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Make this amazing carrot cake with a no-bake cheesecake layer in the middle! It is always a hit at Easter parties!
Carrot Cake with a Cheesecake Layer
Servings 12
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 1 cups granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups carrots diced or shredded in a food processor
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ tea aspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅔ cup chopped walnuts
- ⅔ cup chopped dates*
Cheesecake Filling Ingredients
- 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper.
- Mix wet ingredients and then add all the dry ingredients and stir to combine until just mixed but smooth. Do not overmix.
- Divide batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Set cake aside to let it cool in the pans for 30 minutes to an hour, and then drag a knife along the outside of the cake to make sure it isn’t sticking to the pan before removing the cake from the pan.
- Cream together cream cheese and sugar until smooth, with a hand-held mixer.
- In a stand mixer, whip heavy cream until thick.
- Stir whipped cream and vanilla into the cream cheese and sugar mixture until smooth.
- Spray a 9-inch cake pan with non-stick spray, and insert a parchment circle on the bottom of the pan. Scoop cheesecake filling into the pan and press down to flatten it. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to overnight to firm up before assembling the cake.
- To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese in a medium-sized mixing bowl until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and mix to combine, and then mix in the vanilla.
- Using a cake leveler, level both carrot cake layers so the cake layers are flat.
- To assemble the cake, place the first layer top-side down on a cake plate. Top it a small amount of icing, and then the cheesecake layer. Follow that up with another small amount of frosting, and then the final carrot cake layer, top-side down. Decorate the top of the cake with icing, as desired.
- Optional toppings to add to the top of the cake: walnuts, caramel, carrots, or strips of carrots.
Notes
Sub raisins for dates if desired.
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