Carrot Cake Bars

Not every piece of baking on your Christmas agenda need be loaded with sugar. Carrot Cake Bars are moist and warming for the Christmas season. They add a touch of elegance to your baking trays. I like them with a cup of tea. The little bit of spiced rum in these bars will warm you up. Easy to make, they disappear quickly.

I like bars on a baking tray because they are tiny and easy to handle. If you are like me with a glass of wine or bubbly in your hand, the tiny bits come in handy. LOL Also, you want your guest to try an array of goodies and small bites allows them to savour all your treats.

As Italians, we didn’t use carrots in sweets; and so, I went in search of some history. Carrots were used in the place of sugar during the middle ages to sweeten cakes. There is also a Middle Eastern Arabic Pudding recipe from the 10th century that consisted of carrots, honey and walnut oil. If you are interested in the original recipe and more go to http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/carrotcake.html

If you are looking for a show stopper try my https://recipesatmytable.com/banana-carrot-cake/

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup golden rains
1 tbsp spiced rum
11/2 cup chopped walnuts ( reserve 1/2 cup for topping)

Process

Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a 9 X 13 pan. Beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

Go in with the eggs one at a time. Beat well after each egg. Blend the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt .With your mixer on low speed, beat in the flour mixture 1/3 of a cup at a time.