Carrot Cake Cheesecake : )

 

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

 

Ingredients

For the cheesecake:
16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. flour
3 eggs

For the carrot cake:
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
8 oz. pureed carrot baby food {I use Gerber}
8 ½ oz. pineapple tidbits, drained
½ cup sweetened coconut
1 cup toasted pecans, divided

For the cream cheese frosting:
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1-2 tbsp. milk, as needed
1 tsp. vanilla

 

Directions

For the cheesecake:
Beat cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar until smooth. Beat in flour and eggs {one at a time}.

Mix thoroughly. Set aside.

For the carrot cake:
Mix together dry ingredients- flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside. In another bowl, combine oil and sugar. Mix in eggs until blended. Add carrot baby food and vanilla, stirring until well combined. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix in pineapple, coconut, and ½ cup pecans.

To assemble:
In a 9 or 91/2 inch springform pan, spread 1 ½ cups carrot cake batter over bottom. Drop dollops of cream cheese mixture over carrot cake batter. Top with more dollops of carrot cake batter, do not swirl. Repeat if necessary to use up batters. You will need to finish with a layer of cream cheese mixture spread over the top {about a cup of the mixture}. Again, do not marble.

Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 50 - 60 minutes until edges of cheesecake are slightly puffy and the center {about an inch-and-a-half in} slightly jiggles. Cheesecake will finish setting up as it cools. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate. When cheesecake has chilled completely, finish with frosting.