Love carrot cake AND cheesecake? Then you will fall in love with the mashup of the two. This cheesecake includes layers of a spicy carrot cake and is topped with a cream cheese frosting!
My husband had a milestone birthday recently. It also happened to be the day after Father’s Day. When I asked him what he wanted me to bake for his special day, he said he wanted a carrot cake cheesecake. You see, a few weeks ago, we were cleaning out all of my random and loose recipes from magazines and other sources. As we were organizing everything into a binder, he found the recipe.
I’ve since lost or misplaced that original recipe, sadly.
But never fear – I found one that he liked. The cake and cheesecake layers came together very quickly and baked in my oven for an hour. After it cooled in my refrigerator, I added the cream cheese frosting over it.
Boy oh boy! This cheesecake was even better than what I expected! I think I allowed my cheesecake to bake a little bit too long, as the bottom crust area got slightly charred in places. However, the full flavor of the carrot cake did come through. And of course, my favorite part was the cream cheese icing (which I doubled so I could cover the sides of the cheesecake).
My husband was very happy about his birthday cheesecake, and he was generous enough to give some of this away to some friends. The good thing about this cake is that it contains carrots, so it’s healthy… right?
Carrot cake cheesecake
Ingredients
Cheesecake
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
Carrot cake
- 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/3 cups finely grated carrots
Topping
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter softened
- 1 and 1/4 cips powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a standard 9" or 10" springform pan and set aside.
Make the cheesecake
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, whip the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and flour. Add the eggs, one at a time, until it each is fully incorporated. Finally, add the vanilla and Greek yogurt and mix until just blended. Do not overmix or your cheesecake will be prone to cracking. Transfer the batter to another bowl and set aside.
- Clean your bowl and the paddle attachment.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
Make the carrot cake
- In the clean bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, mix the applesauce and sugars together on medium speed until well blended. Turn the mixer to low and add in the dry ingredients. Mix until combined. Then add the vanilla and carrots and mix until well blended.
Assemble the carrot cake cheesecake
- Pour half of the carrot cake batter into your prepared springform pan. Smooth the top.
- Pour half of the cheesecake batter on top, being careful not to mix or swirl it with the carrot cake. Smooth the top with a spatula.
- Pour the remaining carrot cake batter on top and smooth it. Then top with the remaining cheesecake batter.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 60-65 minutes or until the center is slightly jiggly. Allow to cool to room temperature. Then cover with aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator for about 7-8 hours.
Make the topping
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, whisk the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, Greek yogurt, and vanilla and beat for another 4-5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Spread the topping over the cheesecake and refrigerate or freeze until set. You may also decorate the top with nuts or whipped cream.
- Slice and serve.
Carrot cake Cheesecake AND a cream cheese frosting? Double yum! I’m going to have to try this one for sure!
Author
I hope you enjoy it!