I haven’t always been a lover of carrot cake. Although I can’t remember exactly when I really started enjoying it, I know that it was in my adult years.
And the first thing I know that I liked about carrot cake is the cream cheese frosting!! Because everything tastes better with cream cheese right!?!
I’m actually quite picky about my carrot cake. I don’t like any kind of raisins, nuts or pineapple in my carrot cake. I like the carrots sliced nice and thin and in short, I like the cake’s texture to be as smooth as possible.
As for the spices in carrot cake, I like to taste the cinnamon and nutmeg but I don’t like it to be overpowering.
So yes, I am picky about my carrot cake. But with all that said, I really do LOVE carrot cake -when it’s made in the right parameters! 😉
So with the Easter season upon us, I decided to make a carrot coffee cake. And I decided to put the cream cheese in the middle of the cake.
This coffee cake is based off of my Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake (Which, by the way, has been the most popular recipe on my entire blog!!)
This coffee cake is moist, topped with a cinnamon streusel topping and has a nice mild flavor of spices and sweetness. My children and I (even one who doesn’t like carrots) absolutely gobbled this cake up.
If you are looking for a different way to enjoy carrot cake this season, give this Carrot Cream Cheese Coffee Cake a try.
Or try one of these carrot ideas from some of my blogger friends:
Carrot Cake Roll– Crazy for Crust
Carrot Cake Cookie Cups -Chelsea’s Messy Apron
Carrot Cake Magic Bars – Inside Brucrew Life
Carrot Cake Muffins – Flavor the Moments
Ingredients
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 t. cinnamon
- 1 1/2 c. flour
- 3/4 c. brown sugar
- 1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/4 t. baking soda
- 1/4 t. salt
- 4 TB. Butter
- 1 1/2 c. julienned carrots sliced thin
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c. buttermilk
- 1 t. vanilla
- 1 t. cinnamon
- 1/4 t. nutmeg
- 1/2 c. flour
- 1/3 c. brown sugar
- 1/2 t. cinnamon
- 2 TB butter
- 1/3 c. powdered sugar
- 2 TB milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Make cream cheese filling by placing all filling ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix until well incorporated. Put aside.
- Spray an 8x8 pan, or the likes (I used an 11x7 ceramic dish) with baking spray.
- Make the cake by placing flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and stir together until incorporated. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until incorporated and the mixture is "crumb-y". Stir in the carrots
- In a small bowl, whisk egg, buttermilk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and use a large wooden spoon to stir the mixture just until combined. (Mixture will be a bit lumpy)
- Using the large wooden spoon, spread half the cake mixture on the bottom of the sprayed pan. Then spread the cream cheese filling evenly on top of that. Finally, drop the remaining cake mixture on top of the cream cheese layer and spread it as evenly as possible across the top. (you will not be able to spread it all across the top. It is ok if some cream cheese shows through)
- Make the crumb topping by placing all ingredients in a medium bowl and, using a fork cut the butter into the ingredients until crumbs are formed. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top of the cake.
- Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Halfway through, you may want to cover it with foil so the crumb topping does not burn.
- Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes or so and then make the drizzle by placing powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl and mixing it up with a spoon. Drizzle over the top and serve.
- Makes 12 servings.
Try these other great coffee cakes!
Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
marcie says
This looks so incredible, and I wish I had some for my breakfast tomorrow! I’m a huge carrot cake lover, and while I do like it with the fruit, sometimes I decide I just want plain carrot cake, because it really doesn’t need all that stuff to be great. Thanks for the shout out on my muffins, Renee! 🙂
Renee says
I ran into your big beautiful muffins on pinterest and they looked to die for!! 🙂
whatjessicabakednext says
Love carrot cake- just posted my recipe today! Looks divine!
Renee says
Thank you Jessica!! I am heading over to see yours now!! 🙂
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
Oh yum – I’ll bet that cream cheese makes it so rich and creamy! Swoon!
Renee says
I am a glutton for cream cheese!! 😉 Thank you Kristi!!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
Oh goodness, what a pick me up a slice of this cake would be for this afternoon! Yum!
Renee says
Thank you Pamela! 🙂
Laura@Baking in Pyjamas says
Visiting from Marvelous Mondays. This looks great, what a brilliant idea to turn it into a coffee cake! I’m quite picky to when it comes to coffee cake, I don’t like much in it beside the carrots, I mean it is a carrot cake after all. I co-host Sweet and Savoury Sunday and would for you to stop by and share these and other recipes with us. Have a great day!
Ella-HomeCookingAdventure says
I love having carrot cake along side coffee. Sounds wonderful.. will definitely try it out.
Jocelyn@Brucrewlife says
I definitely agree that the best part of carrot cake is the cream cheese! 😉 And this carrot coffee cake is making my taste buds go crazy!! I love it! Pinned 🙂
Renee says
Thank you so much for the pin Jocelyn!! Have a wonderful Easter! 🙂
Kelly says
This looks amazing Renee! I am a big fan of carrot cake and love this coffee cake version – especially with that cream cheese filling and streusel topping – sounds so so good and love this idea!
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
Carrot Cake for breakfast? Yes!!!! Looks amazing 🙂
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
You have no idea how badly I am craven this right now!
Lindsay @ Life, Love and Sugar says
I’m picky about my carrot cake too. 🙂 This looks absolutely delicious! I love the addition of the cream cheese!
Maria says
Where is the filling ingredients?
Renee says
It’s the first four ingredients, it just wasn’t labeled well. I fixed it, sorry about that! 🙂