Carrot Cake Cheesecake
Carrot cake and cheesecake are swirled together, baked and topped with luxurious cream cheese frosting. This is a showstopper of a dessert!
This epic dessert is a mashup of cheesecake + carrot cake, and it is absolutely divine.
Cheesecake Batter
The cheesecake swirl for this recipe is really basic. All the ingredients get mixed up together:
- cream cheese
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- bity of flour
- vanilla
- sour cream
Blend it well! And then set it aside to wait for The Great Assembly.
Carrot Cake Batter
The carrot cake batter is modeled after my favorite carrot cake of all time. It is the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. Soft, moist, yummy.
Even better, it’s a one bowl recipe!
I use finely shredded carrots. The pre-shredded matchstick carrots in the produce aisle at the store will likely be too thick.
Shred the carrots yourself (no need to peel them first) on the small holes of a box grater or in a food processor.
Don’t bother squeezing out any excess liquid. Just throw them in the cake batter and give it a good stir!
Assembling Carrot Cake Cheesecake
A 10-inch springform pan works best for this recipe to bake the cake evenly without the cake layers being dry.
To assemble:
- Spread half of the carrot cake batter in the bottom of the pan.
- Dollop half of the cheesecake batter across the top. DO NOT SWIRL!
- Spoon the remaining carrot cake batter on top.
- Spread the last of the cheesecake batter over the carrot cake.
It’s going to be tempting to swirl it all together, but DO NOT give in to the dark side. Just leave it be.
Bake and Frost
Bake the carrot cake cheesecake until no longer jiggly. It’s hard to know when cakes like this are done, but it is important not to over bake or the cake layer might be dry.
The very center of the cheesecake may still have a bit of jiggle to it, but the edges should be set.
Once the cheesecake has cooled completely, frost the top with the cream cheese frosting. This will hide any cracks or imperfections.
If you want to garnish the edges of the cheesecake with chopped, toasted pecans, add them right after the frosting has been spread across the top.
Make Ahead Carrot Cake Cheesecake
The cheesecake needs to chill in the refrigerator to fully set up for several hours.
It can be made several days in advance! Just keep it in the refrigerator, well-covered, until ready to serve.
There is nothing quite like that carrot cake/cheesecake combination. So classic and so yummy!
The swirl-effect in this cheesecake is different every time I make it. Sometimes the layers separate into more defined sections, and other times, the swirl is more evident.
Reading through the comments can give some insight into other people’s experiences, but I don’t stress much about how the cheesecake and carrot cake batters behave in the oven. It tastes delicious no matter what!
Carrot Cake Cheesecake
This delicious carrot cake cheesecake is stunning and elegant! And it is a tried-and-true favorite of ours in the spring time. So many of you love it, too!
Jane: You nailed this one! Oh my goodness, it all happened – my guests tried to steal the last piece, I successfully hid it from my family, and had it for breakfast the next day! Yum on all counts.
Elizabeth: I committed myself to making this for a group of 30 or so and having never made a cheesecake before, I was terrified. I agonized over it for days, afraid I’d cut into the finished product and uncooked cheesecake would just spill out all over the table. I am happy and relieved to report that the finished product looked exactly like the photos above and it was to die for! Delicious! Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe, my desert was the hit of the Easter dinner.
Johanna: Made this tonight. Ummm, this cake is everything!!! So unbelievably to-die-for!
Belinda: Made this cheesecake for Easter dinner. It was a hit! Thanks for another great recipe.
Carrot Cake Cheesecake
Ingredients
Cheesecake:
- 16 ounces (454 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (113 g) sour cream
Carrot Cake:
- ¾ cup vegetable, canola or other neutral-flavored oil
- ¼ cup (53 g) packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (159 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups (178 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ pound finely grated carrots (about 1 cup or so)
Cream Cheese Frosting + Pecans:
- 3 ounces (86 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (171 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- ½ cup chopped, toasted pecans for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- For the cheesecake, in a medium bowl using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and flour until smooth. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix just until blended. Set aside.
- For the carrot cake, in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until the mixture is light creamy and light. Stir in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt until just combined. Mix in the carrots.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
- Spread half of the carrot cake batter into the bottom of the prepared pan. Dollop half of the cheesecake batter on top of the carrot cake layer in large spoonfuls. Don't spread or swirl together.
- Dollop the rest of the carrot cake batter on and around the spoonfuls of cheesecake batter. Spread the last half of the cheesecake batter over the top in a thin layer. Tap the pan on the counter a couple of times to get rid of any air bubbles.
