Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars

These little bars are perfect if you are too scared to make a cake and someone (or you) LOVE carrot cake. Also, this is a small batch recipe, so they bake in a square 8×8 pan and you do not have to worry about having an excessive amount of leftovers.

**before we begin, these need to set in the fridge for 6 hours to overnight so plan accordingly!!**

what you need:

Carrot Cake Layer

• ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temp
• ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom optional, I just love cardamom in carrot cake!!
• ¾ cup lightly packed finely grated carrot DO NOT BUY SHREDDED CARROTS DO THIS YOURSELF WITH A GRATER PLEASE LISTEN TO ME

Cheesecake Layer

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temp
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, at room temp
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

what you need to do:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grab a square 8×8 baking dish (glass is preferred but ceramic is okay!) and line the bottom with parchment paper and grease well.
• In bowl of stand mixer, on medium high, whip together butter and both sugars for 5 minutes, until it is SUPER fluffy. Do not skimp. Five. Minutes. Scrape down the bowl periodically to make sure all of the butter gets whipped.
• In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cardamom until fully incorporated.
• Once butter and sugar are fluffy, scrape down the bowl, then add your egg and vanilla. Mix on medium until the egg is fully incorporated. Stop and scrape down the bowl a few times to make sure it’s all in mixed well.
• On low, add the flour mixture a little at a time, until all is incorporated. Make sure to stop the mixer every so often and scrape the bottom of the bowl to get all of the dry ingredients that settle there.
• Add in the carrots and mix until fully combined. Set aside.
• Next we will make the cheesecake layer.
• In your stand mixer, put the cream cheese in and beat on high for about 3 – 4 minutes or until it is completely smooth and lump free.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the sugar and flour and beat until combined.
• Add in your egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Make sure to scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl to get all of this combined thoroughly.
• ~~Now to assemble!!
• Grab your baking dish, and press in about 2 cups of the batter into the bottom of the pan. I use a combination of my fingers and an offset spatula to do this. Make sure it is as even as possible.
• Pour the cheesecake layer over the cake layer and use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to smooth it out as even as possible.
• Now, using your fingers, grab small pieces of the leftover cake mix, and try to flatten it out as much as possible and then lay it down on top of the cheesecake mixture. Do this until you have as much of the cheesecake layer covered as possible and then fill in the empty spots with smaller pieces to cover the cheesecake.

• Once the top is covered and you have used all of the cake mix, put in the oven and bake for 25 – 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the edges are slightly crispy. The middle will still jiggle a bit but that is just how cheesecake is!!

• Put it on the counter to cool to room temperature, and then cover and put in the fridge for AT LEAST 6 hours, preferably overnight.
• When you are ready to serve, remove the bars from the fridge and cut into squares using a sharp knife. I like to trim the edges off to make them look a bit more clean but you do you.