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Swirled Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars…the best of both worlds. Sweet carrot cake with notes of vanilla and cinnamon, swirled with rich, creamy cheesecake, and generously glazed with a retro-style vanilla glaze for an extra special touch. The added bonus is that these bars take almost no effort to make. The perfect treat for all your upcoming spring events…or simply to enjoy as an afternoon snack. Every last bite is truly delicious!
This post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes.
I often have a hard time deciding between two recipes. Both can sound so delicious and exciting to create that I just can’t choose between them. That was the situation a few weeks ago when I was going back and forth on just what sweet Easter recipes I wanted to share this year. Both carrot cake and cheesecake are Easter classics (and in general very spring).
So how am I supposed to choose just one…you know?
Then I started thinking, what about putting the two together? Made sense in my mind. I mean the best carrot cakes are the ones that get frosted with a creamy, cream cheese frosting. Naturally, a carrot cake cheesecake sounded like the perfect marriage of flavors.
You’ll want to start with the carrot cake…everyone makes theirs a little differently. But my secret is to use a bit of salted butter to keep the cake moist, light, and fluffy…just the right amount of buttery, salty flavor. As with most of my baking recipes, I like to use Land O Lakes® Salted Butter, which is always my go-to butter for both baking and cooking. It’s sweet and creamy and always turns out the best baked goods. My fridge is stocked at all times and love knowing that Land O Lakes is farmer owned.
Simply mix the melted butter with brown sugar (which is also key for a light caramel-like flavoring), vanilla, and eggs. Add the dry ingredients then stir in lots of shredded carrots.
Once the carrot cake batter is made, work on the cheesecake. It’s just five ingredients, but that’s all you need for a great cheesecake batter! The trick is to start with softened cream cheese. Then beat the cream cheese together with the sugar until it’s light and whipped. This will leave you with an especially creamy and rich cheesecake swirl.
You’ll start with the carrot cake, then add a thick layer of cheesecake. From here, dollop over the remaining carrot cake and finish with the cheesecake. I know it’s tempting, but don’t swirl the batters together. Just bake as is and you’ll be left with swirls of cheesecake throughout the carrot cake.
It’s so pretty! So no swirling!
Bake the bars, let them cool, and then…
I am very into retro-style icing right now. This final layer isn’t needed. But it sure does leave you with an extra special carrot cake cheesecake bar that’s just a touch better than any other.
The icing is buttery, sweet, creamy, and pairs perfectly with the flavors and textures within these bars.
These bars are great for spring but especially fun and fitting for upcoming Easter! I can’t wait to make them again very soon. My family always gets so excited to see those pretty swirls of cheesecake every time I slice into these bars.
They’re the prettiest…and of course delicious!!
Looking for other spring-like bars, try these:
Lunchroom Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars with Candied Lemon
Creamy Lemon Bars with Browned Butter Raspberries
Lastly, if you make these Swirled Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
For questions about the type of mixer, racks, and mixing bowls I use, whether you can incorporate nuts into this recipe, and more, check out the FAQ below!
I use a KitchenAid Artisan Series Standing Mixer for baking recipes that require mixing. Check out our HBH shop page: Tieghan’s Kitchen Favorites for a list of the tools I use in the kitchen.
Yes! You can add in chopped pecans or walnuts for a chewy consistency and nutty flavor. Simply add the nuts during the mixing step!
Yes, after the cake has cooled for about 15 minutes in the pan, you can transfer it to a wire rack to wrap and place in the fridge. Alternatively, you can cut the cake after it cools from the oven and place the bars on the cooling rack before wrapping the cakes and placing them in the fridge to cool for 3-4 more hours prior to icing.
Yes! Check out our HBH Shop Page and navigate to Tieghan’s Kitchen Favorites to see my favorite mixing bowls, wire racks, and more kitchen tools.
Although carrot cake incorporates carrots, it’s just as indulgent as a chocolate cake or any other sweet treat. We live by everything in moderation over at Half Baked Harvest! A healthy lifestyle incorporates treating yourself every once in a while! 🙂
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
This was so fun and so good! Two questions if you don’t mind:
1. How do you get your icing so clean/bright? Mine always turns out carmel colored from the vanilla- do you use a specific kind if vanilla?
