The origins of carrot cake can be traced back to World War II, but there are influences of the sweet treat dating as far back as the Middle Ages. The delicacy has been popular with families for generations, many of whom have their own spin on the classic cake. With our unique recipe, the Publix Bakery Carrot Bar Cake is beloved by thousands of sweet-toothed customers.
About our carrot bar cake
Our carrot cake recipe hasn’t changed much since 1957, but we introduced it as a carrot bar cake in the late ‘90s. Over the years, it’s become a favorite with our customers. The carrot bar cake is made in our Lakeland, Florida, bakery plant. With a delightful balance of real carrots, English walnuts, spices and icing, our rich carrot bar cake is packed with flavor in every bite.
How we make it
We bring full sheet cakes to the uncasing room, remove the packaging and place the sheet cakes on an assembly line. The carrot bar cake assembly line is the largest staffed dessert line in the plant, with 25 associates from beginning to end.
At the 1st station, the bottom layer of the cake is topped with our cream cheese icing.
After moving down the line to the 2nd station, a 2nd layer of cake is added, followed by another layer of icing.
Next, the 2-layered sheet cake moves down the assembly line to a machine that cuts it into 14 individual bar cakes.
After the bar cakes are cut, we add a coconut topping.
Then an associate hand-decorates a carrot on top with our buttercream icing, and another associate adds a leaf.
Finally, we check the carrot bar cakes for quality and food safety, then package, weigh, label and box them in groups of 12. From there, we move the boxes to a freezer before sending them to our distribution centers.
About our bakery plants
Publix has bakery plants in Lakeland, Florida, and Atlanta. The Lakeland plant was Publix’s 1st manufacturing facility, opening in 1972 with 27 associates working across 25,000 square feet. Today, the plant has over 500 associates and is more than 225,000 square feet.
Fun fact: Did you know the Lakeland bakery plant has its own sugar mill? We grind granulated sugar until it’s very fine, which gives our icing a rich and smooth texture.
The Lakeland plant is divided into 3 main areas: dry mix, frozen and ready-to-eat. While the Atlanta plant produces pies for all of Publix, as well as many other products, the Lakeland plant produces our coveted cookies, icings, muffins, cupcakes, pastries, rolls and much more.
