Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars

Three Carrot Cake Cream Cheese Bars stacked on top of each other.

A simple spiced carrot cake swirled with creamy vanilla cheesecake and baked into bars.

Author Amber Brady

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 35

Total Time 1

Yields -20 Bars

Ingredients

Carrot Cake:

1 ¼ cups (150 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon & level)
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ cup (118 ml) oil, (canola/vegetable)
½ cup (120 g) sour cream, (or yogurt or applesauce) room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (91 g) shredded carrots, (about 1/2 lb carrots)

Cheesecake:

16 oz (452 g) cream cheese, room temperature (two packages)
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or line with parchment paper leaving a couple inches of overhang for easy lifting.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until almost combined.
Fold shredded carrots into the cake batter. Do not over-mix. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with an electric hand mixer. Add the eggs one at a time and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Spread HALF of the carrot cake batter into the prepared pan. Spoon dollops of cheesecake batter on top. Then spoon dollops of the remaining carrot cake batter into the pan. Swirl with a knife to create a marbled look. Don’t over-do it. Less is more when it comes to marbling.
Bake at 350˚F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Allow cake to cool on a wire rack, then cover and refrigerate. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Best served chilled.

Video

Notes

FYI: If you don't peel your carrots, your cake might have green specks after it is baked. At least that was a consistent problem we had in a bakery I used to work in. It's still fine to eat, but just leave the tough skin off if you don't want it to look green.

Nutrition