Time Out Tuesdays: Carrot Cake Cheesecake

I'm so excited to launch my new Time Out Tuesday feature. I'm taking time out each week and lending out this space to guest bloggers. This week I'm excited to feature Gina from Desperately Seeking {gina}. I met her a few months back at the first ever Arkansas Women Bloggers Event. I thought as soon as I saw her she was my kind of gal. Now that she has created a yummy treat with two of my favorite desserts - carrot cake and cheesecake - it is settled. Without further ado...here's Gina!

Hey, Carmella and friends! I'm Gina from Desperately Seeking {gina}. Thanks so much for inviting me to Southern Fried Gal. I'm so excited to share my new favorite cheesecake recipe with you.

For as long as I've been baking {over 20 years now, yikes!} I've never been so intimidated in the kitchen as I am when the thought of baking a cheesecake comes to mind. I've attempted before- mini pumpkin cheesecakes made especially for my boyfriend who claimed to never have been baked a real honest-to-goodness homemade cheesecake. I scoffed at this and assured him that I could change that. Well, that attempt failed miserably and sadly, homemade cheesecake has not made it into my baking repertoire. That is, until a couple of weeks ago when, what I thought was a culinary revelation {or so I thought} came to me in a dream.

Cheesecake. With a carrot cake crust. I woke up excited {and a little hungry}! I was sure I had dreamed up a fabulous new dessert and surely, the cake destined to launch me into baking infamy. And then I Googled it. Turns out, it's been thought of before. So I combined several well thought out recipes, tweaking here and there, and added my own awesome cream cheese frosting and a surprise ingredient for the carrot cake crust: pureed carrot baby food. It helps the cake part stay moist and delicious!

Determined for cheesecake success, I searched the internet for the best cheesecake-baking tips & tricks. Here is what I found:

* Bring ingredients to room temperature.
* Mix until just combined. Don't overmix.
* Place a shallow pan of water in the oven on the rack below your cheesecake to keep the oven moist.
* Don't open the oven while cheesecake is baking.
* Cool slowly on a rack in a draft-free space.
* Refrigerate when completely cooled.

I'm happy to report that this attempt was a complete and totally decadent success! Research and patience {along with a killer cream cheese frosting!} were the keys to finally getting it right.

I hope you enjoy...and please stop by Desperately Seeking {gina} and let me know what you think!


Carrot Cake Cheesecake

Ingredients

For the cheesecake:
16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. flour
3 eggs

For the carrot cake:
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
8 oz. pureed carrot baby food {I use Gerber}
8 ½ oz. pineapple tidbits, drained
½ cup sweetened coconut
1 cup toasted pecans, divided

For the cream cheese frosting:
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1-2 tbsp. milk, as needed
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

For the cheesecake:
Beat cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar until smooth. Beat in flour and eggs {one at a time}. Mix thoroughly. Set aside.

For the carrot cake:
Mix together dry ingredients- flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside. In another bowl, combine oil and sugar. Mix in eggs until blended. Add carrot baby food and vanilla, stirring until well combined. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix in pineapple, coconut, and ½ cup pecans.

To assemble:
In a 9 or 91/2 inch springform pan, spread 1 ½ cups carrot cake batter over bottom. Drop dollops of cream cheese mixture over carrot cake batter. Top with more dollops of carrot cake batter, do not swirl. Repeat if necessary to use up batters. You will need to finish with a layer of cream cheese mixture spread over the top {about a cup of the mixture}. Again, do not marble.

Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 50 - 60 minutes until edges of cheesecake are slightly puffy and the center {about an inch-and-a-half in} slightly jiggles. Cheesecake will finish setting up as it cools. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate. When cheesecake has chilled completely, finish with frosting.

For the frosting:
Beat softened cream cheese and butter until well combined & smooth. Lower beater speed and add confectioner’s sugar, adding milk a tablespoon at a time until spreadable. Mix in vanilla.

Spread cream cheese frosting over chilled cheesecake and top with toasted pecans.

Oh My Goodness - doesn't that look fabulous, y'all? Momma always taught me it was best to share and I'm so glad I decided to share my blog with Gina. And I'm equally glad she chose to share such yummyness with us! Thanks, Gina!

Please head over to Gina's blog and show her some Southern Fried love!

~Southern Fried Gal

I couldn't resist sharing at: