This carrot cake cheesecake is one of my most prized recipes, and it’s an absolute showstopper–no other dessert can compare (except maybe my cheesecake stuffed chocolate cake!). With its incredibly moist and perfectly spiced carrot cake layers, sweet but tangy cheesecake center, and a lighter, whipped version of my cream cheese frosting, this is most definitely one of my favorite cakes. While it took a few tries to achieve a perfectly moist cake, a perfectly creamy cheesecake, and a suitable ratio of one to the other, I finally have a beautifully balanced cake to share with you. I have a feeling this carrot cake cheesecake will be the star of many Easter dessert tables; but then again, it would be divine for any dessert table, anytime, ever. Let’s dive right in!
What You Need
Here are a few of the key ingredients you’ll need to make this stunning carrot cake cheesecake:
Cream cheese. You’ll need a total of 32oz of softened cream cheese for this recipe. This will be divided between the cheesecake layer and the cream cheese frosting.Sour cream. Use full-fat sour cream for the cheesecake portion. Full-fat, plain Greek yogurt could also work in a pinch.Eggs. These should be room temperature before you add them. You’ll need seven eggs total for this carrot cake cheesecake. It’s a hefty cake! Flour. All-purpose works best here. If substituted properly, cake flour could work, but it won’t yield as dense of a crumb–which we actually want in this cake!Brown sugar. I like to use half light brown sugar, half granulated sugar for depth of flavor in the cake portion of my carrot cake cheesecake. Cinnamon + nutmeg. I like to spice my carrot cake with both cinnamon and nutmeg. Some people have asked me if they can add others, like allspice or clove, and that’s fine (although the flavor will be more similar to a spice cake). Oil + butter. We’ll add both oil and butter for a moist and flavorful cake. Carrots. Make sure to peel your carrots before grating them–this results in a cleaner looking carrot cake. I find I need about four carrots for this recipe. Chopped nuts. These are optional, but if you like nuts in your carrot cake, you can use either walnuts or pecans. If you lightly toast them first, that’s even better!Heavy cream. Just a splash of cream helps the frosting whip up so it’s light and airy, which complements this rich cake nicely.Powdered sugar. We’ll add enough to make the frosting sweet, but not too sweet. Vanilla. A teaspoon of vanilla extract adds just the right amount of flavor without overpowering the cream cheese in the frosting and the cheesecake.
SAM’S TIP: I find the easiest way to grate carrots is to use a food processor. I start with the shred blade then switch to the standard blade before pulsing a few times until the carrots are fine pieces. Make sure you only pulse briefly, or you may end up with carrot puree! Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Carrot Cake Cheesecake
SAM’S TIP: To line your springform pan, first remove the base from the collar. Then, place a piece of parchment paper directly onto the round base. Apply the collar as normal, placing it directly over the parchment. Finally, lock the pan in place so the excess paper fans out around the bottom. This will ensure that your cheesecake can be easily removed from the pan once it has cooled! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Related Recipes
Recipe originally published in March of 2018. I’ve updated the recipe slightly to improve upon it and make the directions more clear, and the photos have been updated. The post has been updated and a video has been added to make this post as clear and helpful as possible!
