Carrot Cake Coffee Cake

I love when I can combine two delicious desserts in one, and this Carrot Cake Coffee Cake is so incredibly irresistible with all of the elements of classic carrot cake enhanced with a cinnamon-spiced buttery brown sugar crumb topping. It is absolutely divine! The cake crumb is soft and tender, beautifully spiced and has this sunset orange hue from finely grated carrots. The crumb topping is generous and melts into the cake. I finish it with vanilla cream cheese icing and all of these flavors together are enough to make your eyes roll back. Just wait until you try it! If you love making coffee cake, try my classic Sour Cream Coffee Cake, and if you love carrot desserts, check out my Ultimate Carrot Cake, my Carrot Cake Cupcakes and try these Carrot Cake Cookies too!

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Simple recipe - this carrot cake coffee cake is easy to make with few ingredients and no special equipment. You only need a couple of bowls and a whisk. You do not need a mixer.
• Moist tender crumb - this recipe makes a tender and fluffy carrot cake that melts in your mouth.
• Soft texture - the cake base is soft beneath the crumb topping.
• Crunchy crumble topping - there's a buttery brown sugar crumble topping that is generous and flavorful. It adds beautiful textural contrast with a crunchy exterior, and then soft beneath as it bakes into the carrot cake batter. I add a bit of cinnamon and use salted butter which makes it incredibly addicting!
• Not oily - so many carrot cake recipes have too much oil that it makes the texture gummy, pasty and, well, oily. This recipe has just ⅓ cup of oil vs. upwards of ½ cup that you might find in most other recipes.
• Flavorful spice cake - a fragrant blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice adds such a wonderful flavor.
• Cream cheese icing - a great coffee cake isn't complete without a light glaze on top, and this one is no different. I make a cream cheese icing which is classic with carrot cake.

• Yogurt - use full fat plain yogurt to add tanginess to balance the earthy carrots and the acidity will react with the baking soda. You can also use light sour cream.
• Grated carrots - you will need just 1 cup of shredded carrots from about 1 large carrot. Make sure you grate it on the finer side of your box grater.
• Cream cheese - carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is a classic combination and this coffee cake is no different. It tastes wonderful and you just need 2 tablespoons of cream cheese to make a light icing.
• Powdered sugar - it's also called icing sugar or confectioner's sugar, and you'll need it to make the icing.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• STEP 1). Make the crumb topping. Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and mix together until evenly blended. Add the soft butter and blend it in using your finger tips (you can also use a fork, but I find it works better and faster with my hands) until it is evenly combined and the mixture forms clumps. Cover the bowl and set it aside until needed so it doesn't dry out.
• STEP 2). Grate your carrots. Grate the carrots on the fine side of a box grater and measure it out. Set it aside.
• STEP 3). Blend dry ingredients. Sift flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly.
• STEP 4). Blend wet ingredients. Combine egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil and yogurt in a large bowl and whisk until very smooth. Add grated carrots and mix them through so they are evenly incorporated.
• STEP 5). Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and fold them through until just combined and there are no dry pockets.
• STEP 6). Assemble the cake. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the crumb topping mixture evenly over top. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack, cover with foil and set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes. The foil will help it steam slightly so that the crumbs soften just a touch but will still stay crunchy.
• STEP 7). Make the icing. Combine soft cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and mash with a fork or whisk vigorously until smooth. Gradually add the cream until it is smooth, thick and flowing. It should drizzle off of the spoon but be thick enough to hold up on top of the cake so that it looks like a nice thick cream cheese icing instead of a glaze. Mix in the vanilla and salt. Drizzle it all over the cake and it is OK if it is still slightly warm. Serve cake warm or at room temperature.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR CARROT COFFEE CAKE

• Do not over-mix the crumb topping. Blend the crumb ingredients just until it reaches a crumbly and clumpy consistency without any dry or dusty flour left. Do not over mix into paste or the crumbs will be too hard after baking. The crumbs should be irregular, ranging in size from a pea to pecan.
• Shred the carrots on the finest side of the grater. The key to a soft and fluffy carrot loaf cake is to have the carrots bake into the crumb. If you coarsely grate the carrots, then they will not bake as quickly and will stay as threads through the cake which can get stuck in your teeth. For maximum flavor and the best texture, you'll need to grate them finely.
• Mix carrots with the liquid ingredients first. I've seen a lot of recipes that say to mix the carrots in at the end after the dry ingredients, but this can lead to over-mixing which will create more dense and gummy texture. Treat the carrots as a liquid ingredient and add them in at the beginning.
• Measure flour accurately. Too much flour can make this cake feel more dry and create a coarser texture. For the best results, weigh your flour using a kitchen scale.
• Sift the dry ingredients. Sifting the flour will break up any lumps and make it easier for them to incorporate into the batter and minimize the amount of mixing required. It also distributes the baking powder and baking soda evenly so that the cake rises evenly during baking.
• Do no over-mix on the last step. Once the dry ingredients are just incorporated and the batter looks uniform, STOP mixing. Over-mixing this batter can lead to a dense cake.

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Video

Carrot Cake Coffee Cake

Christina Marsigliese, Food Scientist MSc.

Combine two delicious desserts in one with this Carrot Cake Coffee Cake that is so irresistible with all of the elements of classic carrot cake enhanced with a cinnamon-spiced buttery brown sugar crumb topping. It is absolutely divine! The cake crumb is soft and tender, beautifully spiced and has this sunset orange hue from finely grated carrots. The crumb topping is generous and melts into the cake.

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Servings 10 servings

Ingredients

  

Crumble Topping:

• ¾ cup (105g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (110g) packed dark brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoon (70g) unsalted butter, softened

Carrot Cake Batter:

• 1 cup (120g) finely grated carrots (from 1-2 medium carrots)
• 1 ⅓ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice (⅛ teaspoon if you like a mild spice flavor, but I like ¼ teaspoon)
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• ½ cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup (60ml) sunflower oil
• ½ cup (120ml) full fat plain yogurt

Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing:

• ½ cup (60g) powdered confectioner's sugar
• 2 tablespoon (28g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 2 tablespoon (30ml) whole milk
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

For best results, use a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients.

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the base of an 8-inch round non-stick springform pan with a round of parchment paper and lightly butter the sides.
• Make the crumb topping. Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and mix together until evenly blended. Add the soft butter and blend it in using your finger tips (you can also use a fork, but I find it works better and faster with my hands) until until it reaches a crumbly and clumpy consistency. Do not over mix into paste. The crumbs should be irregular, ranging in size from a pea to pecan. Cover the bowl and set it aside until needed so it doesn't dry out.
• Grate the carrots on the fine side of a box grater and measure it out. Set it aside.
• Make the carrot cake batter. Sift flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly.
• Combine egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil and yogurt in a large bowl and whisk until very smooth. Add grated carrots and mix them through so they are evenly incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and fold them through until just combined and there are no dry pockets.
• Assemble the cake. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the crumb topping mixture evenly over top. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack, cover with foil and set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes. The foil will help it steam slightly so that the crumbs soften just a touch but will still stay crunchy.
• Remove the sides of the springform pan when ready to serve and transfer to a serving plate.
• Make the icing. Combine soft cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and mash with a fork or whisk vigorously until smooth. Gradually add the cream until it is smooth, thick and flowing. It should drizzle off of the spoon but be thick enough to hold up on top of the cake so that it looks like a nice thick cream cheese icing instead of a glaze. Mix in the vanilla and salt. Drizzle it all over the cake and it is OK if it is still slightly warm. Serve cake warm or at room temperature.