Classic carrot bars that get their supremely smooth texture from an unexpected ingredient: baby food!
Working on this blog and writing a cookbook about cherished family recipes passed down through the generations, I have come across many cake recipes with “interesting” ingredients: Tomato soup in a spice cake, mayonnaise in a chocolate cake, pudding mix for a coffee cake. Maybe it was because certain ingredients like eggs or milk were scarce or it was to achieve a desired consistency, but I believe these bakers of yesteryear were on to something. 😉
Proof in point: my mom used to make the BEST carrot bars when I was younger and the key ingredient? Baby food carrots. This always stuck out in my mind as I remember the little jars lined up on the kitchen counter and thought there was no way I was eating anything with baby food in it! However, the result was a light and spongy texture that anyone who doesn’t love carrot cake with stringy carrots (or even worse…raisins!) will certainly appreciate.
When I recently came across my mom’s recipe, I knew I had to revisit these bars to see if they were as good as I remembered. I am happy to report that, YES they are! Topped with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting, the bars not only satisfied my craving for a fall-forward treat but gave me a much-needed dose of nostalgia and my mom’s baking.
Tips
- Baby food doesn’t come in “jars” anymore. Most stores stock small plastic containers. My mom’s recipe didn’t specify what size baby food but I used two (four-ounce) containers of Gerber carrots.
- I love the bars topped with chopped walnuts, but a fun twist is to pipe little carrots on top of the cream cheese frosting.
