photo courtesy of Duncan Hines

Ingredients – Carrot Cake:
• 1 box Duncan Hines Decadent Carrot Cake
• 1 cup hot tap water (for soaking carrots and raisins)
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 8 ½ oz can crushed pineapple, packed in juice, drained well, reserve juice
• ½ cup coconut (optional)
• ½ cup chopped walnuts           

Ingredients – Cheese Cake Filling:
• 2 – 8 oz pkg. cream cheese
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon flourBaking

Instructions For Carrot Cake:
Soak carrots and raisins in 1 cup HOT tap water, allow to stand for 5 mins. Drain and squeeze out excess water from carrots and raisins. In mixing bowl add dry mix, 2 eggs, ¼ cup oil. Add well drained carrots, raisins and pineapple. Add coconut and walnuts. Mix well by hand. Spread 2 cups of carrot cake on bottom of a greased 9-9 ½ Springform pan. Reserve remaining carrot cake. Backing Instructions For Cheesecake:In large bowl beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in eggs and flour. Spread ½ of the cheesecake batter on top of the carrot cake. Spoon on remaining carrot cake and top with remaining cheese cake batter. Do not marble with knife. Bake in a 350° preheated oven for 50-60 mins or until cake is set and cooked through. Cool to room temperature. When cake is cooled frost with Pineapple Cream Cheese frosting (see recipe below). Or top with Duncan Hines Cream Cheese Frosting. Refrigerate for 3 hours and serve chilled.

Ingredients – Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 2 oz cream cheese (softened)
• 1 tablespoon butter (softened)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 T pineapple juice

Baking Instructions For Cream Cheese Frosting:           
Beat Cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and pineapple juice until smooth. Beat in powder sugar until smooth. Frost top of cheesecake.