Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Indulge in moist & delicious gluten-free carrot cake bars with a light whipped cream cheese frosting naturally sweetened with maple syrup. They’re made with fresh carrots, apple sauce, plump raisins, and shredded coconut!
If you love carrot cake but want a healthier, fresher version, my carrot cake bars recipe is for you! It’s gluten-free with almond flour and excludes white flour or processed white sugar. It’s low on the glycemic index and won’t induce a sugar headache; assuming you only eat one or two bars 🙂
The cream cheese frosting is made with whipping cream making it light and fluffy. It’s also naturally sweetened with maple syrup and is the perfect creamy compliment to the fresh flavors in the carrot cake bars.
Why You’ll Love This Carrot Cake Bar Recipe:
- It’s naturally sweetened without any processed sugar.
- All the ingredients are easily digestible for a gentle tummy.
- It has all the flavor of a traditional carrot cake without all the processed white sugar.
- The simple ingredients are affordable and easy to find.
How Do You Make My Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting?
Step 1. Prep The Raisins
Pour 1/2 cup of raisins onto a cutting board and chop them into smaller pieces. Dump the chopped raisins into a bowl, cover with hot tap water, and set aside. Cutting them smaller will make a cleaner cut through your baked bars after they’re cooked. And soaking the raisins allows them to plump and soften before being baked.
Step 2. Chop the Coconut & Carrots
Pour 1/4 cup of shredded coconut into a food processor or chopper cup and pulse until blended into smaller pieces and set aside.
Peal 3 medium carrots and chop them into 1″ pieces. Then drop into a food processor or chopper cup and pulse until finely chopped.
Step 3. Combine the Wet Ingredients
Combine the eggs, maple syrup, unsweetened apple sauce, milk, oil, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Whisk until eggs are well-blended.
Step 4. Add the Dry Ingredients
Add the almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried ginger, and salt to the mixing bowl. Gently stir with a spatula until the ingredients are combined.
Step 5. Add the Prepped Ingredients
Drain the water from the soaking raisins. Gently stir the shredded coconut, carrots, and drained raisins into the mixing bowl.
Step 6. Pour And Bake
Pour the mixture into a parchment-lined 8×8″ baking pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 7. Make the Whipped Cream
Pour 1 cup of whipping cream into a bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
Step 8. Prep the Cream Cheese
Dump an 8-ounce block of room-temperature cream cheese into a separate mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt to the bowl and whisk until blended.
Step 9. Combine the Creams
Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixer and gently mix until smooth.
Step 10. Frost the Cake
Spread the whipped cream cheese frosting onto the cooled cake.
Step 11. Toast the Coconut and Pumpkin Seeds
Melt one teaspoon of butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Drop 1/4 cup of shredded coconut into the pan. Stir the coconut continuously until lightly toasted.
Repeat for toasted pumpkin seeds.
Step 13. Decorate the Squares
Shred 16 strips of carrot using a vegetable peeler for carrot rosettes.
Place a small mound of toasted coconut in the center of the square.
Roll up a carrot slice, starting with the wider edge, and place it on top of the mound of coconut.
Place three toasted pumpkin seeds on the outside of the carrot rosette.
Step 14. Serve & Enjoy!
Place carrot cake bars on an attractive serving platter and proudly share it at your next special event!
Sugar Comparison with Traditional Carrot Cake
A slice of traditional carrot cake has roughly 64 grams of sugar and is made with white flour and processed white sugar. A square of my carrot cake bars has roughly 12 grams of sugar and is sweetened with maple syrup; a natural sweetener.
Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor or Chopper Cup
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 3 medium carrots
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
WET INGREDIENTS:
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/4 cup milk I use almond milk
- 1/4 cup oil (light olive oil is my fave)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
DRY INGREDIENTS:
- 1-1/2 cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Pour 1/2 cup of raisins onto a cutting board and chop them into smaller pieces. Dump the chopped raisins into a bowl, cover with hot tap water, and set aside. Cutting them smaller will make a cleaner cut through your baked bars after they’re cooked. And soaking the raisins allows them to plump and soften before being baked.
- Pour 1/4 cup of shredded coconut into a food processor or chopper cup and pulse until blended into smaller pieces and set aside.
- Peal 3 medium carrots and chop them into 1″ pieces. Then drop into a food processor or chopper cup and pulse until finely chopped.
- Combine the wet ingredients including eggs, maple syrup, unsweetened apple sauce, milk, oil, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Whisk until eggs are well-blended.
- Add the dry ingredients including almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt to the mixing bowl. Gently stir with a spatula until the ingredients are combined.
- Drain the water from the soaking raisins. Gently stir the shredded coconut, carrots, and drained raisins into the mixing bowl.
- Pour the mixture into a parchment-lined 8×8″ baking pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pour 1 cup of whipping cream into a bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Dump an 8-ounce block of room-temperature cream cheese into a separate mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt to the bowl and whisk until blended.
- Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixer and gently mix until smooth.
Carrot Square Decoration
- Spread the whipped cream cheese frosting onto the cooled cake.
- Melt one teaspoon of butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Drop 1/4 cup of shredded coconut into the pan. Stir the coconut continuously until lightly toasted.
- Repeat for toasted pumpkin seeds.
- Remove the cooled cake by lifting the sides of the parchment paper. Cut the frosted carrot cake into 16 squares.
- Shred 16 strips of carrot using a vegetable peeler for carrot rosettes.
- Place a small mound of toasted coconut in the center of the square.
- Roll up a carrot slice, starting with the wider edge, and place it on top of the mound of coconut.
- Place three toasted pumpkin seeds on the outside of the carrot rosette.
- Place carrot cake bars on an attractive serving platter and proudly share it at your next special event!
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