Healthy Carrot Cake Bars (Paleo, gluten-free)

Paleo carrot cake bars on a small plate and on a rectangular platter.

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Healthy Carrot Cake Bars (Paleo, gluten-free)

These Healthy Carrot Cake bars are a fun, wholesome snack or dessert. Light and fluffy cake is packed with carrots and spices, then coated in a luscious "cream cheese" icing. And it's gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free and Paleo!

Prep Time45

Cook Time25

chilling time4

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: bars

Calories: 320kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

For the cake

2-3 large carrots
2 large eggs room temperature
½ cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups superfine blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
¼ cup arrowroot flour/starch
2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
avocado oil spray or coconut oil spray for greasing the pan

For the "cream cheese" icing

¾ cup raw cashews
⅓ cup coconut cream (from a can of unsweetened full-fat coconut milk, chilled for at least 24 hours)
3½ tablespoons maple syrup
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon coconut oil (not melted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the cake

Heat the oven to 350°.
Peel and trim the carrots. Using the small holes of a box grater, grate the carrots until you have 1 cup. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, coconut sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar) until well blended.
If your almond flour is clumpy, place a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl. Add the almond flour and sift into the wet ingredients. If not, add the almond flour directly to the wet ingredients.
Either way, then add the arrowroot, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, sea salt, ground cardamom (if using) and ground nutmeg. Stir until everything is blended. The batter will be thick.
Add the grated carrots and stir until the carrots are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Grease an 8x8" baking dish (or any 8-cup/2-quart baking dish).
Add the batter to the baking dish. Smooth to an even layer with the back of the spatula. Or get your hands very slightly damp and use your hands to spread the batter out evenly.
Bake for 22-24 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

For the icing

Fill a small saucepan ⅔ full with water and bring to a boil. Add the cashews and boil for 15 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinse with fresh water and drain again.
Add the cashews to a food processor or blender and blend until fairly smooth, about 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl 1-2 times. Add the coconut cream, maple syrup, lemon juice, coconut oil and vanilla and blend again until completely smooth, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl 1-2 times if necessary.
Once the cake is completely cool, use a spatula or small offset spatula to spread the icing into an even layer on top. Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight, until icing has set. Slice into 9 bars (and then slice those bars in half if you want 18 triangles), then serve.

Notes

Nutrition note: If you want to make these bars without the icing, the nutritional info is as follows:

Calories: 208

Carbs: 18g

Protein: 7g

Fat: 13g

Saturated Fat: 1g

Cholesterol: 36mg

Sodium: 231 mg

Fiber: 3g

Sugar: 8g

Substitutions

You can use more or less spices, depending on your preference. I find these bars have just enough without going over the top (and so do all my taste testers.)

You can use tapioca flour/starch in place of the arrowroot.

You can use honey instead of maple syrup in the icing.

Make ahead

The bars can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezer info

To freeze, place the bars on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer until frozen through. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap and transfer to an airtight container or baggie and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Nutrition