Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars

These carrot cake cheesecake bars have a sweet cream cheese swirl, making this carrot cake dessert recipe an impressive treat for Easter dinner or spring parties.

There are a few special people in our family who LOVE a moist carrot cake. I don’t think to make carrot desserts often, but a few of our favorites are carrot cake cookies, carrot cake trifle, carrot cake cinnamon rolls and an easy carrot cake bars recipe. Each of these remind me of how much my family loves it!

Ingredients

A few notes:

• Cream cheese. Full fat cream cheese works best for the ultimate in creaminess.
• Light brown sugar goes in the carrot cake layer and granulated sugar goes in the cheesecake layer. This creates a perfect blend of sweetness.
• Shredded carrots. Use a food processor or a hand grater to make grated carrots.
• Vanilla extract. A good amount of vanilla gives amazing flavor to the cheesecake filling and the carrot batter. Learn how to make vanilla extract at home!

✨ See the recipe card for the full recipe and ingredients. ✨

How to Make Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars

Because this is a from scratch recipe, it takes a bit longer to make these cream cheese carrot cake bars. You won’t regret spending a few extra minutes, though!

These cream cheese carrot cake bars are buttery and chewy, similar to the texture of blondies. In the middle of the bars is a swirl of cheesecake, bringing creamy texture and a rich taste.

• Prepare. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 8×8 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Line the pan with parchment paper for easy removal. This is optional but makes the bars easier to cut.
• Carrot Cake Batter. Melt the butter in a microwave safe dish. In a medium sized bowl, add the melted butter and brown sugar and mix to combine. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Add in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and stir again until completely combined. Lastly, fold in the shredded carrots.

3. Cheesecake Mixture. In a medium bowl, add in the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, mix on low speed until smooth and creamy.

4. Assembly. Pour about half of the carrot cake mix into the the prepared pan and spread it out with a spatula. Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture over the carrot cake batter, using about half of the mixture. Don’t swirl yet. Drop the remaining carrot cake batter by spoonfuls around the cheesecake batter and then finish with drops of the remaining cream cheese filling. Take a knife and swirl around to create a marble effect. Make it even on top.

5. Bake. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, the edges will be lightly golden brown and there will be very little jiggle to the center.

You may also love our roasted carrots recipe!

Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars

4.68 from 122 votes

These carrot cake cheesecake bars have a sweet cream cheese swirl, making this carrot cake dessert recipe an impressive treat for Easter dinner or spring parties.

Servings 12

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

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Ingredients

 

For the carrot cake bars:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded carrots

For the cream cheese swirl:

• 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray an 8×8" baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Line the pan with parchment paper for easy removal. This is optional but makes the bars easier to cut.

Prepare the carrot cake batter:

• Melt the butter in a microwave safe dish. ½ cup unsalted butter
• In a medium sized bowl, add the melted butter and brown sugar and mix to combine. Stir in the egg and vanilla.  1 cup light brown sugar, 1 large egg, 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• Add in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and stir again until completely combined. Fold in the shredded carrots. Set aside. 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 cup shredded carrots

Prepare the cheesecake swirl:

• In a medium sized bowl, add in the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix until smooth and creamy. 4 ounces cream cheese, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg yolk, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

Layering the bars:

• Pour about half of the carrot cake batter into the pan and spread it out with a spatula.
• Then take half of the cheesecake batter and drop spoonful’s over the carrot cake batter. Don’t swirl yet. Drop the remaining carrot cake batter by spoonfuls around the cheesecake batter and then finish with drops of the remaining cheesecake batter. Then, take a knife and swirl around until the two are swirled together.

Bake the bars:

• Bake for about 35-40 minutes, the edges will be golden brown and there will be very little jiggle to the center.
• Cool completely before cutting. Store airtight in the refrigerator. They are delicious from the fridge!

Video

Notes

Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.

The calories shown are based on the cheesecake bars being cut into 12 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice bar. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **

Nutrition

Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 99mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 2189IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg

Author Julie Clark

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 244

Keyword carrot cake bars, CREAM CHEESE, easter dessert, spring

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