Carrot Cake Bars, Ruthy-style!

Don't get your knickers in a twist.

And don't, don't, DON'T EVER use a mix for carrot cake.

It... Does....Not....Work.

BUT... If you don't mind either grating or shredding carrots...(I use my Cuisinart OR my grinder attachment for the Kitchen Aid that's missing buttons and speeds but STILL WORKS)

The rest is a dump in and mix kind of recipe.

Now, Connealy makes carrot cake too. Lots of us do. And the recipes are usually the same, or close enough.

BUT....

Mine's better.

I'm just sayin'.

And here's something else:  You can add in drained crushed pineapple (I love it with this, but not everyone likes the added texture and taste, and I drain it well and blot it with paper towels so the cake doesn't get soggy. Carrot cake is already dense with oil, right?  We don't want it S-O-G-G-Y...)

1 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup raisins

OR NOT...

My kids like it straight up. Nothing added. Yes, they're boring, but most of them like me so I try to keep them happy, especially at holiday time and these bars rock the Holiday Kahuna.

So here it is courtesy of my Betty Crocker Cookbook with a few Ruthy-variations and I always double the batch (at least) because it freezes well. I double wrap it in freezer paper and then I have fresh cake for oh,... whatever I need it for!

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups shredded or grated carrots

Grease and flour pan. For the bars I use my 13 x 9 pan for a single cake, but if I double it I go to my 1/2 sheet cake pan, 12 x 18.... Preheat oven to 350.

Mix sugar, oil and eggs in mixing bowl until well blended. (Simple so far, right????) Beat one minute. Add remaining ingredients except for carrots and nuts. (ha! What did I tell you???? Easy-peasy.)  Mix or beat one minute or so. Add in carrots and nuts/raisins if desired. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake 35-45 minutes depending on pan size until cake top looks dry and a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Mostly clean. A few clinging crumbs is never a bad thing.



For bars:

I trim off the edges of the cake (no crusts on these bars) and eat them. (Yes, I do. But I shouldn't)

Slice cake into 2" x 3" or so slices. Frost each slice/bar.  I use a frosting bag and a large star tip and just go back and forth quickly to cover the top. 


CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 8 oz stick butter
4 cups confectioners sugar
Splash of milk
2 teaspoons vanilla (or three good squirts from the new squirt-top industrial size bottle. I love that thing!)

Cream cheese and butter together. Add confectioners sugar, splash of milk and vanilla. Beat on low until sugar is blended in, then switch to high for about 3-4 minutes. If frosting is too soft, add sugar. If too firm, add a little bit of milk.

Frosting firms up when refrigerated.

Basically, now you're done. But I like to color a little cream cheese frosting orange and some green and then I use a number 5 or 6 round tip to pipe little carrots onto each slice. I use the 'grass' tip (lots of tiny holes) to hit each carrot with a green 'top'...

 Note that the carrots are not perfect.

When God makes carrots, they vary widely. Ruthy would be unwise not to emulate God, right?

These two fellas didn't fit on the two party trays.

Such a shame.

One for me. One for Beth. Perfect!!!  ;)

These are HUGELY WELL RECEIVED at holiday parties or showers or weddings or picnics. A big crowd pleaser because they're only a few bites big and the ratio of frosting to cake is WONDERFUL.

It's all about ratio, all the time.

The end.