- Bake the cheesecake for 60-70 minutes, tenting the top of the cheesecake with foil the last 20 -30 minutes of baking if it is browning too quickly. Take care not to over bake the cheesecake or the carrot cake bottom and sides will be dry. The top center part of the cheesecake (just about a 2- or 3-inch diameter circle) should still be slightly soft and jiggly when you take it out, but the sides should be set. It's ok if the top of the cheesecake cracks as it will be covered with frosting.
- Let the cheesecake cool completely on a wire rack in the pan.
- For the frosting, whip together the cream cheese and butter until creamy and smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar a little at a time until the frosting is well-combined with no lumps. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix well.
- When the cheesecake has cooled completely, spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Sprinkle the pecans around the edge of the cheesecake.
- Cover and refrigerate 2-3 hours so it is set up and well-chilled.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (cheesecake layer adapted from this Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake; carrot cake and frosting adapted from this Unbelievable Carrot Cake recipe)
Do you have to use a spring form pan? Thanks!
I’ve only ever made it in a springform pan so I’m not sure how/if other pan shapes and sizes will work.
I want to try making this but I am in the uk and not sure if ‘all purpose flour’ is plain or self-raining for me. Can you help?
I’m guessing it’s the same as the plain flour you are referring to.
Made it for Thanksgiving several years back and it came out amazing! Are you able to freeze this cheesecake ? How long will it stay good? And what is the processes to ensure it is safely stored?
Yes, you can freeze this. Bake it, let it cool, and then freeze with several layers of plastic wrap or in a large enough freezer ziploc bag.
I just spent about 46 hours converting all the measurements into grams so this better be worth the effort, haha! And, yeah, all-purpose is the same as sr 🙂
All purpose flour in the USA is Plain flour in UK.. Double check on Google..
Sorry! I just read the older comments and saw where my question had been asked and answered! Thank you!
Do you think this cheesecake would freeze well?
I made this in weekend and carrot cake layer came sticky and dense, almost the same consistency like the cheesecake layer. Do you have any idea what the problem was? I felt that was too much oil but I’m not sure… the dough needs to be stiff (stay on the spoon) or more like pancake batter?
it was very good, but i want the cake layer to have better texture. I will make it again Saturday, so i appreciate any help.
Hmmm, I’m not really sure since I haven’t had that issue. You might try adding a few tablespoons more flour to the cake batter to see if that will help.
i’ll do that. please confirm only if the batter is firm (it stay on the spoon) or more like pancake batter. mine was on the soft side.
It’s not thick like cookie dough – it’s pourable like cake batter.
This time it was perfect. I reduced oil a bit and added 2 tbls flour. Thanks!
Can I make this using a boxed carrot cake mix?
I’ve never tried; feel free to experiment!
That would be too much carrot cake. I make carrot cake from scratch and the carrot cake recipe listed here is about half of what I normally make for a 3 layer carrot cake. You can certainly try, but don’t try to use the whole thing and incorporate all the cake batter in this recipe, or you will have a guaranteed mess in your oven.
I made this last night and presented it to my work mates today. Wow! Unbelievable! Most delicious thing ever! I almost want to make another one straight away
Preheat to 350°. When I bake it should the temperature remain the same? Or needs to be changed? Thanks.
No need to change the baking time (unless the recipe specifically states to do so).
Hi if I make this today (Wednesday) would it still taste as delicious if not better on Friday? Also would it be a good idea to frost the cheesecake the day of serving, or the day before, or can I frost it the day I make it and have it sit in the fridge for 2 days?
I can’t say for sure since I haven’t kept mine that long in advance but it will probably be ok. I’d bake, cool, frost and then store in the refrigerator until Friday. Try and take it out an hour or so before serving.
If this tastes like it looks….LORD help me!!
This will be a day of baking me thinks…
Love your website, imagine how quickly you’d be able to publish a book if you were to write a daily( well, mid nightly) blog…
Well done!
Just made this today for Sunday dinner dessert with my family and it was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!! Not too putzy and I had all the ingredients on hand. Served 10 and still had leftovers. Played cards to see who got to take the last few slices home. I will most assuredly be making several more of your recipes in the near future!!
Hi Mel
I have never made cheesecake before. Just wondering how important it is to have the cream cheese at room temperature before starting?
And when it’s in the oven, would I have the fan on or off?
