Name: Cheesecake Layered Carrot Cake
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 14 slices
Ingredients: 24 oz cream cheese (softened (three 8-oz packages)); 1 cup sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 cup sour cream; 3 eggs; 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 cup light brown sugar (packed); 1 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp salt; 2 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 tsp nutmeg; 1 1/2 cups canola oil; 4 eggs (room temperature); 1 Tbsp vanilla extract; 3 cups grated carrots; 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional); 16 oz cream cheese (softened); 8 Tbsp butter (softened); 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 4 cups powdered sugar; 2 Tbsp heavy cream

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Perfectly-spiced, incredibly moist carrot cake sandwiched around a rich layer of vanilla cheesecake and then frosted with a whipped cream cheese icing. This cake is pure decadence, but surprisingly refreshing, and is the perfect way to kick-start springtime.

I had a different recipe I’d planned to share with you today — one laden with chocolate and laced with caffeine– but with today being the first day of Spring, nothing seemed quite as appropriate as a carrot cake (even better, a cheesecake stuffed one!).

Despite its glaring absence of both chocolate and caffeine (and it’s abundance of proudly touted vegetables… I mean, seriously), carrot cake ranks highly among my favorite cakes.

I avoided it when I was younger, determined that my mom wouldn’t dupe me into eating a cake made out of carrots, but then there was that thick layer of cream cheese frosting blanketing the whole thing. And I really wanted that frosting, because unlike most super-sweet buttercream frostings, cream cheese frosting achieves a delicate balance of sweetness with hints of a subtle, cream cheese-tang. I could eat it by the spoonful.

So I caved. And I found myself with a forkful of cake made from carrots.

And I haven’t looked back since.

The thing I’d always loved about cream cheese frosting was that it reminded me of one of my favorite desserts: cheesecake. Considering my affinity for cheesecake stuffed cakes (exhibit A; exhibit B), a cheesecake stuffed carrot cake was the obvious next cake-challenge for the site (and it was a challenge, no recipes are quite as tricky for me to nail as 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 on this first day of spring.

Since the cheesecake is already plenty rich, I whipped the icing with a few tablespoons of heavy cream for a light and airy texture. The icing recipe makes enough to fully cover the entire cake, but I found that I preferred it with a semi-naked frosting around the sides, so as not to make this already-rich cake any richer.

It’s a combination of cheesecake and cream cheese frosting that won’t leave you feeling overwhelmed with cream cheese, trust me.

This final, winning carrot cake was made without nuts (and without pineapple) at the request of my youngest sister, but earlier versions of this cake included a cup of chopped walnuts and I’ve listed them as an option in the recipe.

I suppose raisins are also a possible add-in, but why anyone would ruin a perfectly good cake with raisins is beyond me (…apologies if you actually like raisins).

This cake is the perfect springtime paradigm; moist and rich yet somehow simultaneously light and refreshing (I credit the carrots and the whipped frosting). It would make the perfect addition to your Easter dessert table.

Enjoy!

5 from 4 votes