Description
A warmly spiced carrot cake batter folded around a silky vanilla cheesecake filling, baked into an easy 9×13 pan of marbled bars.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Carrot Cake Batter
- 1 ¼ cups (150 g) all-purpose flour (measure by spooning into the cup and leveling)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup (118 ml) neutral oil (canola or vegetable)
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream (or plain yogurt or applesauce), room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (about 170 g) finely shredded carrots (roughly ½ pound)
For the Cheesecake Layer
- 16 oz (452 g) cream cheese, softened (two 8-oz packages)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly oil a 9×13-inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper, leaving a couple inches of overhang to lift the bars out later.
- In a big mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until uniform. Set this dry mix aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until nearly combined—stop when you no longer see streaks of flour.
- Fold the shredded carrots into the batter gently. Don’t overwork the batter; fold only until the carrots distribute evenly.
- For the cheesecake filling: in a clean bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing briefly after each addition, until the filling runs smooth and lump-free. Avoid whipping in too much air.
- Spoon half of the carrot batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer. Dollop spoonfuls of the cheesecake mixture across the surface. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining carrot batter over the cheesecake dollops.
- Use a knife to swirl the two batters together to form a marbled pattern—make a few deliberate swirls; don’t overdo it, or the contrast will disappear.
- Bake at 350°F for about 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. The edges should look set while the center may still be slightly soft.
- Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, cover the pan and chill in the refrigerator until firm (this makes slicing much easier).
- When fully chilled, lift the bars out using the parchment overhang and cut into squares. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to one week. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
Quick Tip: If you grate carrots with the peel on, you may end up with tiny green specks in the finished bars. They’re harmless, but if you want a uniform orange color, peel the carrots first—I learned this the hard way in a bakery!
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Desserts
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 227kcal
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 194mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 29g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 56mg