Carrot Cake Coffee Cake
Eating carrot cake for breakfast might be socially unacceptable…but eating Carrot Cake Coffee Cake is totally allowed!
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Do you decorate Easter eggs? As a kid, I remember getting those Easter egg dying kits from the store and decorating eggs a couple of times. For some reason, decorating eggs wasn’t really my thing. (We did have epic Easter egg hunts in my Grandma’s backyard, but that’s different. Those eggs were stuffed with chocolate…and if we were lucky, a $1 bill.) I was thinking about decorating eggs with Robbie this year, and that made me start thinking about where this whole decorating eggs tradition came from.
Eggs are common symbols in a number of cultures as they represent birth and new life. This kinda makes sense as Easter is in the Spring, and the Spring is all about new life. But here’s the thing. Archaeologists have found painted ostrich eggs dating back 60,000 years. Kinda cool, huh? So decorating eggs actually connects us with our cavemen roots!
Speaking of cavemen, did you know that they learned how to bake sourdough bread by just leaving the dough out on a warm rock? The bread attracted wild yeast spores which then caused the dough to rise. I am fascinated with the history of baking! I’m also fascinated with the idea of eating all the breads. While this Carrot Cake Coffee Cake isn’t a bread per se, it’s still a delicious baked treat. I’ve loved coffee cakes for years, and I really enjoy adapting coffee cakes to fit the different seasons. As Easter is carrot cake season, I figured it was high time for my coffee cake to meet it’s carrot cake cousin. And the result is perfect for Easter morning!
I know folks can be kinda particular about carrot cake, but for me, a good carrot cake needs 3 things. (Well, 4 things if you count the carrots…but that goes without saying, right?) 1) Walnuts. 2) Cream cheese frosting. 3) Raisins. (Although, truth be told, I can forego the raisins and still be happy. I don’t love raisins in general, but I feel like they go well in carrot cake.) So armed with these 3 ideas, I adapted my go-to coffee cake recipe to give it a Carrot Cake Coffee Cake flair.
If you’re looking for a tasty Easter treat, then this Carrot Cake Coffee Cake needs to appear on your kitchen counter! It might be socially frowned upon to eat carrot cake for breakfast, but coffee cake is totally acceptable. So bake this Carrot Cake Coffee Cake and serve it up for breakfast tomorrow…if it lasts that long! Enjoy, my friends!
Carrot Cake Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the streusel:
- ½ cup walnuts finely chopped
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
For the Cake:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- ¾ tsp nutmeg
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1¼ cups sour cream
- 4 medium carrots peeled and grated (~2¼ cups)
- 2 cups walnuts chopped
- ⅔ cup raisins
For the Frosting
- 2 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp milk
Instructions
For the Streusel
- Using a medium bowl, add walnuts, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir until well combined.
- Add the melted butter; stir until well combined.
- Add the flour; stir until well combined. Set Streusel aside.
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease and flour (or spray with nonstick spray) a 9”x3” round cake pan. Set pan aside.
- In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined; set mixture aside.
- Using a countertop mixer, cream together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy (~2-3 minutes on medium speed).
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.
- Add vanilla, lemon juice and sour cream; mix on low speed until well combined.
- Add carrots, walnuts and raisins to the bowl; mix on low speed until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients to the bowl; mix on low until just combined.
- Pour ~½ of the batter into greased cake pan. Crumble half of the streusel on top of batter. Pour remaining batter on top and crumble remaining streusel on top of batter. (Tip: Leave some bigger chunks of Streusel on top!)
- Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Open oven and tent the top of the cake with a piece of foil to prevent the streusel from burning. Continue baking for another 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out mostly clean.
- Place cake on cooling rack for at least 30 minutes.
For the Glaze
- Using a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and butter. Add brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon; mix until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and milk; mix until smooth.
- Place glaze in a piping bag with a round tip (or a sandwich bag with one corner snipped off). Drizzle cooled cake with glaze before slicing.
Looking for more Carrot Cake love? Try one of these!
Mmm…what wouldn’t I give for a nice big piece of this coffee cake right now?! I agree that carrot cake’s gotta have walnuts. That’s really interesting about the painted ostrich eggs from thousands of years ago! I had no idea.
Yes to walnuts in coffee cake! I mean I’ve had some really good coffee cakes without walnuts, but the extra texture is just so awesome. And now when you paint Easter eggs this year, you’ll have a fun story to tell! Or if nothing else, it’s a good party story…even if you aren’t painting eggs. 🙂 Thanks, Mara!
