You’re looking at the ultimate dessert mashup: carrot cake cheesecake! It’s everything you love about warmly spiced carrot cake and creamy cheesecake baked right in the same pan.
Bonus-this recipe’s easier than regular cheesecake (no water bath required!) 🥕
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For Easter this year, I combined two favorite desserts to create this carrot and cheesecake cake! My family always requests cheesecake or carrot cake, so I know they’re going to love this.
I made pecan and cheesecake pie this past Thanksgiving and everyone loved having two desserts in one! My pumpkin and carrot cake is always a big hit for the same reason.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You get carrot cake and cheesecake in every bite. The two batters bake together so there’s no layering or assembly after the fact.
- Carrot cake takes the place of a crust. Just spread some of the carrot cake batter on the bottom of the pan.
- It’s a great make-ahead dessert. The cake needs to chill overnight which means it’s ready in the fridge when you need it, just like my apple crumble cheesecake recipe.
- It’s a showstopper when sliced! When you slice it you can see the swirls of cheesecake and the spiced carrot cake.
- The topping is customizable. I love the labneh but full-fat sour cream works just as well. No halva? Crushed Biscoff cookies or a handful of toasted nuts are great alternatives.
Ingredient Notes
Here are some useful notes on some of the ingredients needed to make this recipe for carrot cake cheesecake cake.
- Use full-fat cream cheese for the cheesecake portion. It should be softened to room temperature.
- You’ll need a total of 4 large eggs for this recipe. These should be room temperature when you add them.
- Use 1 and 1/2 cups of shredded carrots (from about 2 medium carrots). I recommend peeling your carrots first then grating them on the small holes of a box grater. For another yummy carrot recipe, try my carrot cake scones recipe or this carrot cake loaf!
- I use brown sugar and granulated sugar in the cake and cheesecake for the best depth of flavor. Make sure your brown sugar is fresh.
- Unsweetened applesauce keeps carrot cake moist.
- Chopped walnuts are optional. If you like nuts in your carrot cake, I recommend adding them. You can use walnuts, pecans or even pistachios. If you lightly toast them first, they’ll be extra crunchy and delicious!
- I like to spice the carrot cake with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice or pumpkin pie spice, cardamom and black pepper. A few readers asked me if they can just use cinnamon and nutmeg. That would work fine!
- Tahini is optional. It’s a small amount. It won’t give the cheesecake a strong tahini flavor, but it does give the dessert more depth of flavor. Make sure to stir the tahini well before measuring. If you don’t have tahini, you can just leave it out.
- Use labneh for the topping. Labneh is thick, creamy strained yogurt. You can find it in Middle Eastern stores or in a well stocked grocery store. If you can’t find it, full-fat sour cream can also work.
- Honey adds sweetness and a lovely flavor to the topping.
- Halva is optional. Add it as a decoration before serving. It’ll melt a bit into the labneh slightly as it sits. It has subtle sesame note that’s so good with the warm spices in the cake.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Don’t have unsweetened applesauce? Swap in some freshly grated apple or use extra oil.
- No honey in your pantry? Swap in powdered sugar.
- Wondering what to use instead of halva? Swap in crushed amaretti cookies, Biscoff cookies, graham crackers, or chopped nuts.
- Don’t have tahini? Almond butter or cashew butter work well as substitutes. You could also just leave it out entirely and replace with an extra 2 tablespoons of sour cream.
- Have a nut allergy or not a nut fan? The nuts are optional.
- Don’t have walnuts? Swap in pistachios, pecans, almonds or hazelnuts.
How to Make Carrot Cheesecake
Quick Video Recap
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: (See photo 1 above). Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat the cream cheese with both sugars with an electric mixer on low speed until completely smooth. Add the sour cream, tahini, and vanilla then mix in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the flour and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: (See photo 2 above). Whisk to combine the dry ingredients. In a separate large bowl, combine the oil, applesauce, both sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk by hand until no lumps of brown sugar remain. Fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula. Stir in the carrots and nuts, if using.
Step 3: (See photo 3 above). Spread 1½ cups of carrot cake batter into a greased and parchment paper lined 9-inch springform pan.
Step 4: (See photo 4 above). Gently drop a third of the cheesecake mixture over the carrot cake layer in spoonfuls. Don’t spread or swirl it. Spoon the rest of the carrot cake batter gently over top.
Step 5: (See photo 5 above). Spoon the rest of the cheesecake batter over top. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, then loosely tent the top with foil. Continue baking for another 20–25 minutes. The cake is done when the center has only a very slight jiggle. Cool on a rack 1 hour, then cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
Step 6: (See photo 6 above). Stir together the labneh, honey, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Spread it over the chilled cake. Top with crumbled halva right before serving.
