This Craig's crazy carrot cake cheesecake is no longer on Cheesecake Factory's menu, so make it at home! To make the swirl, spoonful's of cheesecake and carrot cake are spooned alternately into a pan. The topping is a tangy cream cheese frosting. Walnuts decorate the sides of the cake. This is a perfect cake for spring!
Jump straight to the recipe!
🥕A cheesecake perfect for spring
This carrot cake cheesecake is a perfect blend of carrot cake and cheesecake. The carrot cake is moist, and has the right amount of spices in it. The cheesecake is rich and creamy.
The swirl happens by alternating spoonful's of the filling into the springform pan. The cheesecake is baked slowly in a water bath to make sure that it is baked evenly, and doesn't crack. It cools in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours before decorating.
The perfect frosting for a carrot cake cheesecake is cream cheese frosting. I love this frosting and use it on everything! (See funfetti cinnamon rolls, pineapple carrot cake, and pumpkin cake!) After frosting, press chopped walnuts to the sides of the cake.
🥘Ingredients
Cake cheesecake
Ingredient notes
- Walnuts - chop them finely so there are no huge chunks in the carrot cake part of the cheesecake.
- Vegetable oil - you can substitute with any other light flavouring oil. Do not use olive oil. It has too strong of a flavour.
- Orange marmalade - this gives a lot of moistness to the carrot cake, so don't leave it out. You can substitute with another citrus marmalade.
Cream cheese frosting
Ingredient notes
- Cream cheese - make sure you buy the block cream cheese. That's the only kind you can use for baking.
🔪Instructions
Prepare a springform pan by greasing the sides, and lining it with parchment paper. Let the parchment paper hang out the sides, to make it easier to remove the cheesecake.
Make the cheesecake filling first by beating cream cheese, sugar, and flour together until smooth. Mix in sour cream and vanilla extract until combined, and then mix in eggs, one at a time.
For the carrot cake, whisk the dry ingredients together - flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set that aside and in a separate bowl combine marmalade, eggs, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla. Stir in walnuts and carrots, and then mix in the dry ingredients
Pour ⅔ cup of the carrot cake batter into the bottom of the prepared pan. Pour spoonful's of cheesecake over top. Alternate the carrot cake batter and cheesecake batter by alternatively dropping spoonful's over top of each other, until you use up both batters. Spread the top even and place the cheesecake in a water bath.
Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes at 325°F (165°C), or until there is a slight jiggle in the center of the cheesecake. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for 30 minutes. Crack the oven door open and leave the cheesecake in for another 30 minutes. This slow cooling process helps against cracks. Let the cheesecake cool on the counter at room temperature for 1 hour, and then cover and cool in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.
Make the frosting by beating cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add icing sugar and combine. Frost the sides and top of the cheesecake and press chopped walnuts to the sides. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
For more step by step pictures, see the web story for this carrot cake swirl cheesecake!
✔️Expert tips
- Don't swirl the batter together. Just drop spoonful's in and gently even the top.
- Use room temperature ingredients to keep your batter smooth.
- If you don't like walnuts, use pecans! Don't like nuts? Leave them out!
- Use a water bath so the cheesecake bakes evenly and doesn't crack.
💭FAQs
The cheesecake can be made the day or two before you plan to serve it. Cover and store in the refrigerator. Then frost it and add walnuts.
The cheesecake can be frozen after being baked. Wrap it tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then decorate with frosting and walnuts.
Nuts and raisins are common in carrot cake. They are both completely optional though. I left out raisins in this recipe.
📖Related recipes
📋 Recipe
Cheesecake Factory Craig's Crazy Carrot Cake Cheesecake
Equipment
- 1 9 inch Springform pan
- 1 larger pan to fit springform pan in
Ingredients
Cheesecake batter
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
Carrot cake batter
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup orange marmalade room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup walnuts chopped fine
- 1 ¼ cups carrots peeled and shredded
Cream cheese frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Decoration
- 1½ cups walnuts chopped
Instructions
Cheesecake batter
- Grease and line a 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper. Let the parchment paper hang out the sides a bit, so it's easier to lift the cake out. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and flour together until smooth. Mix in sour cream and vanilla extract until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl when needed. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Set this aside.
Carrot cake batter
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a small bowl.
- Combine marmalade, eggs, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl, and mix until combined.
- Stir in walnuts and carrots, and then stir in the dry ingredients, until just combined.
- Pour ⅔ cup of carrot cake batter into the bottom of the springform pan. Even it out, to cover the whole bottom. Drop large spoonful's of cheesecake and carrot cake batter alternatively into the springform pan, until both batters have been used up. Do not mix or swirl them together.
- Cover the outside of springform pan with aluminum foil. Place the springform pan in a crock pot liner bag. A chicken bag works well too. You want the bag to go up the whole sides of the pan. Tie or use a wire tie to tighten the bag around the pan.
- Place the springform pan in a larger pan, and fill the larger pan with water to go halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the center of the cheesecake is slightly jiggly.
- Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for 30 minutes. Crack open the oven door and leave the cheesecake in for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven and leave the cheesecake to cool at room temperature for about an hour. Remove from water bath, cover, and cool in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.
Cream cheese frosting
- Beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar until fully incorporated.
- Remove cheesecake from it's pan, and place on a cake plate. Spread frosting over the sides and top of the cake. Press chopped walnuts to the sides. Store the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Don't swirl the batter together. Just drop spoonful's in and gently even the top.
- Use room temperature ingredients to keep your batter smooth.
- If you don't like walnuts, use pecans! Don't like nuts? Leave them out!
- Use a water bath so the cheesecake bakes evenly and doesn't crack.
Did you try this recipe? Comment below to let me know ☺️