Delicious Carrot Raisin Cheescake
Submitted by bravesbbfan
Carrot raisin cheesecake mashes carrot cake into a cream cheese filling on a graham crust, with shredded carrots, plump raisins, warm nutmeg and ginger, finished with an orange-spiked frosting.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
75 minREADY
3 hrsCarrot cake meets New York cheesecake in this hybrid dessert. The graham cracker crust gets a quick blind bake to set, then a thick cream cheese batter loaded with finely shredded carrots, raisins, nutmeg, and ginger pours over top.
Orange juice does the quiet work in the filling. It cuts the richness of the cream cheese and brightens the spices so the whole thing tastes more like spiced carrot cake than dense cheesecake. The two-temperature bake (a high blast first, then a long low finish) sets the edges fast and gently cooks the center, which is what keeps the surface from cracking.
A second layer of orange-spiked cream cheese frosting goes on once the cake is fully chilled. Garnish with extra shredded carrot and raisins and you get the looks plus the flavor of carrot cake in cheesecake form.
Chef Tips
- Bring cream cheese to room temperature before mixing. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps that no amount of beating will smooth out.
- Shred the carrots fine on a box grater. Coarse shreds throw off the texture and stay crunchy after baking.
- Run a thin knife around the rim while the cake is still warm. This prevents the surface from tearing as it cools and shrinks back from the sides.
- Chill at least four hours, ideally overnight, before frosting and slicing for clean cuts.
Variations
- Stir in a half cup of toasted pecans or walnuts with the carrots for classic carrot cake crunch.
- Swap regular raisins for golden raisins or chopped dates for a softer, sweeter bite.
- Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the filling for a deeper spiced-cake flavor.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine crumbs, granulated sugar, cinnamon and margarine, press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.
Bake at 325℉ (160℃) for 10 minutes.
Combine 20 ounces cream cheese, granulated sugar and ¼ cup flour, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended.
Blend in eggs and juice.
Add combined remainig flour, carrots, raisins, and spices; mix well.
Pour over crust.
Bake at 450 F for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250 F, continue baking for 55 minutes more.
Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan.
Chill.
Combine remaining cream cheese and juice, mixing until well Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing until well blended.
Spread over top of cheesecake.
Garnish with additional raisins and finely shredded carrots, if desired.
Comments
