Carrot Cheesecake

How to prepare carrot cheesecake

1. The cheese mixture. Mix the cream cheese just until it becomes creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and vanilla seeds and mix for 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix after each until combined. Add the sour cream and mix until combined.
2. The carrot mixture. Grate the carrots on the fine grater (I also gave them a few pulses in the food processor to make them even finer). Sift the flour with the baking powder and all the spices.
3. Beat the eggs with the sugar until you have a mixture like thick cream (about 3-4 minutes). Continue mixing and pour the oil in a thin stream, like for mayonnaise. The cream will thicken slightly. Add the vanilla seeds and mix until combined.
4. Add the seasoned flour and mix gently, this time manually (with a whisk or pastry spatula). Finally, gently fold in the carrots.
5. Line the bottom of a pan (preferably with removable sides; 23 cm diameter) with parchment paper. Grease the sides with a little butter.
6. Pour half of the carrot mixture into the pan and level with the back of a spoon to cover the bottom of the pan.
8. Put about 1/3 of the cheese mixture over the carrot base. Use a spoon and put little mounds here and there, without leveling. Then put the rest of the carrot mixture in the same way (with a spoon, put mounds between the cheese ones, still without leveling). The goal is to achieve a marbled effect.
9. Slowly pour the rest of the cheese mixture over the entire surface and level very gently with the back of a spoon, as much as possible so the carrot mixture is no longer visible.
10. Bake the cheesecake at 175°C (for electric ovens, heat should come only from below; for all ovens: place a small pot with water on the bottom of the oven to create steam), for 55-60 minutes. When done, if you shake the pan, the center should jiggle like jelly. If some cracks or unevenness appear on the surface of the cheesecake, don't panic, it's ok, the frosting will cover them. The cracks appear because the carrot batter inside rises (it has baking powder). Turn off the oven, but let the cheesecake cool inside for at least 1 hour. Run a knife around the edge to release the cheesecake from the pan.
11. With a mixer, cream the butter with the cream cheese until the mixture becomes creamy. Add the sugar and sour cream and mix well. Use this frosting to glaze the surface of the cheesecake.
12. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least a few hours. When you remove it from the pan, sprinkle ground walnuts around the edge, then it can be sliced. It's good immediately but keeps well for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

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