Carrot Coffee Cake

 MAKE HASTE NOT WASTE-GATHER UP YOUR CARROTS BEFORE PETER GETS THEM ALL 

Try this  Peter Approved Carrot Coffee Cake and add some serious deliciousness to your Spring menu. 

Cook's Notes: This cake is incredibly soft and moist. The streusel settles into the top of the cake, creating the most amazing buttery, sweet crust. The cream cheese glaze binds everything together into the perfect carrot cake dessert. The recipe is adapted from melskitchencafe.com and makes 8 servings. For best results, use a metal 9-inch square pan. I used a food processor to grate carrots. 

Cake:

• ¾ cup butter, melted
• 3 large eggs
• ⅔ cup buttermilk 
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-3/4 to 2 cups finely shredded carrots (about 3 large carrots) 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon or 1 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon 
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt

Streusel:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup toasted coconut
• 1/4 cup each brown sugar and white sugar  
• 1 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon or 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces 

Cream Cheese Glaze:

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk or what's needed for a drizzling consistency 

Directions: 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 X 9 metal baking pan and set aside. 
• For the streusel
• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugars, oats, cinnamon, toasted coconut, walnuts, and salt until evenly combined. Add the butter and mix well until small clumps form.  You can use a food processor for this step, but pulse only once. Chill the mixture for 30 minutes.
• For the cake
• In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla until evenly mixed.
• Add the shredded carrots and mix until evenly combined.
• Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg until no dry streaks remain and the batter is evenly combined (try not to overmix in this step).
• Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
• Sprinkle the chilled streusel evenly over the cake batter (depending on how long the mixed streusel has been left to sit, it's normal to have to break it into clumpy pieces to sprinkle into this step).
• Bake the cake for 40 minutes until the top springs back lightly to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.  If the streusel is browning too much but the cake needs more time, place a piece of aluminum foil loosely over the top of the cake while it continues baking. Let the cake cool until room temperature or slightly warm.

For the glaze

• Mix the cream cheese and butter together in a medium bowl using an electric handheld or stand mixer until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix.
• Add the powdered sugar and mix at low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the mixture is thick and creamy, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add milk to thin the consistency so it is thick but pourable.
• Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cooled or just-warm cake, or drizzle it over individual servings. The cake is delicious at room temperature or slightly warm.