2. Are those Jasmin flowers and where do you find all these edible/non-toxic flowers for your desserts?
Thank you!
Hey Linsey,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! I use vanilla from Whole Foods and I order my flowers from Gourmet Sweet Botanicals. xTieghan
Was just OK. The carrot cake is overpowered by the cheesecake.
Thanks for trying the recipe Megan! xTieghan
My cake mix also was dense and wouldn’t spread as easily. Ended up very lumpy on top 🙁 nothing like the smooth top shown in the photos. I followed directions exactly. So bummed….
Hey Tanya,
So sorry to hear this! What kind of flour did you use? Is is possible that you may have over mixed the batter? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Made for Easter and they were very good! My fam loved them! The cake isn’t a super moist kind of cake but very tasty, not too sweet, and a perfect compliment to the cheesecake part. I would probably bake in a 9×13 pan next time so they’re thin brownie like bars that can serve better as finger food. In the square pan, the bars turned out more like a cake so it was super thick. I would definitely make these again as they’re a perfect combo of creaminess, cinnamon brown sugar flavor, and not too sweet (made them without the icing.) Thanks for a delicious treat!
Hey Kim,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Can you make as cupcakes?
Hey Christin,
I haven’t tried that with this recipe, but you could certainly give it a try. I would just reduce your baking time accordingly. Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
We made these today and has them after our Easter dinner. Like so many of the other commenters here, we don’t have a 9×9 pan- that may be valuable piece of feedback for your next bar recipe! We used an 8×8 and a smaller pan for the overflow. With the batter being thinner due to splitting into two pans, they were perfectly done at 35 minutes. Texture was great but we all agreed it needed more spice, so next time we’ll increase the cinnamon add some nutmeg and ginger to get the classic carrot cake taste.
Hey Lexie,
Happy Monday! It’s so great that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
Hi!
Made these for Easter and they were great! But like someone else mentioned, the carrot cake portion was a bit dry, I will be trying it again but measure everything exact. My batter was also a bit thick, any suggestions would help! Thank you!
Hey Ali,
Happy Monday! It’s so great that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
Made these for Easter and they were amazing. Followed the recipe exactly and they came out perfectly. Will definitely make again!
Hey Madeline,
Happy Monday! It’s so great that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
I am in the process of making this right now. And it smells so good!!!
One quick question, how do I know when the cheesecake part is done, when it doesn’t jiggle? I can smell the carrot cake but the cheesecake park is still just a little jiggly.
Hey Ana,
It’s totally fine if the cheesecake part jiggles a little, I would just follow the baking times and you should be good to go! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
These were delicious, thank you! Perfect combination of desserts- definitely going to be an Easter tradition!
Hey Nicole,
Happy Monday! It’s so great that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
Turned out delicious and was easy to put together. I’m going to try adding nuts next time.
Hey Rochelle,
Happy Monday! It’s so great that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
I have nothing to complain about with these bars. On point, super moist and flavourful. We made the icing but it would have been totally fine without it as well.
Hey Kim,
Happy Monday! It’s so great that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
I just made this for Easter dinner tomorrow. Of course I had to taste every part of the recipe. I added 2 oz of cream.cheese to the frosting. Carrot cake. Cream cheese frosting. Win win. I can’t wait to try it. I bake it for 55 mins & it was super loose & jiggly in the middle. I turned the heat down to 300, covered w foil & baked for 20 more mins. Perfection! ?
Hey Luanne,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Easter ?Tieghan
I tented the bars halfway through the baking but then the top stuck to the foil. Do you know why that would happen? I think it is still salable as the icing will hide it?
Batter tastes delicious.
Hey Erin,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try. I just tent with foil, so the foil should not be touching any of the batter. Let me know how they turned out! xTieghan
These came out great! I used at 8×8 pan so the bars were quite a bit thicker and needed more on the 55min-1hr side to bake, but they are really delicious and a great combination of cheesecake and carrot cake. The vanilla icing on the top is a delicious finishing touch. Yum!
Hey Veronica,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Easter ?Tieghan