Carrot Cake Cheesecake

Preheat the oven to 350 F and lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with baking spray and place on a sheet pan; set aside.

For the cheesecake batter:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or better, a beater blade attachment), beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and flour on medium speed until smooth. Add the vanilla and sour cream; mix just until combined. Set aside.

For the carrot cake batter:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the oil and both sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt, mixing just until combined. Stir in the carrots.

To combine the batters:
Spread half of the carrot cake batter into the bottom of the prepared pan. Dollop half of the cheesecake batter on top in large spoonfuls. Don’t spread or swirl together, just dollop. Next dollop the rest of the carrot cake batter on and around the cheesecake batter dollops. Again, don’t spread or swirl.

Spread the last half of the cheesecake batter on top and use an offset spatula to smooth it into an even layer. Tap the springform pan on the counter a few times to dislodge air bubbles.

Put the springform pan (still on top of the sheet pan) in the lower half of the preheated oven and bake for 60-70 minutes. When done, the center of the cheesecake should jiggle a bit when the pan is shaken. If you want to be very precise, the temperature in the center of the cheesecake batter should reach 150 F on a digital thermometer. When done remove it from the oven and cool completely on a cooling rack while preparing the topping.

For the cream cheese topping:
In a medium sized bowl using a mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in the sifted confectioners’ sugar until well combined with no lumps. Add the vanilla and sour cream; mix well.

Spread evenly onto the completely cooled cheesecake and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Can be made up to 2 days in advance, but be sure to store it in an airtight container because dairy products readily absorb odors/flavors from the fridge.

Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.