Raw Carrot Cake Bars with Cashew "Cream Cheese" Frosting

Moist, warmly spiced carrot cake bars made with grated carrots, walnuts, dates, and raisins, topped with a tangy, silky cashew "cream cheese" frosting and toasted pecans. Grain-free and no-bake.

Yield: One 8x8 pan, 12–16 bars · Active: 30 min · Total: 4 hours, mostly setting · Best in North America from fall through spring, when carrots are at their sweetest · Best eaten: midday or early afternoon

Ingredients

Carrot cake layer

• 1½ cups walnuts

• ½ cup almond flour

• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

• 1 cup pitted Medjool dates

• 1 cup finely grated carrot, squeezed dry in a towel

• ¼ cup raisins

• 1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon

• ½ tsp ground ginger

• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

• Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt

Cashew "cream cheese" frosting

• 1½ cups cashews, soaked and drained

• ½ cup full-fat coconut cream

• ⅓ cup raw honey

• ¼ cup melted coconut oil

• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt

To finish: toasted chopped pecans, a dusting of Ceylon cinnamon, and a few edible flower petals

Method

1. Make the carrot cake layer. Process the walnuts to a coarse crumb, then add the almond flour, coconut, dates, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, coconut oil, and salt and process until it holds together. Pulse in the grated carrot and raisins, just until combined. Squeezing the carrot dry keeps the bars from turning soggy.

2. Press firmly into a parchment-lined 8x8 pan and freeze 20 minutes.

3. Make the frosting. Blend everything until completely silky, 1–2 minutes.

4. Set. Spread the frosting over the carrot cake layer and freeze 2–3 hours, until firm.

5. Finish. Scatter with toasted pecans, cinnamon, and flower petals, and slice into bars with a hot, dry knife. Let them sit 10 minutes before serving.

Storage: Refrigerated up to 5 days, or frozen up to 1 month.

Nourishment Notes

Carrots — beta-carotene (the bars' healthy fats help you absorb it) and fiber.

Walnuts — ALA omega-3s and polyphenols.

Almond flour — vitamin E and magnesium.

Dates and raisins — potassium and fiber.

Ceylon cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg — warming spices traditionally used to support digestion, and cinnamon helps moderate blood sugar.

Cashews — magnesium and copper.

Raw honey — keeps its enzymes in this no-bake frosting (avoid it for babies under 12 months).

Sourcing

• Carrots — organic, from a farmers' market

• Walnuts, cashews, and pecans — organic, kept in the fridge

• Almond flour — organic and fresh; for truly raw almonds, grind your own from organic, unpasteurized Spanish almonds, like Terrasoul's

• Shredded coconut — organic, unsweetened, and sulfite-free

• Medjool dates and raisins — organic and unsulfured

• Coconut cream and coconut oil — organic; Native Forest Simple coconut cream comes in BPA-free cans

• Raw honey — organic, local, and unfiltered

• Spices (Ceylon cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg) — organic and non-irradiated; grate whole nutmeg fresh

• Lemons and edible flowers — organic and pesticide-free

• Vanilla — organic pure vanilla extract

• Baja Gold sea salt

— Anna aka Food Marshall