Room temp cream cheese helps so the cream cheese mixture doesn’t get small lumps from the cold cream cheese. Also, I’m not sure what you mean about a fan in the oven. Are you using a convection oven? I’ve only ever baked this cake using a standard oven but you could use a convection oven if you adjust the temperature and time.
Hey Mel!
Just wanted to finally thank you for all these delicious recipes! It’s seriously a blessing to not have to worry that the recipe will be a total flop. You have the taste buds of an angel.
PS: know any good New York style Cheesecake recipes? Don’t know anywhere trustworthy to look when you don’t have it!
You’re the best. : )
Thanks, Rachael – so happy you are enjoying the recipes! I’ll have to put a New York style cheesecake on my bucket list. Sorry I don’t have a great tried-and-true recipe.
Hi,
I made the cake and i liked it but i gad problem with baking theory.
The bottom burned and the middle cake layer is uncooked…
what do you think is the problem?
i baked it in 180°
thank you 🙂
Lujain – Are you using Celsius? I’m not familiar with conversions from Fahrenheit to Celsius; sounds like perhaps you need to reduce baking temp and increase baking time just a bit. Each oven can vary in actual temperature especially gas versus electric ovens. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this recipe! My family and I finished it in 2 days! lol But I must admit this cheesecake initially gave me anxiety after I took it out the oven. It cracked…a lot lol but I remember you saying that it probably would crack. And I knew I would be putting the frosting over it so it wasn’t a big deal. When I cut into it I did have all the swirls like your picture and I was so happy! I wish you could see how it came out. It tasted amazing! Everyone loved it! Definitely a rich dessert but delicious nonetheless. I can’t wait to try out more of your recipes, this was my first! Thanks again 🙂
Hi, i dont have sour cream can i use yogurt instead or normal cream with half a lemon?
Thank you
Hi Dana – I haven’t tried a substitution for the sour cream but it might be worth a try. Have you read through the comment thread? I think a few others have subbed for the sour cream and their experiences may be helpful to read through.
My carrot cake also was raw and runny in the middle. Half the diameter’s batter ran out when I sliced it, despite the cheesecake being perfectly baked. Thankfully, this was the “practice” baking. I’ll distribute the carrot cake along the bottom and outside, because those portions were fully baked, if not nearly burnt, for the “real” version I am making for a friend. Hopefully that’ll do the trick.
H, just to report back. I did use the exact 1/2 lb of finely grated carrots. When we cut into it at Easter, the carrot part was not cooked. Some of it was (that part was delicious) but it was a bummer! I used all full fat, etc, ingredients.
Stephanie – Another commenter also had an underbaked cheesecake and it sounds like maybe extra baking time could help the insides not be undercooked. Every oven is a bit different in temperature so it isn’t unusual to have to add time onto things like cheesecakes which take a long time to cook. I’m sorry that it didn’t work out. Thanks for reporting back.
Hi
Going to make this at the weekend. Do you think this could be frozen?
Sarah – yes, this cheesecake can be made, cooled and frozen but I would wait to put the frosting on top until after it has thawed and you are ready to serve.
I committed myself to making this for a group of 30 or so and having never made a cheesecake before, I was terrified. I agonized over it for days, afraid I’d cut into the finished product and uncooked cheesecake would just spill out all over the table. I am happy and relieved to report that the finished product looked exactly like the photos above and it was to die for! Delicious! Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe, my desert was the hit of the Easter dinner.
Juniors carrot cake cheesecake is my absolute favorite. After leaving Brooklyn I have not been able to duplicate. Until now. Thanks for the easy recipe. Made them as cupcakes and can’t wait until I serve them tomorrow.
Love the swirl!! Job well done Mel.
AWESOME!! Thank you so much for the quick response! If I could hug you I would 🙂 Happy Easter!!
Ah, help! Haha, I’m panicking because I am making this right now. I thought half a pound of carrots was 8 oz. That is about 1 3/4 cups. Should I use ~1cup or go by weight? (Are my calc. wrong?) Thank you Mel, in advance!!! My family knows they are getting a “Mel” dessert this Easter and they are excited!!! 🙂
Stephanie – don’t panic! You can’t really mess it up with more carrots (unless we’re talking pounds and pounds of carrots!). 🙂 I think you’ll be fine. My “1 cup or so” is just an estimate and I’d definitely go by weight vs. cup measure so throw all the carrots in – I think it will be great. Hope you love it! Happy Easter!
I make cheesecake in all flavors like this. My family loves to eat it frozen! I frost then freeze.
I am excited to try your recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
I am confused by the cup measurements, what is the weight in ounces?
