Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake
Would you like a slice of carrot cake or a slice of cheesecake? Skip that question and make this Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake!
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 565kcal
Ingredients
For the Cheesecake
- 16 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Carrot Cake
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs
- 2 ¼ cups carrots peeled and grated (~4 medium carrots)
- 2 ¼ cups walnuts chopped, divided, can substitute pecans instead
- ⅔ cup raisins
For the Frosting
- 16 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 3-3½ cups powdered sugar
- {optional} orange and green food coloring gel for decorating
Instructions
For the Cheesecake
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until completely smooth (~3 minutes).
- Add sugar and flour; mix until well combined, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
- Whisk the eggs and egg yolk together and add to the bowl; mix until well combined.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla; mix until well combined.
- Grease and flour (or spray with nonstick spray) sides of a 9” springform pan. Line pan with parchment paper and then pour cheesecake batter into pan.
- Wrap the bottom of the springform pan with a piece of aluminum foil and place in a large baking dish. Fill dish with ~1” of water. Bake at 325°F until center of cake is just barely set (~30-35 minutes). (Tip: Pull the cheesecake out of the oven when there is about 1" ring of "looser" filling left in the center of the cake.)
- Remove cake from oven and cool slightly. Wrap entire pan in plastic wrap and freeze at least 3 hours (or overnight). (Note: Freezing the cheesecake makes it a lot easier to assemble the cake later.)
For the Carrot Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Using a countertop mixer, blend together the vegetable oil and sugar until well combined.
- Using a separate large bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir until well combined.
- Add ½ of dry mixture to the bowl; mix until well combined.
- Add 2 of the eggs; mix until well combined.
- Repeat process using remaining dry mixture and remaining eggs.
- Add grated carrots, ¾ cup chopped walnuts, and raisins; mix until well combined.
- Divide carrot cake batter evenly into (2) greased 9" cake pans.
- Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool in pan for 15 minutes. Turn cakes out onto a wire rack until completely cool.
For the Frosting
- Using a countertop mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter until well combined (~2-3 minutes on medium speed).
- Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until frosting reaches desired sweetness.
- Beat frosting on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
Assembling the Cake
- Toast the remaining chopped walnuts (1½ cups) at 350°F for 4-5 minutes. (Watch carefully as they will burn quickly!)
- Once carrot cake layers are cooled, place one cake layer in the center of a large plate.
- Spread ½ cup of frosting evenly on top of cake.
- Remove the cheesecake from the freezer or refrigerator and place on top. Spread ½ cup of frosting on top of cheesecake layer.
- Place 2nd layer of carrot cake on top. Frost the top and sides of the cake using the remaining frosting. (Note: Reserve about ½ cup of frosting for the carrots.)
- Using a cupped hand, carefully push the toasted walnuts into the sides of the cake.
- Divide the reserved frosting into two bowls and color the frosting orange and green.
- Using a pastry bag, pipe the carrots around the top of the cake. (I used a #8 tip to pipe the orange carrots and a #352 tip to pipe the green leaves.)
- Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 565kcal | Carbohydrates: 83g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 31g | Cholesterol: 167mg | Sodium: 449mg | Potassium: 362mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 62g | Vitamin A: 4241IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 2mg
