Description
A luscious Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake featuring layers of moist lemon-flavored cake, a rich cream cheese filling, and a buttery crumb topping. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon treat, this cake combines tangy lemon zest with creamy texture and sweet crumb for a delightful balance of flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into small cubes
Cake Layer
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan to ensure the cake doesn’t stick.
- Make the cream cheese layer: In a medium bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, ¼ cup sugar, 1 egg, and 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
- Prepare the crumb topping: In a small bowl, mix ½ cup flour with ¼ cup sugar. Cut in the cold butter cubes with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- Mix dry cake ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening agents.
- Mix wet cake ingredients: In another bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, ¾ cup sugar, 1 egg, plain Greek yogurt, fresh lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice until smooth and homogeneous.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Gradually add the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined, being careful not to overmix to keep the cake tender.
- Assemble the cake layers: Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly to create a base layer.
- Add cream cheese layer: Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly on top of the batter layer in the pan.
- Top with remaining batter: Pour the remaining cake batter over the cream cheese layer and spread it gently to cover.
- Sprinkle crumb topping: Evenly sprinkle the prepared crumb topping over the top of the cake layers.
- Bake the cake: Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, indicating the cake is fully cooked.
- Cool and serve: Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Ensure cream cheese is softened to room temperature for smooth mixing.
- Do not overmix the batter to avoid a dense cake.
- Cold butter is essential for creating a crumbly topping texture.
- Use fresh lemon zest and juice for the best bright lemon flavor.
- Allow the cake to cool completely to make slicing easier and prevent crumbling.
