Carrot Cheesecake

Scrumptiously creamy and rich, this carrot cheesecake is baked on nutty crust and frosted with tangy sweet frosting. You need this cheesecake in your life.

When it comes to food, especially dessert, I have many weaknesses.

Chocolate is my drug of choice.

And a little bit of discipline, that I managed to have, completely banishes at the sight of ooye gooye caramel.

I can never have enough of gummy bears in my life.

Besides all that, cheesecake is another weakness of mine. I love thick slice of creamy rich cheesecake, preferably smothered with chocolate ganache and caramel sauce. Ah, what can I say…

But today’s cheesecake is not about chocolate, or caramel. It’s about CARROT cheesecake. Yep, you read that right. Hold on for a sec! Before you reach to that X, let me quickly assure you, this cheesecake doesn’t taste anything like carrot!

When I first told my MIL about this idea, she kind of scrunched up her nose, but encouraged me to give it a try. A few days later, I brought this marvelous cheesecake out to the ranch, and everyone went gaga over it. And no one guessed it had carrot juice. My MIL said, “It’s uber-guber good!”

Listen, this cheesecake is the creamiest and most flavorful cheesecake you’ll have this spring. Let me describe it in details for you. The crust is a mix of pecans and graham crackers, and it’s totally amazing! Nutty, buttery and crunchy, this crust is perfect contrast to creamy rich filling.

The filling is the best part. Sweetened with condensed milk and freshly squeezed carrot juice, the cheesecake filling is creamy, rich and full of flavor, but tastes nothing like carrots.

And to top it off, I made this sweet and tangy frosting, an ultimate sweet touch to complete the perfect dessert.

I slightly adapted my pomegranate cheesecake recipe here. It’s actually my go-to recipe for all my cheesecakes and is practically foolproof. I absolutely love using sweetened condensed milk in my cheesecakes, because it aids to achieve perfectly creamy and rich filling.

To prevent the cheesecake from cracking, here is what I do:

1. Low ‘N slow is our preferred method of baking. We need to bake it for about an hour. Start checking for doneness at around 50 minutes. Gently shake the pan and see if the edges of the cake are set, but the center should wobble a bit. Once cooled, the center will set to perfection. This cheesecake requires some patience. It’s totally worth it though.
2. When the cheesecake is removed from oven, let it rest for a few minutes and then run a knife around the edges to loosen. As the cake cools, it shrinks. Therefore, if you don’t loosen the edges, the cheesecake cracks because the edges are stuck to the pan.

Enjoy!

Carrot Cheesecake

Scrumptiously creamy and rich, this carrot cheesecake is baked on nutty crust and frosted with tangy sweet frosting. You need this cheesecake in your life.

serves: 12 servings

Prep: 20 minutes

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Ingredients

For Crust:

• ▢ 9 full sheets 140gr graham crackers
• ▢ 1 cup 100gr pecans
• ▢ 1/3 cup 75gr unsalted butter, melted
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For Filling:

• ▢ 24 oz 700gr cream cheese, softened
• ▢ 14 oz 400gr sweetened condensed milk
• ▢ 6 oz 175ml fresh carrot juice*
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3 large eggs at room temperature

For Frosting:

• ▢ 2 oz 55gr cream cheese, softened
• ▢ ½ cup 120gr sour cream
• ▢ ½ cup 60gr powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ Pecan halves for decoration if desired

Note: I test all my recipes with both measurements for the most precise and accurate result!

Instructions

• In food processor, pulse the graham crackers and pecans until fine crumbs. In a medium bowl, combine the prepared crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter and mix well. Press the mixture evenly onto the bottom and slightly up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch spring form pan. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.
• Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C).
• In the large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until fluffy on medium speed, about 2 minutes. (Or you can also use electric hand mixer.) Add condensed and beat for another minute. Stir in the carrot juice. Then add cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt and mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the eggs one at a time and mix just until combined on low speed. (Don’t beat the mixture too long and too fast after you add the eggs. Otherwise too much air will incorporate to the batter, which might cause a crack in the cooked cheesecake.) Transfer the batter into the prepared crust.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the edges of the cheesecake is set, but the center is slightly wobbly. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of the pan to loosen; cool for another hour. Then refrigerate for at least an hour to cool completely.
• To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and sour cream in a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, until well combined. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat until smooth.
• Once the cheesecake is completely cooled, remove springform sides of the pan. Spread the frosting evenly and decorate with pecan halves, if desired.

Tips & Notes:

*I juiced 2 large carrots in my Omega VRT350 juicer to make 6oz of carrot juice.

Refrigerate the cheesecake in airtight container for up to 3 days.

* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.

Author: Shinee

Did you make this?Show me your creation! Tag me @shineshka and hashtag it #sweetandsavorybyshinee!

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