A soft, moist carrot cake with a swirl of cheesecake inside and topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting.
Carrot cake is such a classic flavour and you can never really go wrong with it. Though some places honestly disappoint with their carrot cake offering.
This may be biased but my favourite carrot cake recipe is this one on my website. It's super soft and flavourful and hits every single time. I've gotten so many rave reviews for it—both online and in person!
So of course I used my carrot cake recipe for the base of this cake. It's stuffed with a really simple cheesecake filling and topped of with a thick cream cheese icing which honestly just elevates the whole look (and of course taste). It's so cute!!!
If you liked this recipe, check out these Stuffed Carrot Cake Cookies, these Starbucks copycat Cinnamon Coffee Cake, these amazing Cheesecake Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies.
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Ingredients you'll need
There aren't many cake ingredients but each ingredient plays an important role! The cheesecake filling and cream cheese frosting ingredients are mostly the same so you don't need too many separate ingredients.
Please see recipe card BELOW for measurements.
- Brown sugar
- Neutral oil
- Large eggs
- Grated carrots
- Crushed walnuts
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Cinnamon powder
- Salt
- Baking soda & powder
- Cream cheese
- Egg yolk
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy cream
- Lemon zest
Instructions
The recipe is divided into 3 different components. The cake, the cheesecake filling, and the cream cheese icing. But don't worry, it's all really simple and very forgiving!
I like to make the cheesecake filling before making the cake batter, just so it doesn't sit for too long.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-cup bundt pan with cake goop or butter and dust with flour, shaking off the excess.
- In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla, egg yolk, and salt; mix well and set aside.
- Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together oil and brown sugar. Add eggs and whisk until light and airy. Stir in vanilla, grated carrots, and walnuts.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Pour half the batter into the bundt pan. Add the cheesecake filling in the center, keeping it away from the edges. Top with the remaining batter and even it out.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If it starts browning too quick, cover the top with aluminum foil. Cool the cake completely before removing it from the pan.
- Frost with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with crushed walnuts.
Tip: I like to use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to pour the batter into the pan. It's tidy and easier to get even distribution.
Equipment
I'm using a 10 cup bundt cake pan like this one for this recipe but a 12 cup will work fine as well.
Storage
I recommend storing it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. It contains cream cheese so it won't be safe to store at room temperature.
Tips to make this carrot bundt cake stuffed with cream cheese
- Grease the pan properly: Use a thick layer of cake goop (equal parts flour, oil, and shortening mixed together) or butter, and flour the pan well, getting into every crevice. Bundt cakes love to stick if the pan isn't well greased.
- Don't over-mix the batter: After adding the dry ingredients, mix just until combined. Overmixing can make the cake dense and tough instead of light and moist.
- Keep the cheesecake filling away from the edges: When adding the cheesecake filling, avoid letting it touch the sides of the pan. This prevents it from leaking out or burning during baking.
- Room temperature ingredients: Use room temperature eggs and cream cheese. This helps the batter mix more evenly and the cream cheese mixes into the filling without lumps, for a smooth cheesecake layer.
- Cool completely before removing: Bundt cakes need to cool fully before being flipped out of the pan. Cooling helps the cake firm up and release cleanly without breaking.
FAQ
Yes! You can bake the cake a day in advance. Once it’s completely cool, wrap it tightly and store it in the fridge. Frost it just before serving for the best texture.
Yes, if you prefer a classic carrot bundt cake, you can leave out the cheesecake filling and bake as directed. Just reduce the baking time slightly and keep an eye on it. Frost the cake as usual.
No, the walnuts are optional. You can leave them out or replace them with pecans or another nut, or omit nuts entirely if you prefer a nut-free version.
Use full-fat block-style cream cheese for the best texture and flavor. Avoid whipped or spreadable cream cheese, as they contain more moisture and won’t hold up as well.
Related
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Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups - brown sugar 250g
- 1 cup - vegetable oil 240ml
- 3 - large eggs
- 1 ½ cup - all-purpose flour 207g
- 2 ½ teaspoon - baking powder
- 1 teaspoon - baking soda
- 2 teaspoon - cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon - salt
- 2 cups - carrots, grated (215g)
- ½ cup - chopped walnuts (70g)
- ½ teaspoon - vanilla extract
Cheesecake FIlling
- 12 oz cream cheese, room temperature (340g)(1 ½ cup)
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar (50g)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting
- 4.5 oz cream cheese (130g)
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened (28g)
- 100 g powdered sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1.4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- bit of lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 10 cup bundt cake pan with cake goop or butter and then dust with flour. Shake off the excess.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and brown sugar. Add in the eggs and whisk until light and airy.1 ¼ cups - brown sugar, 1 cup - vegetable oil, 3 - large eggs
- Add in the vanilla, grated carrots and walnuts.2 cups - carrots, grated, ½ cup - chopped walnuts, ½ teaspoon - vanilla extract
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.1 ½ cup - all-purpose flour, 2 ½ teaspoon - baking powder, 1 teaspoon - baking soda, 2 teaspoon - cinnamon powder, ¼ teaspoon - salt
- In another bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add in the vanilla, egg yolk and salt. Mix until well combined and set aside.12 oz cream cheese, room temperature, 1 egg yolk, ¼ cup white granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients gently mix just until combined. Make sure to not over-mix.
- Pour half the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Spread the cheesecake filling in the middle, making sure to keep it away from the edges.
- Add the rest of the batter to cover. Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If it starts browning too quick, cover the top with some aluminum foil.
- Let it cool completely before turning it out onto the serving plate. Spread the cream cheese frosting on the cake and top with some more crushed walnuts.
Make the frosting
- Beat together the cream cheese and heavy cream until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract and a little bit of lemon zest to brighten it up.4.5 oz cream cheese, 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, 100 g powdered sugar, ¼ cup heavy cream, 1.4 teaspoon vanilla extract, pinch of salt, bit of lemon zest
Huzaifah Sheikh says
I tried it and it was superb. Whoever ate it,said they haven't ate a cake like this before. This is the best recipe without any single doubt.Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.