Orange carrot cake bars

Dense carrot cake makes the cut in manageable bite-sized bars.

I’m going let these bars do most of the talking today — I’m short on words and these bars are not short on awesome. So much orange zest! Tangy cream cheese frosting! Crunchy pecans! I’m calling these carrot cake BARS because they’re more dense than a normal carrot cake.

Just how I like my “cake” – dense.

And they taste amazing!

Carrot Cake Bars
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup finely shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh grated orange zest

1. Preheat the oven to 350 dgrees F. Grease and line an 8- x8-inch pan with parchment.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, orange zest, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. Whisk the eggs together with the brown sugar, then add the sour cream, melted butter, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth, then whisk in the shredded carrots.

4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until partially combined, then fold in the chopped pecans. Spread evenly into the prepared pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.

5. To make the frosting, cream the cream cheese and butter together in a mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest. Slowly mix until smooth. Frost the bars in an even layer!

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