This baked carrot cake oatmeal features pecans and raisins. The warm spices give this wonderful dessert plenty of flavors and it makes a great snack for the kids or a late afternoon pick-me-up for you.
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It’s a straightforward recipe to prepare, and it doesn’t matter whether you’ve made a carrot cake before. In fact, all you have to do to make this is combine the ingredients and then bake the mixture. That’s all!
Your kitchen is going to smell amazing while this is in the oven, and then you can enjoy the first piece warm from the oven as soon as it’s cooked.
This is like a cross between my traditional carrot cake and a flapjack recipe. The oats make it filling and provide energy, while the other ingredients give it the perfect flavor and texture. It is crunchy, soft, and chewy all at once!
When I want a super-fast carrot flavored dessert, nothing beats my carrot mug cake which takes less than two minutes in a microwave!
Main Ingredients
This baked carrot cake oatmeal is really simple to put together, and the amazing flavor means one slice is never enough! These are some of the main ingredients in this recipe:
- Rolled oats: The main ingredient in the recipe, adding texture and taste.
- Raisins: For sweetness and nutrition. Omit them if you aren’t a fan.
- Carrots: What’s a carrot cake without carrots?
- Vanilla extract: To add a contrasting flavor to the cake.
- Maple syrup: For a rich sweetness.
- Ginger: To add a warm spicy flavor.
- Cinnamon: To complement the ginger.
- Pecans: For crunch.
Instructions Overview
This yummy treat is simple to prepare. Preheat the oven and get everything you need together. Once you have gathered all the ingredients you need, you can combine them. First, the oats are mixed with the baking powder, salt, and spices, and then the eggs, vanilla, maple syrup, and milk combine in another bowl.
Add the carrots and some of the pecans and raisins to the dry mixture. Make sure everything is well mixed. Now combine the wet mixture with the dry one, and stir until well mixed. Spoon this mixture into a baking dish and sprinkle the rest of the pecans and raisins on top.
The recipe will take around forty minutes to cook. Meanwhile, your kitchen will smell incredible and your mouth will be watering in anticipation! You will be able to see when it’s cooked because it will be golden brown on top and set in the baking dish.
Common Questions
Rolled oats work well in this recipe or you could use instant oats. You might be wondering about steel cut oats - would those work too? Actually no, not in this recipe anyway. Steel-cut oats are hard (think uncooked barley or rice) and take much longer to cook and soften than the other kinds. That means if you use steel-cut oats to make baked carrot cake oatmeal the recipe will come out really tough and chewy.
Although these words are sometimes used interchangeably, shredded typically means thin strips while grated usually means a finer texture. I like to buy a bag of shredded carrots to save time but sometimes shred my own using the larger holes on a cheese grater or the shredder attachment of a food processor.
These oatmeal flapjacks shouldn't present this problem, but what should you do if it happens? Well, the main reason is usually that it's not compacted properly in the baking tin. Make sure you press the mixture firmly down before cooking. Another reason could be you're trying to cut the oatmeal bars before completely cool and this isn't something you should try either. However, if worst comes to worst you can still enjoy the dessert, perhaps sprinkled over yogurt instead of in bar form.
Keep it in the refrigerator. Because it’s mostly chewy rather than crunchy, this cake will keep for up to a week in a covered container and the texture will stay the same.
Absolutely! Cut it into pieces before freezing, then you can take a piece out of the freezer any time you want a treat, or if you slept late and you need to grab breakfast on the go.
The great thing about these dessert bars is that you can tweak them to your heart’s content. Use any kind of milk (such as soy, cow’s milk, or almond milk) in the recipe, and any kind of sweetener (maple syrup is great, but agave syrup or honey would also be fine). Throw in anything else you like, such as chopped walnuts, dried cherries, coconut flakes, or even peanut butter. You can also omit anything you don’t want, such as the raisins, nuts, or ginger.
This is a versatile recipe. It makes a great dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some whipped cream. You can make a batch for a picnic or potluck meal, or even enjoy a slice for breakfast!
Chopnotch Tips
- It is important to make sure all the dry ingredients are well combined and all the wet ones are too, before mixing them together. This way all the ingredients will be well distributed in the cake batter.
- Use either rolled oats or instant oats, for the best results.
- You can buy shredded carrots rather than shredding your own, to save time.
In this yummy dessert, carrots, warm spices, and more combine for a perfect treat.
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Recipe
How to Make
Baked Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups almond milk, or any milk of your choice
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup carrots, shredded
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Mix together 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ginger, and 2 cups rolled oats in a medium-sized bowl.
- Take another bowl and stir together 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ⅓ cup maple syrup, and 1 ¾ cups milk.
- Add in ¾ cup shredded carrots and half of both pecans and raisins.
- Now pour the wet mixture into dry ingredients and stir well until everything is well combined.
- Pour mixture into a casserole 8 by 8-inch casserole dish and press down until oats are soaked.
- Sprinkle top with remaining pecans and raisins, pressing them lightly into oatmeal.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 375 F, for around 40 to 45 minutes, uncovered.
- Once done, let it cool a bit before serving.
Notes
- Make sure all the dry ingredients are well combined and all the wet ones are too, before mixing them together to ensure all ingredients will be well distributed in the batter.
- Use either rolled oats or instant oats, for the best results.
- You can buy shredded carrots rather than shredding your own.
