Spice cake tends to be one of those under-appreciated desserts, but I just love it.
Any time I can indulge in flavors similar to carrot cake but without the dreaded chore of eroding my kitchen sponge (or my fingertips) because I need to clean shredded carrot fragments from my box grater, I am happy.
I really like cheesecake, too, but sometimes it gets a little monotonous.
Traditional cheesecake filling and graham cracker crust is lovely and all, but after a few bites I’m usually looking around to see what’s next.
It doesn’t tend to hold my attention, but these sure did. Probably because they’re like having two desserts in one; cheesecake and cake.
These bars also capitalize on my love of frosting. A little cake with my frosting. You can relate, right?
Nothing pains me more than seeing a great piece of cake with a skimpy layer of frosting on it.
Nothing skimpy about the cream cheese layer here.
These bars turned out to be:
part cheese cake
part cream cheese frosting
part carrot cake flavors
part spice cake
Chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and coconut are baked in between the cake and cream cheese layers, adding some texture to the smoothness and breaking up anything resembling cheesecake monotony.
These disappeared rather quickly from around these parts. Shocking.
[print_this]
Coconut Spice Cheesecake Bars
Makes 24 bars
1 box spice cake mix
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon water, optional if necessary
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut flakes
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup butterscotch chips (or white chocolate chips or peanut butter chips)
1/2 cup raisins, optional
1 can (14-ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened (I used whipped cream cheese)
Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a 9-by-13 inch pan by lining it with aluminum foil and then spraying it with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix. The batter will be extremely thick and will be difficult to combine, but keep stirring or use your fingers and knead it together, adding the water if necessary. Press the dough it into the prepared pan. It will be tacky, sticky, and a bit tricky to work with, but keep pressing, spreading, and finessing it. Sprinkle the coconut evenly over the dough, then sprinkle the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and optional raisins evenly over the dough.
In a mixing bowl (the same one from the cake mix is fine), combine the sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla and stir until well combined, and pour mixture evenly over dough, using a spatula to even it if necessary. Bake for 28 to 31 minutes, or until edges of bars begin to brown and pull away slightly from the sides of the pan, taking care not to overbake. Note that the middle will not seem very well set and will be jiggly upon removing from oven and that is okay, you want to keep these gooey. They will continue to set up more after they have cooled. Allow bars to cool well before slicing and serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to three months.
To keep gluten free use a gluten free cake mix, and take care all ingredients meet your dietary requirements and needs.
[/print_this]
The bars come together very easily with a boxed spice cake mix, an egg, and a stick of butter. Make the dough, press it into a pan.
Sprinkle with baking chips and coconut. These don’t have a particularly strong coconut flavor, and you could omit it if you don’t like coconut, but since I always have a bag on hand and open, a little sprinkle never hurts.
Flood with a sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese mixture.
Easy.
Bake.
Devour.
If you like carrot cake, and want a no-bake, vegan, gluten-free option, try Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cake Bites
Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes (no-bake, vegan, GF) play on similar flavors
Related cake bar recipes:
Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars
White Chocolate Vanilla Marshmallow Cake Bars
Cookie Butter Funfetti Triple Chip Bars
White and Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake Bars
Do you like spice cake or carrot cake?
I love them but find that carrot cake tends to make the rounds in the fall, along with anything and everything pumpkin.
Spice cake never seems to make the rounds which is unfortunate because cake that’s sweet and spicy from ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg is right up my alley. Even in the springtime.
One thing I don’t like is nuts in baked goods and I never put nuts into cookies or cake. On their own, I like nuts and I love nut butter, but nothing ruins a white chocolate cookie faster than a macadamia nut, and nothing ruins a great piece of spice or carrot cake faster than a walnut. Most storebought and bakery cakes have nuts in them. Not a fan.
Do you like cream cheese frosting? Cheesecake?
Cake is just not cake without frosting. And that is especially true with spice or carrot cake. It must have cream cheese frosting, and lots of it.
