If you love the flavors of carrot cake, you will love this easy carrot coffee cake recipe. No layers, no frosting, just pure carrot cake deliciousness covered in an amazing cinnamon streusel and an optional but highly recommended drizzle of dairy free cream cheese icing. It's perfect for dessert, but totally legal to eat for breakfast too since it has coffee right in the name!
If you're a big carrot cake fan, like we are, then you'll also want to try my best gluten free carrot cake that makes an appearance at every special occasion.
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Why You Will Love This Coffee Cake Recipe
- It's filled with all the carrot and spice flavors normally found in carrot cake.
- It's so moist!
- It doesn't require any cake decorating skills.
- It's gluten free and dairy free, plus easily made nut free.
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten Free Flour - I use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 for my recipes. You can use the flour blend of your choice, but results may vary. For best outcome, use a blend containing xanthan gum and weigh your flour.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda - We need a little of both leavening agents to keep this cake from being too dense.
- Salt
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Ginger - These are the flavors that make it a carrot cake.
- Oil - I use olive oil, but you can substitute with any light flavored cooking oil or melted coconut oil. I do not recommend melted butter, as the oil makes for a more moist cake.
- Light Brown Sugar
- Eggs - This is what provides structure for the cake. I haven't tried this recipe with any egg replacements. If you do, let me know how it turns out in the comments.
- Vanilla
- Unsweetened Applesauce - This helps to keep the cake moist and pairs perfectly with the carrot and spices.
- Carrots - Can't have carrot cake without carrots. You can shred or chop the carrots. I personally like to stick mine in the food processor because I hate grating carrots.
How to Make an Easy Crumb Topping for Coffee Cake
- Combine flour, sugar, chopped nuts, cinnamon, and melted butter together in a medium sized bowl.
- Use a spatula to fold ingredients until they are evenly coated.
- Place the mixed crumb topping in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Instructions
STEP 1: Combine the oil and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
STEP 2: Add the vanilla and eggs, beating for 1 minute after each addition.
STEP 3: Combine the gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Stir well. Add half of the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, followed by half of the applesauce. Repeat with the remaining flour and applesauce.
STEP 4: Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the carrots.
STEP 5: Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan.
STEP 6: Sprinkle the crumb topping over the cake and bake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coffee cake doesn’t usually contain any coffee. It gets it’s name from the fact that it’s normally served with coffee.
Both coffee cake and crumb cake share the characteristics of being a frosting free cake that usually has a swirl or streusel topping. Crumb cake has a larger amount of crumb topping that coffee cake.
One of the most important ingredients to make a moist cake is oil. Oil allows the batter to hold more liquid by creating an emulsion. While butter cakes may have a superior flavor, if you want a nice moist cake you must use oil.
This cake is certainly lower in calories than a traditional carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. However, it still contains a good amount of sugar.
If you’re looking to cut out calories, I would suggest eliminating the crumb topping and the icing drizzle. The cake tastes very good on it’s own.
If you love carrot cake, check out these other great recipes!
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Gluten Free Carrot Cake Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- 3 Tablespoon Vegan Butter melted
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend I use Bob’s Red Mill
- ½ Cup Light Brown Sugar
- ½ Cup Pecans roughly chopped
Cake
- 2 Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend (296 grams) I use Bob's Red Mill
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar packed
- 3 Eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ½ Cup Unsweetened Applesauce room temperature
- 2 Cup Carrots shredded, 2-3 large carrots
Glaze
- 2 ounces Vegan Cream Cheese
- ¾ Cup Powdered Sugar sifted
- 2 teaspoon Non Dairy Milk
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla
Instructions
For the streusel topping
- In a small bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients. Mix well. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.3 Tablespoon Vegan Butter, ½ teaspoon Cinnamon, ½ Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend, ½ Cup Light Brown Sugar, ½ Cup Pecans
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” Springform pan with parchment paper on the bottom.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Stir well and set aside.2 Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend, 2 teaspoon Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon Baking Soda, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Ginger, ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, ½ teaspoon Salt
- Place the oil and brown sugar in a stand mixer and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl.½ Cup Olive Oil, 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing about 60 seconds between each addition. Add the vanilla, mix for another 60 seconds. Scrape down the bowl.3 Eggs, 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- Turn the mixer to the lowest setting and slowly add half of the flour mixture followed by half of the applesauce. Repeat with the remaining flour and applesauce. Do not over mix - stop the mixer when there are still streaks of flour showing.½ Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- Remove the bowl from the stand. Add in the carrots and fold together until incorporated.2 Cup Carrots
- Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Top with crumbles of the streusel topping.
- Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, until the top springs back when gently poked.
- Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove from the pan and continue to cool on wire rack. Wait until it’s completely cooled, around 1 hour, before adding the glaze.
For the glaze
- combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Using a fork to combine the two until they reach a thick paste consistency.2 ounces Vegan Cream Cheese, ¾ Cup Powdered Sugar
- Add the milk and the vanilla and stir well until smooth.2 teaspoon Non Dairy Milk, ½ teaspoon Vanilla
- Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
nina belmont says
Can I add nuts and raisins to thos recipe?
Nina
Yes, for sure!
Hillary K says
I really enjoyed this cake! Exceeded my expectations!
Thanks so much, Hillary! 🙂 I'm glad you loved it.
Amanda says
This turned out amazing, better than I could imagine! Thank you!
That makes my day! 🙂 I'm so glad you liked it.