Natalie’s Baking Tips
- Make sure your eggs, cream cheese, and sour cream are at room temperature.
- Don’t overmix the cheesecake batter once you add the eggs. Mix just until they’re incorporated.
Don’t spread or swirl the cheesecake dollops into the carrot cake batter. Just plop the dollops overtop. - Use a large spoon to gently spoon the final layer of cheesecake mixture slowly and evenly overtop. Don’t pour it all in one spot.
- Tent the cake with foil at 40 minutes. To do this, just fold a piece of foil in half so it has a tent-like shape. Set the foil tent over the cake pan to cover the cake. Make sure it’s not touching the surface of the cake.
- Don’t worry if the top cracks. It’s common with this kind of cake where cheesecake and cake batter bake together. The cake is meant to have a rustic vibe (like my olive oil apple cake), so it’s okay. Also, the topping covers the top anyway!😂
- Don’t remove the springform collar until the cake has chilled for the full time.
- Make sure the cake is fully cooled and properly chilled before slicing.
- Run your knife under hot water then wipe the knife clean and dry between slices for the neatest cuts.
Recipe FAQs
No. The carrot cake batter surrounding the cheesecake acts as insulation during baking, so a water bath isn’t necessary.
Yes you can. I leave them out since I don’t typically add raisins to my carrot cake. Also, I feel like this recipe for carrot cake cheesecake already has a lot going on, so it doesn’t need raisins.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Add fresh halva each time you serve since it softens into the labneh if left on overnight.
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Carrot Cake Cheesecake
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Layer
- 1¼ cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice or pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper optional
- ½ cup (118 ml) canola oil or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsweetened applesauce or shredded apple
- ¾ cup (155 g) light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (180 g) finely grated carrots about 2 medium
- ⅓ cup (40 g) chopped walnuts optional, or pecans or pistachios, toast whole, then roughly chop then measure out 1/3 cup
Cheesecake Layer
- 16 oz (450 g) cream cheese full-fat brick-style, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar packed, make sure it's fresh and free of lumps
- ½ cup (115 g) full-fat sour cream room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) tahini well-stirred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (5 g) all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
Honey Labneh Topping
- 1 cup (220 g) labneh room temperature, or see notes below for swapping in sour cream
- 2½ tablespoons (52 g) honey add up to 3 tbsp (40–60g total), to taste
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
Decoration
- 3 oz (85 g) halva optional, or top with chopped nuts
Instructions
- Toast the nuts Spread the walnuts or pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast for 5–8 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly golden. Let cool completely then chop roughly. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9-inch springform pan, line the bottom with a round of parchment paper, then butter the parchment.
Cheesecake Layer
- Make the cheesecake mixture. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with both sugars on low speed until completely smooth with no lumps, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream, tahini, and vanilla and mix until just combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until incorporated after each. Stir in the flour and salt. Set aside.
Carrot Cake Layer
- Make the carrot cake mixture. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, and black pepper.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the oil, applesauce, both sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk by hand for about 1 minute until no lumps of brown sugar remain. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold with a spatula until just blended. Do not overmix. Fold in the carrots and nuts, if using.
- Layer the batters. Pour about 1½ cups of carrot cake batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Drop about one third of the cheesecake mixture over the carrot cake batter in spoonfuls. Don't spread or swirl the batters. Use a large spoon to spoon the remaining carrot cake batter gently on top. Use a large spoon to evenly spoon the rest of the cheesecake mixture over everything slowly and evenly overtop.
- Bake. Bake for 40 minutes, then loosely tent the top with foil, keeping it from touching the surface. Continue baking for another 20–25 minutes. The cake is done when the center has only a very slight jiggle. I don't recommend checking for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle because the toothpick might not come out completely clean (you'd probably see some cheesecake on it which is fine.
- Cool and chill. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour at room temperature, then cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Do not remove the springform collar until the cake has chilled for the full time.
Decorate
- Make the honey labneh topping. Blot away or pour off any pooled liquid on the surface of the labneh. In a medium bowl, stir together the labneh, honey, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Start with 2½ tablespoons of honey, taste, and add another ½ tablespoon if you'd like it sweeter. If you'd like to use sour cream in place of labneh: Sour cream is thinner than labneh and won't set up the same. For this reason, I recommend using ½ cup sour cream + 1-1½ tablespoons honey + ¼ teaspoon vanilla and no salt.
- Spread the honey labneh over the chilled cake. Scatter the crumbled halva (or chopped nuts) generously over the top. Remove the springform collar and slice with a long sharp knife wiped clean between each cut.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
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