Freda – You will have to Google the weight conversions. Sorry I am not more help.
I have made this scrumptious dessert twice and always bring home an empty pie plate. It is amazingly yummy! Mel, my hubby has requested red velvet for his birthday and I was wondering if you thought it would work paired with cream cheese in this method? I have made your Red Velvet Cheesecake which is also amazing, but I like the way the two are melded together in this recipe. Think it will work?
Adrienne – Totally worth a try and I think it could work pretty well. You will need to look at the amounts of cake in the red velvet recipe just to make sure it doesn’t overflow the pan and make adjustments as needed. Good luck!
Hi Mel and Adrienne,
Have either of you tried this or heard of someone using a red velvet in place of the carrot cake yet? I have been planning to make this as a Red Velvet Cheesecake, but all the other pinterest links show skimpy “swirls” instead of your blobbed swirls, so I am worried that it’s a bad plan. I’m trying to make this for an office bake off so any tips to win would be so helpful. This cake looks A-Mazing! Thanks
I haven’t tried it with red velvet although I do have another recipe for a red velvet cheesecake type cake. It’s really important that the consistency of the cake batter for this recipe not be overly thin – that’s probably what causes the swirls to look less pronounced.
I felt like a rockstar today, Mel, thanks to you and this recipe! It’s fun how my family and extended family all talk about you like a friend.
“Where’d you get this recipe?”
“It’s another one from Mel.”
“Oh, right, Mel. Then you know it’s gonna be good!”
(Thank you.)
Great recipe. I added raisins and walnuts to the carrot cake portion. I also macerated my carrots in the brown sugar first to let the natural sweetness come out. Recipe turne dout perfect. My wife’s 2 favorites combined.
I am on try #2 with this cheesecake. First on I mixed cream cheese, eggs, sugar at the same time and my batter had lumps of cream cheese. And the cake was ruined. I am doing a redo now and my cheesecake layer is fabulous( I creamed the cream cheese first, added in the sugar and then 1 egg at a time) but having a hard time getting that cake to completely cook in the middle. I did double it and am cooking it in a 12 inch pan. Is there a rule of thumb to cook times when you double in baking? Anyway, just praying this cake layer cooks through. I can’t stand having to do it over!… It just looks to good that I have to have it done right!!
Megan – the doubling issue is probably what is causing the cake not to bake through quite as quickly. I’m not sure what the correct pan size would be to use for a doubled recipe but I hope you were able to get it baked through and that it turned out. Since I haven’t doubled this I’m not sure of an estimate of baking time but I’d suggest at least an extra 20-30 minutes. Good luck!
Hi Mel!
I made this cake for Thanksgiving and to my horror the center of the carrot cake layer didn’t cook. I had it in the oven for 70 min at 350 degrees but when I cut into it the center was still runny. Not sure if it matters but I had my oven set to convection baking instead of conventional. Any tips or advice on what could have gone wrong? On the plus side, we ate the part that was cooked and everybody thought it was delicious!
RSC – it sounds like the convection might have been the troublemaker. Have you used convection to bake other cheesecakes? I always use the standard bake on my oven for this cake and other cheesecakes. I hope it works out better if you make it again!
I am making this for Thanksgiving, and we are also celebrating my Mom’s 85th birthday then. Carrot cake and cheesecake are two of her faves! Mine too.
My urgent question is: I have a ton of refrigerator food getting ready for Thanksgiving. Do you think I could make it and freeze it 3 or 4 days, then thaw and frost? I have more freezer space. Hope to see your reply soon! Thanks so much and Happy Thanksgiving.
KatyMac – yes, you can definitely freeze this. Good luck!
Thanks for this great recipe! My husband loves carrot cake, but I bake a better cheesecake than cake. I made this for his birthday and he loved it – thinks it’s better than regular carrot cake. I now have to make this for all of his birthdays , but add raisins to the cake batter. I thought the frosting would be too much but it was just a perfect balance of all flavors. I’m inspired to want to try this with other cake flavors.
This recipe is just TOO sweet. I understand baking is Chemistry but is it possible to reduce the sugar amounts in the Carrot Cake, the Cheesecake and the frosting and still make it work?
Hi Mare, you’d have to experiment with that – I haven’t tried reducing the sugar and don’t know how it will affect the outcome.
Hi Mel! I want to make this for thanksgiving. I want to make it Sunday night and serve it Thursday. If I freeze it before frosting it will it be just as good? Or should I keep it in the fridge? Or is really making it a day before the best option. Just looking to see where I can prep things in advance and still have a great meal! Thanks!!
