Carrot Cheesecake: The next-level carrot cake

Think carrot cake sandwiched between a layer of cheesecake and a biscuit crumb. That’s what this Carrot Cheesecake is, essentially.

Carrot Cheesecake is not to be taken lightly, although this is a super light, airy, moist and delicious cake! There are a few steps to observe, and yes you have to grate a carrot but trust me; once you’ve had this, you’ll never be able to have carrot cake the same way again. 

Are you after a no-fuss carrot cake? Here’s a recipe you’ll love. 

Here’s why this cake is a dream to make (and eat)

• Remains moist for days, thanks to the secret moist-makers
• Layers of flavour and texture
• It’s not all sweet, there’s a fair amount of ginger and spices in there
• It comes together very easily, and very fast

Here are the key ingredients for Carrot Cheesecake

Carrot – this is a no-brainer. 150g of shredded carrot, but I will let you in on a secret; I don’t weigh after grating. And I don’t like sticking to the stipulated weight of grated carrots. Essentially if you’ve got about 200g of whole carrot, I’d say that’s a good amount to start with. You’re going to cut off the ends, peel and grate it. You’ll lose some this way, trust me. Plus, a bit more carrot can do wonders for the cake’s texture. 

Apple sauce – I cannot tell you how crucial this is in this recipe. Apple sauce elevates the cake texture to the next level, making it pillow-soft and squidgy even when it’s left in the fridge. I also go for a chunky apple sauce that’s very mildly sweet, because this means that it stays chunky and adds texture to the finished cake without making it too sweet. 

Cream cheese – and a lot of it. The cheesecake layer of this recipe doesn’t use gelatin to set. Rather; it uses the natural tendency of cream cheese to firm up in the fridge. So, you’ll need at least 2 blocks of cream cheese. This layer is also not too sweet, especially due to the whipped cream. 

Biscuit – I used digestive biscuits, McVities to be specific. You can use whatever digestives suit your fancy. The nuts in this layer are crucial because the biscuits tend to soften in the fridge. The nuts help to make this biscuit layer crunchy. 

Oil + Butter – this cake uses both oil and butter. Oil keeps the cake from going rock hard in the fridge, so you’ll be assured a delicious cake each time. Butter adds richness to the cake, which we love.

The biscuit layer

I used nuts, digestives and butter to bring this base together. You can use any crackers, cookies and biscuits you would prefer. 

The carrot cake layer

This layer uses oil, butter, apple sauce and other ingredients to ensure moisture. As the cheesecake layer needs to set in the fridge, it’s very important to make a moist cake. 

The cheesecake layer

When making this, I realised that our Asian room temperature does not allow the cheesecake mixture to firm up. It was pretty ‘pourable’ as opposed to ‘spreadable’. To circumvent this, I left the finished cheesecake layer in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up. It became much easier to spread after this.

Cooling and cutting 

Once the carrot cake is baked and out of the oven, you’ll find that it has domed a bit. This is fine, it happens. When making this cake, I used a serrated knife to cut off the domed top. This left a dishevelled-looking cake interior, which I covered with the cream cheese layer. It’s important to work on the carrot cake only after it’s cold, so plan your time accordingly. 

Making the Carrot Cheesecake

I would recommend making the biscuit base and cake layer in the morning, and then preparing the cheesecake layer while the completed cake is cooling. Cold cream cheese and whipped cream on a hot or even warm cake is not a disaster we want in our kitchen. 

Let’s get started.