped the carrots onto the cake with piping bags.
Sure! Just add chopped nuts to the batter before you pour it into the sheet pan. I recommend pecans, but use whatever you like!
Yes, because the frosting contains cream cheese, I recommend refrigerating this cake. I actually prefer the way it tastes cold anyway.
Sheet Pan Carrot Cake Bars Recipe
These sheet pan carrot cake bars are super moist and topped with a super indulgent cream cheese frosting. As an added bonus, they are so so easy. Mix the ingredients, throw the batter into a sheet pan, and bake. It's that simple.
48
servings10
minutes25
minutes200
kcal35
minutesPrevent your screen from going dark!
Ingredients
- For the cake:
~2 ~2 whole carrots, peeled and washed
1 cup 1 unsweetened apple sauce
2 cups 2 all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons 2 baking soda
2 teaspoons 2 cinnamon
½ teaspoon ½ salt
4 4 eggs
2 cups 2 granulated sugar
1 cup 1 oil (we use avocado, but plain vegetable oil works too)
1 cup 1 shredded carrots
- For the cream cheese frosting:
1 stick 1 (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 1 8 oz package cream cheese
2 teaspoons 2 vanilla extract
16 ounces 16 powdered sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a food processor or blender, puree the whole carrots. Add the apple sauce, and puree until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar together with a hand or stand mixer, then add the oil and beat well. Add the carrot puree and the shredded carrots, then gradually add the flour mixture and mix until combined.
- Add the batter to a greased half sheet pan (18x13 inch) (you can line the sheet pan with parchment paper instead of greasing it if you prefer) and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- While the cake is cooking, add the frosting ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix with an electric mixer on medium until well combined.
- Once the cake is done, let it cool completely, then top with frosting and spread evenly. We like to cut our cake into rectangular bars, but you can serve it however you like. To cut it into rectangular bars, cut the cake crosswise into fourths, then cut the fourths into thirds. Then cut lengthwise into fourths. Decorate with sprinkles, chopped nuts, or little piped carrots (just reserve some of the frosting, color it, and pipe onto the cake with a piping bag).
Sharie says
This is amazing! Super moist and just so, so good! And the bar size is perfect. I highly recommend!