Hi Ashley – you can definitely make this in advance and not wait until the day before. Your timeline is right on the fence of whether or not to freeze or just refrigerate. Cheesecakes are always better the day or 2 days after they are made. If I were you, I’d just refrigerate it from Sunday until Thursday (if you were to freeze it, you’d need to take it out by Wednesday to start thawing anyway).
Thanks Mel – that’s the size pan I ended up using. We absolutely loved this cheesecake!! Will be blogging about it this week and I’ll link back to your post. Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
Patricia @ ButterYum
Hi there. I realize the recipe calls for a 9 or 10-inch pan, but I’d like to know what size pan you used. Thanks so much.
ButterYum
Hi Patricia – I’ve used both but in the pictures I used the 9-inch pan.
Mel, Your recipes are a god send! I’ve been asked from my chocolate-cheesecake loving boyfriend if I can make this but sub the carrot cake for chocolate cake? I know it can work but my question is can I use your yellow cake recipe and add cocoa powder to it
Hi Roxy – I’ve never altered the yellow cake mix to be chocolate and probably wouldn’t try it. I’d go for another tried-and-true chocolate cake like this one. Good luck!
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/09/the-best-chocolate-cake.html
My mom made me this AMAZING cheesecake for my birthday! She followed the recipe to a T, and we also did not have “lumpiness” and our cake also “layered” with all the carrot cake on the bottom and all the cheesecake on the top. It was delicious but we were looking for the swirl effect. We did not use light cream cheese, but I’m wondering if using a Kitchenaid mixer and over whipping the cream cheese into a light batter may be the culprit? I also think maybe your 1/2 pound of carrots for the cake mixture (1 cup or so) makes the carrot cake batter wetter for some people? Ours was a packed cup of shredded carrots and the batter was runny, therefore not lumpy at all. Just my thoughts… Delicious recipe and will try and try again until we perfect it and get your beautiful swirls!
Can you make this as cupcakes?
Hi Chrissy – you’d definitely have to experiment with that. I haven’t tried it!
Quick comment and question:
I made this for Easter and everyone loved it. So much in fact, that my father in law who has a birthday this next week requested it. I’m also due with a baby any day now, and didn’t want to miss his birthday, so I made the cheesecake last night. Do you think it would freeze well? or should I give it to him as an early birthday treat?
Hi Alicia – yes, you could definitely freeze this. I’d wait to frost it until it has defrosted and you are going to give it to your father-in-law, though. Good luck! (with the cheesecake and the new baby!)
This may be sacrilege, but I made this with shredded apples instead of carrots and it was delicious!
This is not a just a Holiday desert… making it this weekend!
AMAZING!
Hey Kim S: can you please tell me which website you take cheesecake factory knock off recipes from? Just curious as want to compare.. Thank you so much.
Hi, can this be done in a regular old pie dish? I don’t own a springform pan quite yet.
Hi Linnsie – no you definitely need a springform pan because it is much deeper than a pie plate. Sorry!
You nailed this one! Oh my goodness, it all happened – my guests tried to steal the last piece, I successfully hid it from my family, and had it for breakfast the next day! Yum on all counts. Just a note, I used low-fat cream cheese without issue – I think you need to have a very light hand when spreading the cheesecake batter over the top – mine had decent swirls (not as pretty as yours, but that is par for the course).
If I make this 2 days before we plan on eating it, do you recommend making the frosting, and frosting the cheesecake right before serving? I’m making this for my husband’s birthday so I don’t want to screw it up! Ha!
Hi Denise, I would frost it after it cools and while it refrigerates; it should be fine frosted for 2 days (our leftovers after 4-5 days were awesome).
You are awesome for posting my ham recipe. Seeing it on your blog makes me feel like I’m a good cook, even though I’m not.
But now I’m in your debt again for coming up with an awesome carrot cheesecake recipe. We love the combination! So now I’ve got another recipe headed your way to say thanks for awesome life-changing recipes. I’m not exaggerating.
Another awesome recipe, Mel! We loved it!! And the ham…OHHHH that ham!! It was delish! Even my mother, who’s not a ham eater, LOVED it! HA!
I made this at Easter and it was fabulous! My Dad does not have a sweet tooth but he got seconds, and thirds of this delicious cake 🙂
Thank you!!!
this was awesome!! the layers weren’t lumpy like yours but it tasted awesome… and pretty darn easy too! thanks Mel!!