Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars

Here is another wonderful recipe that I found while browsing Pinterest. It is simple and it tastes wonderful. The site where I found the recipe suggested it for an Easter dessert. I have to agree, this would make a wonderful addition to any Easter meal. We usually have a cabane à sucre (sugar shack) Easter meal. No real surprise having grown up on the south shore of Montreal and yearly school trips and family trips to local cabanes. When I was pregnant with my son and my daughter was too young to sit through a meal at the cabane, I decided to change our usual Easter ham family meal into a cabane à sucre. Only real maple syrup, pancakes, scrambled eggs, homefries, bacon, ham, homemade baked beans, sausage and I'm sure there are some other treats in there. If I had this recipe, it would have been right in there. The carrot cake base has a wonderful spice to it and of course the creaminess of the cheesecake blends so well. I think the only thing that I may change the next time I make this (and it has been strongly suggested by my husband that it be made very often), I would use a homemade version of the cream cheese frosting. Once I find one that I love, I will definitely share. So enjoy every bite!

Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars
source: Sweet Treats & More

Ingredients
For the carrot cake base
1 box Betty Crocker carrot cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), soft

For the cheesecake layer
16 oz cream cheese, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

For frosting (optional but I highly recommend)
Pre-made cream cheese frosting (I used Betty Crocker's version)

Preheat the oven to 350F.
For the base: Beat the cake mix, egg and butter until it becomes a thick dough. Press into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Set aside while you work on the cheesecake layer.

For the cheesecake: In a medium sized bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla and continue beating until creamy and smooth.
Pour the cheesecake mixture over the base in the pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the edges start to pull away from the pan. Let them cool completely.
Cut into squares and top each square with a generous dollop of frosting.

Happy baking!