Frosted Carrot Bars Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 2 jars (6 ounces each) carrot baby food
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• FROSTING:
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• Yellow, red and green liquid food coloring
• 2 pastry or heavy-duty resealable plastic bags

Directions

• In a bowl, beat sugar, oil, eggs and carrots. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; add to carrot mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool.
• In a bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Blend in sugar until smooth. Place 1/4 cup of frosting in a small bowl; stir in yellow and red food coloring to make orange. Set aside. Place 3 tablespoons frosting in a small bowl; stir in green food coloring.
• Spread white frosting on cake. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; fill with orange frosting. Mark off 20 squares on the cake; pipe a small carrot in the center of each square. Place green frosting in another bag, cut a small hole in the corner. Pipe greens on top of each carrot. Yield: 20 servings.

Frosted Carrot Bars published in Country Woman March/April 1998, p12