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These soft and warmly spiced sourdough carrot cake bars are made with sourdough discard and baked in a simple 9×13 pan for an easy dessert that’s perfect for spring.
The batter uses a blend of oil and butter for moisture and flavor, finely shredded carrots for classic texture, and a generous layer of cream cheese frosting on top.
The bars bake up tender, slice beautifully, and are simple enough for everyday baking while still feeling special enough for Easter or gatherings.
For more Easter recipes, try these Sourdough Hot Cross Buns, Easy Deviled Eggs, Roasted Carrots, and Easy Mashed Potatoes.
Unlike many carrot cakes, this version keeps the batter straightforward with no pineapple and no nuts required, though chopped pecans or walnuts can easily be added if you enjoy them.
I love them both ways, with nuts or without! For an extra festive touch, you can decorate a few bars with piped frosting carrots.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Super Easy to Make: I have another sourdough discard carrot cake recipe that is also delicious, but takes a bit more time, as it’s a three-layer cake. This recipe is super simple to make, as there are no layers.
- Delicious: With warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, this easy sourdough carrot cake is the perfect treat, with a similar flavor profile to these sourdough pumpkin bars.
- Great for Parties: Since this carrot cake is baked in a 9×13 pan and cut into bars for individual servings, it’s easy to transport and great for sharing.
Ingredients
Find the full list of ingredients, amounts, and instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- All-Purpose Flour: This recipe uses all-purpose flour.
- Fresh Carrots: Use a box grater or food processor to grate the carrots finely.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar is the main sweetener.
- White Sugar: The combination of the brown and white sugar adds extra flavor.
- Sourdough Starter: You can use either active sourdough starter or leftover sourdough discard. Recently-fed discard is recommended to keep the bars from being too sour. Here’s how to make sourdough starter.
- Vegetable Oil: Use a neutral oil like avocado oil or coconut oil.
Recipe Tip
Use the small holes on a box grater so the carrots blend evenly into the batter. After grating, lightly blot them with a paper towel to remove a bit of excess moisture.
How to Make Sourdough Carrot Cake Bars
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg (Photo 1).
Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and well combined (Photo 2).
Step 4: Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Stir in the sourdough discard and vanilla extract until fully incorporated (Photo 3). Stir in the shredded carrot (Photo 4). If adding nuts, fold them in at this stage.
Step 6: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold until just combined (Photo 5). Do not overmix. Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan and smooth the top (Photo 6).
Step 7: Bake for 27–32 minutes, or until the center reaches about 200–205°F and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before frosting (Photo 7).
Step 8: To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar gradually until the frosting reaches your desired thickness. Mix in the vanilla and a small pinch of salt (Photo 8).
Step 9: Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled bars. If desired, top with chopped pecans or walnuts, decorate with small piped frosting carrots (see decorating note below), or simply leave the bars plain with the cream cheese frosting. Slice into bars and serve.
How to Decorate
For decorative frosting carrots, reserve a small portion of the frosting and tint it with orange and green food coloring. Place the frosting in a disposable piping bag and snip a very small opening at the tip.
Pipe small carrot shapes directly onto the frosted bars. This simple method works well without needing specialty piping tips.
If you plan to decorate several bars with piped carrots, consider increasing the frosting recipe by 1½ times so you have enough frosting for both spreading and decorating.
How to Store
Because of the cream cheese frosting, store the bars covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
For best texture and flavor, allow the bars to sit at room temperature for about 15–20 minutes before serving.
How to Freeze
The unfrosted bars freeze very well. Wrap them tightly (or put in an airtight container) and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and frost before serving. Frosted bars can also be frozen, though the frosting may soften slightly after thawing.
Tips
- Use freshly shredded carrots for the best texture. Pre-shredded carrots from the store are thicker and drier and do not bake as well into the batter.
- Shred the carrots using the small holes of a box grater so they blend smoothly into the bars.
- After grating the carrots, lightly blot them with a paper towel to remove a little excess moisture before adding them to the batter.
- Use recent sourdough discard. If your discard is very thin or liquidy, you may need to add 1–2 tablespoons of additional flour.
- Carrot cake bars can appear done before the center is fully baked. Checking for an internal temperature around 200–205°F helps ensure the center sets properly.
- If you prefer a more pronounced spice flavor, you can increase the cinnamon slightly to 3 or 3 1/2 teaspoons.
- Optional nuts can be added to the batter or sprinkled on top of the frosting for garnish.
- For the cleanest slices, chill the frosted bars for 30–45 minutes before cutting.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. You can fold 1/2-3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter before baking, or sprinkle chopped nuts over the frosted bars as a garnish.
Yes. If you don’t have sourdough discard, you can substitute it with ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt.
Freshly shredded carrots are softer and release moisture as they bake, which helps create a tender crumb. Pre-shredded carrots are thicker and much drier, so they don’t incorporate as well into the batter.
Yes. If you prefer a stronger spice flavor, you can increase the cinnamon slightly to about 3 – 3 1/2 teaspoons.
More Sourdough Recipes
- Sourdough 3-Layer Carrot Cake
- Sourdough Blueberry Bread
- Sourdough Lemon Bread
- Sourdough Lemon Bars
- Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe
If you make these sourdough carrot cake bars and enjoy them, please leave a comment with a 5-star recipe rating and let me know! Thank you so much!
Sourdough Carrot Cake Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Bars
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 240 g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup avocado oil, or another neutral oil 120 g
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, 56 g
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed, 200 g
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 100 g
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard, (recent discard recommended), 120 g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, about 150 g
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, or walnuts, optional, can use up to 3/4 cup
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened, 113 g
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, 56 g
- 2 cups powdered sugar, (use 2-2 1/2 cups) 240–300 g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, or walnuts for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and well combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Stir in the sourdough discard and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
- Stir in the finely grated carrots. If adding nuts, fold them in at this stage.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 27–32 minutes, or until the center reaches about 200–205°F and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before frosting.
- To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar gradually until the frosting reaches your desired thickness. Mix in the vanilla and a small pinch of salt.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled bars. If desired, top with chopped pecans or walnuts, decorate with small piped frosting carrots (see decorating note below), or simply leave the bars plain with the cream cheese frosting. Slice into bars and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