We’re completely on the same page about the musts for a carrot cake. Don’t even offer me a slice if it doesn’t have walnuts and raisins! Actually, do offer me a slice but I’ll grumble about the lack of textural contrast. I wonder why cavemen were painting ostrich eggs? Was it art or some kind of caveman Easter egg hunt? History is so cool! LOVING this coffee cake and wishing I had a slice to go with my coffee this morning. Have a great week!
Haha! Yes, I would most certainly grumble about a carrot cake without raisins and walnuts, too. The nerve! You know, I have no idea what led our ancestors to paint ostrich eggs…but it’s kinda cool. And it’s even more cool that we were able to find some of the eggs and learn more about what they were up to back then! Thanks, Kelsie…hope your week is off to a great start!
Carrots must be in season, I’ve seen tons of carrot cup cake recipes and now you are posting this delicious looking carrot cake coffee cake. All of this makes me happy. Decorating eggs isn’t my thing either, especially since its going to be destroyed anyways. I think it’s the artist in me. I hate walnuts UNLESS they are in carrot cake. Happy Monday David
Haha! I’m not sure it’s carrots being in season (although they are a winter veggie) as it is Easter starting to get near. Carrot cake + Easter is a tradition around here, and I always have fun coming up with twists on a good carrot cake! You should totally drain the eggs so that you can decorate them and not have to destroy ’em. That’s what we did as kids! I bet you could come up with some mighty creative egg art, my friend!
Carrot and coffee, what a lovely combination David. I like carrot and coffee both and the combination of both, I am sure gonna be tasty. So today I have got one more option added to my breakfast list. Thanks a ton David. 🙂
Haha! Well, to be fair, this coffee cake doesn’t actually have coffee in it. (Don’t worry, Ben makes the same mistake all the time, too!) Instead, the name coffee cake comes from the fact that it’s a good cake to serve with a mug of coffee. This version is a twist on the classic in that I used carrot cake flavors…and it’s so good, Puja!! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting, my friend!
Wow, David, what I wouldn’t give for a slice of this cake RIGHT NOW! I’ve had carrot cake on the brain for several weeks now, trying to put together the best recipe I can. This sounds so delicious, and I’m all for the raisins! A great idea for Easter Brunch! Thanks!
I love a good carrot cake, Laura! I didn’t as a kid, but I’ve been making up for lost time lately. They’re so good! And the twist to turn the carrot cake into a breakfast version is quite tasty. Give this idea a shot for sure! 🙂
It looks like you get pretty creative with your carrot cake baking! I actually baked my very first carrot cake earlier this year for my aunt’s birthday. I can honestly take or leave carrot cake, but coffee cake? I’m all about that! This looks yummy!
I was the same as you about carrot cake when I was a kid. Actually, I was worse…I always left it. I thought carrot cake was a total trick to get me to eat carrots. I mean who puts veggies in a cake!? But then I finally had a slice, and woah! Carrot cake is a favorite now. And coffee cake is, too. So the combination of the two together is mighty fun…and perfect for Easter brunch. Thanks, Nicole!!
I missed the Easter season last year, so hopefully I can manage something delicious this year. Maybe this carrot cake? But you and your famous coffee cakes! You’re a huge lier – I think you’ve had only one coffee cake which actually had coffee inside haha. But since the cake looks so good, I am going to forgive you (Certainly, sending me a few slices will help me forgive you faster) 🙂
Haha! I have indeed only had one coffee cake that actually had coffee as an ingredient. I keep telling you that the name comes from the fact that it’s served WITH coffee! (Although I can definitely see how you’d be confused.) Either way, this Carrot Cake Coffee Cake is a fun twist on a classic breakfast recipe…and it’s perfect for the Easter season. You should make it for Easter brunch this year! 🙂
Two of my favourite types of cakes amalgamated into one is just complete genius David! I loved getting chocolate Easter eggs as a kid from my aunt and gran. Decorating the eggs wasn’t something we were into though. I think I just liked to eat the eggs before they were decorated, lol!
Yes! I used to wake up on Easter morning to find an Easter basket outside of my bedroom door left by the “bunny.” (It was really my Mom and Grandma!) We haven’t gotten a chocolate bunny or decorated eggs in years now…but we definitely enjoy a good carrot cake around this time of the year. And now with this combo, we can enjoy carrot cake for breakfast! 🙂 Thanks, Neil!
