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Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake

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With two layers of carrot cake sandwiching one layer of cheesecake, this carrot cake cheesecake cake is the only dessert you’ll need this Easter!

slice of carrot cake cheesecake cake sitting on a plate with the rest of the cake in the background

Question: How many times can one recipe have “cake” in the title?

Answer: Not totally sure but never too many.

If you’re looking for a show-stopping dessert to serve this Easter look no further. This carrot cake cheesecake cake is it. This is all you’ll need.

Because not only is it one heckuva good-lookin’ cake, but it’s delicious too. I mean, come on. Two layers of carrot cake, one layer of cheesecake, plenty of cream cheese frosting. You can’t go wrong.

And now I’m hungry. (Story of my life.)

unfrosted carrot cake cheesecake cake sitting on a cake stand

I’ve wanted to make a cheesecake cake ever since seeing this strawberry version from Life, Love and Sugar on pinterest.  I mean, come on!  If there is a more gorgeous cake on earth I haven’t seen it.

And my carrot cake version did not disappoint.  A warning though: this is not (at all) a quick dessert to make. The cheesecake layer has to refrigerate overnight. But that refrigeration time is good news because it breaks the work up for you. And no component is difficult. If you can make a regular cake you can make this one. Promise.

Confession time. . .I taste every recipe I put up on this blog. I would never post anything I hadn’t tasted and enjoyed. But I don’t eat every bit of every recipe. As much as I might enjoy that, I’d really hate the part where I need a crane to remove me from my bedroom. I give the majority of my baked goods away.

This cheesecake cake is the first recipe that I’ve thought I had to get out of the house IMMEDIATELY after photographing. Seriously. I didn’t think I’d have the strength to make it through the night without eating at least two pieces of half the flipping cake. It’s that delicious.

The creamiest cheesecake sandwiched between the moistest carrot cake, topped with frosting and crunchy walnuts. OOOHHHMIGOSH. Can’t even take it!

frosted carrot cake cheesecake cake covered in walnuts sitting on a cake stand

My point is this: this cheesecake cake is worth every minute of effort it takes. It’s probably worth double that. Triple even.

The hardest part of the whole thing (besides not eating a slice of cheesecake before you assemble) is making sure you line your cake pan well enough when you bake your cheesecake layer. Because the cake layers all need to be the same size you can’t bake the cheesecake in a spring-form pan like you normally would, so it’s a little tricksy to get out of the pan without mauling it. I provide instructions for removing the cake from the pan in the recipe that follows this post; the keys are lining the bottom of your cake pan with parchment and using some hot water to assist you in the removal.

Once you pop that cheesecake out of its pan you’re golden. This cake practically bakes itself from that point.

Or maybe not quite. You’ll still have to do some of the work. But like I said before: it’s worth it! This is Easter dessert perfection right here.

slice of carrot cake cheesecake cake on a plate with a fork taking a bite out of it

By my count I’ve used the word “cake” 34 times in this post. Cake! 35 :).

Sounds about right.

PS, if you make this carrot cake cheesecake cake, be sure to leave me a comment and a rating below–let me know what you think!  Post a pic over on Instagram too.  Tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see! 

Print
Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
48 mins
Cooling time
8 hrs
Total Time
9 hrs 18 mins
 

This carrot cake cheesecake cake features two layers of fluffy carrot cake sandwiching a layer of creamy cheesecake. It's a dessert worthy of a celebration!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10
Author: Kelsie
Ingredients
Cheesecake layer:
  • 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Carrot cake layers:
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups grated carrot from about 4 to 5 medium carrots
  • 1 cup chopped lightly toasted walnuts or pecans
Cream cheese frosting*:
  • 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 4 to 5 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • additional chopped walnuts for decorating if desired
Instructions
Cheesecake layer:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, then generously spray the pan with cooking spray again. Set pan aside.
  2. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and flour together with an electric mixer set to medium speed. Beat in eggs and egg yolks one at a time, mixing until eggs are just incorporated. Turn mixer to low and beat in the sour cream, heavy cream, and vanilla.
  3. Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Set pan in a roasting pan (or any large baking pan) and carry over to the oven. Pour a couple inches of water into the pan, then carefully transfer to the oven. Bake 18 to 25 minutes, until the center of the cheesecake barely wobbles. Remove from the oven and immediately run a knife between the cake and the edge of the pan. Cool cheesecake to room temperature. Once cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  4. After the cheesecake has refrigerated, dip the pan in a bowl of hot water for about 15 seconds. Run a knife around the edge of the cake again, then set a large plate or a cake circle on top of the pan. Invert the cake onto the plate. Keep refrigerated until you assemble the cake.
Carrot cake layers:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Spray the paper with cooking spray, then dust with flour. Set pans aside.
  2. Beat the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and cloves together in a small mixing bowl. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined. Mix in carrots, then gently fold in walnuts until evenly distributed. Divide between prepared pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
  3. Bake for 30 to 33 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream cheese frosting:
  1. Place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until cream cheese is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add butter and beat until mixture is completely smooth, 2 to 3 minutes more. With mixer set to low, gradually beat in 4 cups of powdered sugar. Beat in vanilla and salt, then beat frosting on high speed until very fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. If frosting is too thin you can add additional powdered sugar as necessary.
Assembly:
  1. Place one carrot cake layer on a cake stand or cake circle. Spread about 1/2 cup of frosting on top of the cake layer. Carefully top with the cheesecake layer. Top cheesecake with another 1/2 cup of frosting, spreading in gently into an even layer. Top with remaining carrot cake layer. Use remaining frosting to frost the cake, and decorate if desired. Serve and enjoy.
Recipe Notes

