Carrot Cake Bars — The Dessert That Stays on the Table After Everyone Goes Home

Easter week. Spring break for the schools. Holy Week, Semana Santa, the week the bodegas in Hartford fly small Puerto Rican flags from their awnings and Park Street smells like pasteles being warmed up because everyone has frozen leftovers from December and Easter is when you bring them out for the family who comes over.

Good Friday I made bacalao guisado — salt cod stewed with potatoes and tomato and olives. The traditional Lenten meal because no meat. I made it for Mami. She ate two bites. She said, "Carmen, less olive." I said, "Mami, yes." She said, "You always overdo the olive." I said, "I know, Mami." She said, "Why do you keep overdoing the olive?" I said, "Mami, because it is delicious." She laughed. She really laughed. It was the laugh she had at fifty. I have not heard that laugh in five years.

Easter Sunday the family came. Twenty-two people including Ana down from Bridgeport and Linda and Dan from Glastonbury and the priest from St. Augustine, Father Marquez, who had attended mass with us and then come over because Carmen Delgado-Ortiz's Easter table is a Hartford tradition. The menu was full Easter: lamb with mint and garlic, ham with pineapple, pernil for those who were not eating lamb (which was most people because Puerto Ricans are pernil people), arroz con gandules, ensalada de coditos, tostones, two kinds of bread, and four desserts. Mami came. Eduardo drove her. She stayed two hours. She ate small portions of three things. She held court from her chair. The grandchildren came up one at a time to greet her. Lucas brought her a piece of his Easter chocolate. She accepted. She ate it.

At one point Father Marquez said grace in Spanish and English and Mami closed her eyes and her lips moved. After the grace she said in a voice the whole table heard, "Padre, gracias. Esa fue una buena oración." Father Marquez bowed his head to her. He said, "Doña Luz María, su familia es bendita." She said, "Yes. Yes they are."

At 7 PM Eduardo drove her home. She did not stay for the second wave of dessert. She had her flan at the table and that was enough. The family stayed until 11. The kitchen was a war zone. Sofía and Ana stayed and helped clean. We finished at 1 AM. I went to bed and slept ten hours. Wepa.

We had four desserts on that table — flan, rice pudding, something Sofía brought from a bakery in Glastonbury, and these carrot cake bars, which I make every Easter because Mami used to make them and now I make them and someday someone else will make them. They are soft and spiced and the cream cheese frosting is cold from the refrigerator and after pernil and arroz con gandules and tostones, a small square of something sweet and tender is exactly right. Mami had her flan. But I had two of these. Wepa.

Carrot Cake Bars

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 24 bars

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups finely grated carrots (about 5 medium carrots)
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
• Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy lifting.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
3. Mix wet ingredients. In a separate large bowl, beat eggs and sugar together until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Add vegetable oil and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
4. Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Fold in grated carrots, drained pineapple, and nuts if using. Do not overmix.
5. Bake. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 28–32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges are just pulling from the sides. Let cool completely in the pan.
6. Make the frosting. Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low, then add vanilla and a pinch of salt. Beat on medium until creamy and spreadable.
7. Frost and slice. Once bars are fully cooled, spread cream cheese frosting evenly over the top. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Lift from pan using the parchment overhang, then cut into 24 bars. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 285 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 175mg