Carrot Bars

My mom got an Amish recipe book as a gift for her birthday. I was flipping through it and found this recipe. I made it tonight for some Chinese friends that came over for dinner. I ate a large second piece after they left; I had to have more.

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs beaten

1 cup shredded carrots (3 large carrots, peeled & grated)
1/2 cup walnuts (optional), finely chopped (and some additionally to sprinkle on top as a garnish)

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
1 lb powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese
4 TBSP butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan. Blend sugar, oil and eggs. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and stir to blend. Add carrots and nuts and stir until batter is smooth.
2. Bake for 30-33 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool at least 30 minutes before frosting.

3. For frosting: Cream together sugar, cream cheese, and butter. Stir in vanilla. Spread evenly over carrot cake. Sprinkle with finely chopped nuts (optional).