Mini Carrot Cake Cheesecakes

Tender, spiced carrot cake swirled with rich vanilla cheesecake. These mini carrot cake cheesecakes are the best of both worlds!

Desserts somehow taste better when they’re mini, especially cheesecakes! For more tiny cheesecake fun, try Mini Lemon Cheesecakes and Mini Mint Oreo Cheesecakes.

Carrot cake cheesecake cupcake with a bite taken out

Carrot Cake + Cheesecake

Call my crazy, but I absolutely adore carrot cake. I also really love cheesecake too! These mini treats are the perfect combination of two delicious, springy desserts. P.S. they’re easy to make!!

Cake and cheesecake in one? Yes!

While these may look intimidating (especially that ingredient list), I promise they’re a breeze to make. My little sous chefs helped me out with these, and we had so much fun making a mess & taste testing along the way.

Healthier Carrot Cake Muffins

How to Make Them

LAYER. You’ll start by making the cake base. It’s basically a “half” recipe, thus the tiny measurements. Then you’ll whip up the cheesecake filling. Next, you layer the two. No swirling required… the magic happens while they bake!

BAKE. After about 30 minutes in the oven, let the come to room temperature, then toss them into the fridge for 1-2 hours. I prefer COLD cheesecake, so I generally give them the full amount of time.

SERVE. When you’re ready to serve them, top them with some fresh whipped cream, a dash of cinnamon and a sprinkle of toasted nuts. We went with walnuts but pecans would work too. If you’re feeling extra decadent, you can drizzle the tops with homemade salted caramel. Yum!

Variations/Additions:

  • Add in drained crushed pineapple to the cake batter
  • Add in shredded coconut
  • Top with candied pecans
  • Top with a piped carrot

Mini Carrot Cake Cheesecakes topped with whipped cream

Storage Tips

Keep leftovers covered and STORED in the fridge in an airtight container.

You can also FREEZE them for 1-2 months, after wrapping each of them in plastic wrap and foil and placing them in an airtight container.

Closeup of a mini carrot cake cheesecake cupcake

For more carrot cake recipes, try:

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Mini Carrot Cake Cheesecakes | lifemadesimplebakes.com

Mini Carrot Cake Cheesecakes Recipe

Tender, spiced carrot cake swirled with rich vanilla cheesecake. These mini carrot cake cheesecakes are the best of both worlds!
4.67 from 6 votes
Pin Rate
Course: Cakes & Cheesecakes
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 166kcal
Author: Andrea
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Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 2/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp kosher sea salt
  • 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil - OR canola oil
  • 2 tbsp applesauce
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup carrot - finely grated

For the Cheesecake

  • 8 oz original cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup sour cream - full-fat or light
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp all purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Optional Topping

  • whipped cream
  • cinnamon
  • toasted walnuts - OR pecans, chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard size muffin/cupcake tin with paper liners, set aside.
  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, applesauce, sugars, egg, vanilla, and carrot. Mix in the dry ingredients just until combined, set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese for 1 minute or until smooth and creamy. Add the sour cream and mix to combine. Add the sugar, flour, egg and vanilla extract, mix just until combined.
  • Start by placing 1 tablespoon of cake batter into the bottoms of the liners, then add 1/2 tablespoon of cheesecake filling. Repeat the process one more time, ending with cheesecake on top. If you have leftover filling, divide it evenly between the liners.
  • Place in the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes or until the cheesecakes are set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before transferring to a refrigerator to cool for 2 hours.
  • Before serving, top with homemade whipped cream, a dash of cinnamon and a sprinkle of toasted nuts. Keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.

NOTES

  • You can add raisins, chopped nuts or even pineapple to the cake batter!

Nutrition

Serving: 12serving | Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 204mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1416IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 1mg

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About the Author

Andrea

Hi I'm Andrea!

Hotelier turned Food Blogger to help make your life simple, one recipe at a time.

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Comments:

    1. Hi Jennifer, I would use a total of 1/8 cup of a combination or raisins, pineapple and/or nuts. It the baking time might be less or more, so watch it carefully and let us know how it turns out and how much baking time it took.