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Carrot Cake Coffee Cake
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.
Ingredients
Crumble Topping:
- ⅔ cup (95g) 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.
