Carrot Cake Bars with Cake Mix
These 4 ingredient Carrot Cake Bars are made from a cake mix! They're good enough without frosting, but for a special treat top them with cream cheese frosting.
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 416kcal
Ingredients
- 1 box Betty Crocker carrot cake cake mix (15.25 ounces)
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup salted butter room temperature
For homemade frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 6 tablespoons salted butter room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray an 8x8" baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, mix together the dry cake mix, cream cheese, egg and butter until completely mixed. The dough will be very thick. 1 box Betty Crocker carrot cake cake mix, 4 ounces cream cheese, 1 large egg, 1/4 cup salted butter
- Press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 14-18 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool.
- For homemade frosting: Using an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is light and fluffy. This will take about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar, 1/2 a cup at at time, until it is thoroughly mixed. Add the vanilla and beat the frosting on medium speed for about 3 minutes. 4 ounces cream cheese, 6 tablespoons salted butter, 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Frost the carrot cake bars with the frosting and top with the chopped walnuts. 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Notes
We baked our bars for 14 minutes exactly and thought the texture was perfect (very soft). If you want them just a bit "cakey-er" or if your bars seem too "raw" for your liking, let them bake an additional 3-4 minutes.
Store these covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
They also freeze well. Slice first, then freeze for easy grab-and-go portions.
Nutrition
Serving: 96g | Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 455mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 570IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 1mg
