Ingredients

Brown Sugar Walnut Crumble:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Carrot Coffee Cake:

• 1 & 1/2 cups finely grated carrot, tightly packed
• 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil*
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese:

• 8 ounces full fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp orange zest (optional)
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, room temperature

Icing:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 tbsp milk

Instructions

Brown Sugar Walnut Crumble:

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and mix to combine. It should turn into a crumbly consistency. Place in the refrigerator to chill while we make the rest of the recipe.

Carrot Coffee Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and line an 8×8 square baking dish with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl using a rubber spatula, mix together the oil, sugars, sour cream, egg, vanilla, and carrots. Once smooth, pour in the dry ingredients and fold to combine. Set aside.

Cream Cheese:

Using the same bowl we used to mix together the carrot cake dry ingredients, add the cream cheese, sugar, and zest. Use a fork to mash and mix together. Once smooth, mix in the all purpose flour followed by the egg. Mix into a smooth and silky consistency. If needed, whisk vigorously to work out any tiny lumps.

Now to bring everything together, spread the carrot cake batter in the baking pan. Then gently blanket the cream cheese over the cake batter, careful not to disrupt the even layer. When the cream cheese is well distributed, gently spread even. Now top with the crumble, making sure to cover the entire surface.

Bake for 50-60 minutes. Test for doneness by shaking the pan. If the cake wobbles in the center, it needs another 5-10 minutes. If it has a firm jiggle in the center, it’s done.

Allow the cake to cool for about 30 minutes before lifting out of the pan.

For the icing, whisk together the two ingredients until it reaches the consistency of craft glue. If it’s too thin, add more sugar. If it’s too thick, add more milk. Drizzle over the warm cake and then slice and enjoy!

Recipe by Butternut Bakery Blog