Carrot Cake Cheesecake {Cheesecake Factory Copycat}

 This dessert is something special. Layers of delicious carrot cake and cheesecake! Who would have thought!?! Then it's topped with a pineapple cream cheese frosting that perfectly compliments the cake. Although it sounds fancy, this isn't hard to make.

My sister had a birthday last week and she loves carrot cake so I thought it'd be fun to make this for her. She was really excited to try it and loved it! I was super excited to try it too since I hadn't yet and boy was it good! The carrot cake is perfect. It had a touch of coconut and walnuts which I wasn't sure if I'd like but I ended up loving it. I am usually not a fan of nuts in my desserts but it was perfect.  It was a fun dessert to eat too! The carrot cake and cheesecake are layered together and so you get a little bit of both in each bite. The cheesecake is some of the best cheesecake I've ever had. The frosting was delicious too. It's just enough frosting to cover the top but it's all you need. It really adds a special touch to it.

I had some more to share so I brought it over to my in-laws for a family dinner. My brother-in-law liked it so much he requested it for his upcoming birthday.

This is a fun dessert to make.  Once you have the cheesecake and carrot cake mixture ready, you layer them in a spring form pan. Carrot cake-cheesecake-carrot cake-cheesecake.

 Then it's time to be patient. Bake it, let it cool completely then frost it and refrigerate it for a few hours or overnight.

Isn't it pretty!?  I know you will love it as much as I did!

Enjoy!

Carrot Cake Cheesecake
Adapted from Sifting Focus
Ingredients:
Cheesecake:
16 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Carrot Cake:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 generous pinch of salt
*1 (8 1/2 ounce) can crushed pineapple, well drained with juices reserved
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice
dash of salt

Directions:
Grease a 9 or 9 1/2 inch springform pan. Set aside.

For the cheesecake: In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the 16 oz. of cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar until smooth.  Beat in 1 tablespoon flour, 3 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth.  Set aside.

For the carrot cake: In a large bowl, combine oil, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla, blending thoroughly.  Stir in 1 cup flour, baking soda, cinnamon and pinch of salt, mixing well.  Squeeze the moister out of both the pineapple and carrots. (Not all of it but a give it a good squeeze with a towel or paper towels.) Stir in drained pineapple, carrots, coconut and walnuts.

Spread 1 1/2 cups carrot cake batter over bottom of prepared pan.  Drop large spoonfuls of cream cheese batter over carrot cake batter.  Top with large spoonfuls of remaining carrot cake batter. Repeat with remaining cream cheese batter, gently spreading evenly with back of spoon or a knife.

Bake in preheated 350ºF oven for 60 to 65 minutes or until cake is set and cooked through. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.

When cake is cold, prepare the frosting.  In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine the 2 ounces cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and reserved pineapple juice and a dash of salt.  Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.  Frost top of cheesecake.

Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours before serving.

*If using a 20 ounce can, after draining juice, measure out and use 5 oz. pineapple.)