*This makes lots of frosting so you’ll have plenty to decorate with. If you don’t intend to decorate you can cut the frosting amount in half.

Cheesecake adapted from The Baker’s Manual
Carrot cake adapted from Allrecipes

Comments

  1. Stacy | Pop Kitchen says

    I have never had a cake with an entire cheesecake in the middle but I imagine I’d be like you and be tempted to eat the entire thing. I love cheesecake with cinnamon and I think the carrot cake combo is perfect.

    Reply

    • Kelsie says

      Definitely try it sometime! If you like cheesecake you’ll love it stuffed inside another cake :). Thank you so much, Stacy!

      Reply

    • Kelsie says

      OMG Kelly! Cookie dough is my kryptonite. I might as well double the recipe ’cause I’m just gonna eat half of it while it rests :). Thanks, girl!

      Reply

    • Kelsie says

      Definitely try it Tandy! It’s soooo good. And would be way more simple if you could just remove the pan’s bottom! Thank you!

      Reply

  7. evolvewithmary says

    Combining my two favorite desserts sounds dangerous, deliciously dangerous 😉 . It seems like carrot cake was made for Spring. It’s so Beautifully decorated I don’t think this cake would last more than a few minutes at my house 🙂

    Reply

    • Kelsie says

      Dangerous is definitely the right word. It didn’t last long here either :). I totally agree–let’s make carrot cake the official cake of spring! Thank you so much, Mary!

      Reply

  8. Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says

    OMG!! This is one good looking cake, girl!!! Cheesecake between carrot cake? Say what? It’s like carrot cake and cheese cake met, feel in love, and made this. Is it wrong that I want to keep the whole thing for myself? Pinned! Happy Monday!

    Reply

    • Kelsie says

      Thank you, Dawn! That’s exactly what I was thinking. The gorgeous child of two equally wonderful cakes :). Happy Monday to you too!

      Reply

  12. klandi98 says

    The only thing better than carrot cake is carrot cake with a huge layer of cheesecake in it! This looks amazing!

    Reply

    • Kelsie says

      Right? I can’t even imagine carrot cake without cream cheese frosting. It’s just necessary. Thank you so much, Heather!

      Reply

  17. Nancie says

    Did your mom tell you carrot cake and cheesecake are two of my favorites? This is perfect and it looks amazing. What a fabulous creation.

    Reply

  18. Milena | Craft Beering says

    I think that this is what people mean when they refer to food as ‘labor of love’. Awesome – I kind of like it when recipes have particular steps that require time. Your creation looks beautiful. Carrot cake and cheesecake are both favorites of Chris’! I think I will give it a try – we are hosting this year for Easter, so I will not worry about him eating too many slices:)

    Reply

    • Kelsie says

      Thank you so much, Milena! Definitely try this and let me know how it goes! I like the time-consuming recipes too :). There’s nothing like spending an afternoon baking, especially when it results in a lovely cake!

      Reply

  19. patrick@looneyforfood.com says

    This looks amazing! We used to make all kinds of cakes with cheesecake in the middle at my coffee shop. We had a carrot cake one like this, an oreo one, a peanut butter cup one and more. We had a blast chiller that made assembly really easy. We could quick freeze the layers in a matter of minutes making putting together the layers easy without any melting or breaking! This looks amazing and my hats off to you for doing without the blast chiller like I used.

    Reply

    • Kelsie says

      Thank you so much, Patrick! A blast chiller would definitely have helped here :). You KNOW I’m going to make a peanut butter cup version of this now–thank you for the idea!

      Reply

  20. grace says

    this is an absolute show-stopper! i truly believe it would be one of the most delicious things i ‘d ever eat, if i could ever find the motivation to make it. 🙂

    Reply

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