Carrot Cake Coffee Cake
This Carrot Cake Coffee Cake combines everything you love about classic carrot cake with a buttery cinnamon crumb topping that makes it perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. Moist, warmly spiced, and easy to make, this coffee cake is cozy, crowd-pleasing, and ideal for everyday baking or casual gatherings.
Ingredients
- For the Cake
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup neutral oil vegetable or avocado oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups finely grated carrots
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans optional
- For the Crumb Topping
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup cold butter cubed
- For the Pan
- Butter or cooking spray
- Parchment paper optional but recommended
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs, oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Fold in grated carrots and nuts, if using.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared pan.
- In a small bowl, mix crumb topping ingredients with your fingers or a fork until coarse crumbs form.
- Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the batter.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Finely grated carrots ensure even moisture throughout the cake.
- Use cold butter for the crumb topping so it stays crisp and crumbly.
- Avoid overmixing to keep the cake tender.