This carrot cake coffee cake is warmly spiced and extra moist, studded with grated carrots and finished with a buttery cinnamon streusel. Simple to make and ready in under an hour, it’s a perfect mix-and-bake treat that works for breakfast or dessert.
If you love the flavor combination of carrot cake and coffee cake, this recipe delivers: tender crumb from oil and buttermilk, a bright carrot texture, a crisp, buttery streusel and a light vanilla glaze to finish. Except for grating the carrots, the batter comes together quickly in one bowl—no stand mixer required.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Moist and tender: The combination of grated carrots, oil and buttermilk gives the cake a soft, tender crumb.
- Balanced flavor: Mild carrot sweetness plays nicely with warming spices for a classic, comforting taste.
- Easy method: No mixer required—just a bowl, a whisk and straightforward steps.
Ingredient Notes
Full measurements and the complete ingredient list appear in the recipe card below. A few notes to help you get the best result:
- Carrots: Finely grate carrots so they distribute evenly through the batter. If you have extra, consider using them in muffins or another carrot-based bake.
- Oil: Neutral oils like canola, vegetable or avocado work well; coconut oil adds a subtle coconut note if you prefer.
- Sugars: This recipe uses granulated sugar, brown sugar and powdered sugar for the glaze.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, sour cream or Greek yogurt thinned with a little milk are good substitutes.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a 9-inch cake pan or springform pan by spraying with cooking spray and lining the bottom with parchment.
- Step 2: In a medium bowl whisk together grated carrots, oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until combined.
- Step 3: Add the dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of cloves—then stir in the buttermilk until the batter is smooth and uniform.
- Step 4: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Step 5: Make the streusel by combining flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and melted butter until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the batter.
- Step 6: Bake 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely in the pan.
- Step 7: Stir together powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk to form a pourable glaze. Drizzle over the cooled cake, slice and serve.
Expert Baking Tips
- Use room-temperature eggs and buttermilk for the best texture—pull them from the fridge 30–60 minutes before baking.
- Grate carrots by hand with a box grater or use the shredding disk on a food processor for speed.
- If you prefer less sweetness, skip the glaze and dust the cooled cake with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar.
FAQ
Peeling is optional, but peeling before grating improves texture and removes any bitter outer skin.
Yes. You can bake it in a loaf pan or an 8- or 9-inch square pan—adjust bake time. A deep-dish pie plate also works.
If the center sank, it likely needed a few more minutes in the oven. Check doneness by ensuring the cake doesn’t jiggle and a toothpick comes out clean.
Storing & Freezing
Store the cake at room temperature in an airtight container. Wrapping it in foil helps keep the streusel crisp and prevents the glaze from becoming sticky.
Freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw completely at room temperature before serving for best texture.
Other Popular Recipes to Try
-
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
-
Strawberry Snack Cake
-
Lemon Blueberry Sour Cream Cake
-
Lemon Poppyseed Cookies
For more treats follow on Instagram @thesaltedsweets. If you try this cake, tag and share your photos—we’d love to see them!
Carrot Cake Coffee Cake
Brooke Homec
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup neutral oil (118 ml) — coconut, canola or vegetable
- 1½ cups grated carrots (about 2 large carrots, 192 g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 g)
- ½ cup brown sugar (110 g)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (245 g)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- Pinch of cloves
- ½ cup buttermilk (120 g), room temperature
Streusel
- ½ cup flour (62.5 g)
- ½ cup brown sugar (110 g)
- ¾–1 tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp melted butter
Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar (60 g)
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ½–1 tbsp milk, to thin
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray and line a 9-inch cake pan or springform pan.
- Whisk carrots, oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla together in a medium bowl.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, then stir in buttermilk until combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Combine streusel ingredients until crumbly and sprinkle evenly over the batter.
- Bake 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Mix glaze ingredients to a drizzleable consistency, spoon over the cooled cake, slice and serve.
Notes
You can bake this as a loaf—extend the bake time to about 45–55 minutes and test for doneness.
For best results use room-temperature ingredients. Grate carrots by hand or with a food processor shredding disk.
If you like nuts, fold in 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter, or scatter some into the streusel.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 60 g
Protein: 5 g
Fat: 16 g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it went!