Carrot Cake Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

To prepare cheesecake batter: Combine cream cheese, ½ cup granulated sugar, sour cream, eggs, orange zest, 1 ½ teaspoons flour and vanilla in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until completely smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Set aside.

To prepare carrot cake batter: Toss carrots and 2 tablespoons brown sugar together in a medium bowl. Transfer to a fine-mesh strainer; place over the bowl and drain for 10 minutes; discard excess liquid.

Meanwhile, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ginger together in a medium bowl. Whisk applesauce, granulated sugar, eggs, orange zest, vanilla and the remaining ½ cup brown sugar together in a separate bowl. Add the applesauce mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until blended. Stir in the drained carrots.

Pour 1 ½ cups of the carrot cake batter into the prepared pan, smoothing to make an even layer. Dollop on one-third of the cheesecake batter (do not swirl). Pour the remaining carrot cake batter over the dollops, smoothing gently to create an even layer. Pour the remaining cheesecake batter over the the top to completely cover the carrot cake batter, spreading gently with an offset spatula, if needed.

Place the cake pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until almost set (center will jiggle slightly), 55 to 65 minutes, tenting with foil after 45 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 ½ hours. Cover loosely with foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Sprinkle the outside edges of the cheesecake with pecans before serving.