Coffee cake is totally acceptable for breakfast! In fact, it’s meant to be eaten for breakfast! This is the season for carrot cake although I think it can be made all year long!
I agree, Kathy! I always think of carrot cake around Easter/spring, but it’s such a good cake that I really should make it year-round. And this version is especially fun since it’s made for breakfast! Hope your week is going well so far!
I could totally eat carrot cake coffee cake for breakfast. Sounds delicious. Interesting history lesson.
I love carrot cake, too, Dawn! And coffee cake? One of my favorites! So the combo here was quite tasty. 🙂 Thanks so much, my friend!
Its fun to decorate Easter eggs…amd yeahh, I love walnuts a LOT loke i can’t express in words… And walnuts in cake gives extra crumble. Love this bright crumbly- soft and moist at same time 🙂 cake. Its a good share david…
Haha! Walnuts in carrot cake are just a must for me…the extra texture is so delicious! Thanks so much, Priya!
David, I loved reading about cavemen and their ingenious sourdough bread baking! Gosh – I love all the facts about baking but it feels like, these past few months I haven’t been experimenting with too many new things – but, Lil Shashi and I had a carrot cake when we were visiting my uncle in London last year and I have been craving carrot cake. What an interesting twist of traditional carrot cake this is – I mean, seeing it’s in coffee cake format – that means I can enjoy it for breakfast AND coffee time right? 🙂
I absolutely love carrot cake, Shashi! I wonder if the English version was different than our American version? I didn’t like carrot cake as a kid as the thought of a cake full of veggies just didn’t sound appealing. But I’m making up for lost time now! I hope you get a chance to do some baking experimenting here soon. Tell Lil Shashi I said hello! 🙂
The British one seemed to have more spices like ginger in it – in fact, it tasted like fresh ginger – and way, way more nuts and chunks of stuff – I’m still trying to figure out the “stuff” part! 🙂
My strongest memory of coloring Easter eggs was when I tried to use vegetables as a ‘natural dye’ and the eggs didn’t change color AT ALL…lol!
You’ve combined a couple of my very favorite things here, David. Really perfect for an Easter morning treat!
Oh no! I like the idea of trying to find a natural dye, but that’s sad that the veggie idea didn’t work. That makes me wonder what the cavemen used back in the day? Hmmm…time to go some more Googling! Thanks so much for the comment, Marissa. I hope you have a great weekend, my friend!
I always prefer a coffee cake to a frosted three layered cake! Same goes for carrot cakes..There are so many recipes online with layers of cream cheese frosting but nothing can beat a dry coffee cake with nuts like this one!! And I LOVE raisins and walnuts in mine too! This is just the kind of cake I love! I would love to make this sometime soon 🙂
You know, I might have to agree with you there, Deepika. I do love a traditional cake, but a coffee cake might actually win out. While I do enjoy a good carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, it was fun (and tasty!) to come up with this breakfast version. Definitely give it a shot sometime soon! Thanks so much, my friend. Hope you have a great weekend ahead!
Man, I leave your post for a few days and I come back to nothing but amazing town awesomeness!! I would nosh on carrot cake coffee cake in a heartbeat! In fact, I’m pinning this bad boy so I can 🙂
Yes! If I lived anywhere near the West Coast, then I would nosh on this coffee cake with you and Kieran. Maybe over a green beer? 🙂 Seriously, though, this is one really tasty coffee cake…and I have a thing for coffee cakes! Thanks so much, my friend!
Yum. I forget about carrot cake. Well, I forget about a lot of baked good, because I don’t have kids anymore. They’re in their 30’s. when they were growing up I made a lot of fun but also healthy quick breads, and then I just quit. But I now have a 3-year old grand daughter, and she would just love to make this with me, and enjoy it as well. Thanks for the reminder!
Yes! I bet your granddaughter would love to help in the kitchen. And a good quick bread recipe is perfect for little kids who want to help. Robbie helped me make a pie recently, and he had so much fun mixing the filling for me! 🙂 Thanks so much, Mimi!
Well this could be a whole new tradition…carrot cake (coffeecake) for breakfast sounds like a good thing. 😀
Yes! I am all about making this carrot cake coffee cake a tradition. We love coffee cakes around here, and it’s carrot cake season…so the combo is perfect! 🙂 Thanks, Karen!!