Cheesecake is one of those things that people tend to love or hate. I do like it, but as I mentioned, a few bites and that’s usually all I want because it gets a little…boring.
I promise, these bars aren’t boring. Two kinds of baking chips, coconut flakes, and two-desserts-in-one: cake + cheesecake. Not boring.
The winner of the Special K Granola Bars Giveaway is Catalina @ Cake with Love
These look delightful! I’m a huge spice cake fan, too! I love the idea of the butterscotch chips with the spice cake flavor. I must try these!
“A little cake with my frosting”– YES. :-)
I’m not sure how you did it, but you managed to fit all of my favorite things in a perfect little square…and I love ya for it! These look ridiculous and I can’t wait to make them…so glad I found you! And PS, I share the feeling about a little cake with your icing!
Thanks for finding me and saying hi!
PS: i LOVE the pretty pruple/pink linen! It’s just beautiful as the backdrop in these photos.
It’s actually ready for this…a pair of really wild tie-dye yoga pants that are super baggy and super wide-legged. I stretched out a leg, put the food onto it, and took the pics. I was sick of everything I had and wanted something to pop. This popped alright :) Sometimes things look more washed out on camera, sometimes more vibrant. You truly never know til you get it on the screen, as you well know. Thank you for the compliments & pin!
I could spend HOURS staring and studying all of your bar recipes Averie! I wish I could come up with some of the genius ones you do :) These look especially delicious… i looove spice cake. Never thought to make it into dense bar form with cream cheese layer. And i’d totally add those raisins! I love extra texture. :)
These look outstanding Averie!
I love a little carrot or spice cake to go with my cream cheese frosting too! The addition of chips and coconut sounds great. This definitely sounds less time consuming than shredding carrots (the food processor shreds faster than me, but then there’s the clean up…..). Your recipe is another one bowl winner!
the less cleanup the better and yes one bowl is where it’s at!
Gorgeous pictures, and I like how the recipe has a new twist. You’re really getting into these layer bars, not that I’m complaining! They all look so delicious… Do you make small batches of them so you’re not overwhelmed with baked goods?
I try especially hard to make small batches i.e. these were 1 dozen that I just posted yesterday for the exact reason you mentioned!
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/05/pina-colada-white-chocolate-cake-mix-cookies.html
Spice cake/carrot cake + cream cheese + raisins + coconut + chocolate (and maybe even a dash of dark rum) = the exact Mother’s Day recipe I’ve been looking for my mom but had no idea I wanted! Yesss! Hah. Thank you!!
Well I hope she (and you) like it. It’s so easy. Lmk if you make it!
These look insanely good
If that carrot cake would have less sugar I would like it. Everything is too sweet for my taste. hen I make cookies or cakes, or other desserts, I use only half, sometimes third part of sugar recommended. And if I eat a small piece at the party, then I go around looking for something spicy or pickled… Weird, ha?! :)
Not weird but we are polar opposites :)
My family and friends find it beneficial: more desserts for them! And more desserts for you … :)
Your bars….they all look so good. I love spice cake though, so these are just screaming to me right now.
Yes, these are so you. They are so me, too. Lol We could go to town on a pan of these and some wine.
*faints* …. I think I’m in love!! LIke true, sooning – madly deeply .. head over heels in love!! This sounds so delicious!! I think “my mom” needs some of these come sunday ;)
Keep me posted if you do make them!
any spice cake or carrot cake MUST have cream cheese frosting. I totally agree with you. Scrolling through all those photos made me very hungry and craving something sweet to go with my coffee I am drinking!
Thanks for stopping by!
This kind of reminds me of carrot cake meets cheesecake meets spice cake. In other words…amazing :) Kind of drooling in this “30 minutes till lunch hunger” right now ;)
that’s exactly what it was…good luck with those 30 mins :)
I love cake, cheesecake and pretty much anything sweet. But I’ve never been a fan of spice cake or carrot cake. They just seem too savory for me.
Oh there is nothing savory (at all!) with this one :)