Lemon Coffee Cake
This lemon coffee cake features a soft lemon-zest cake with a smooth cream cheese layer, simple crumb topping, and light glaze, making it an easy slice-and-serve option for breakfast or brunch.
Servings: 12
Calories: 571kcal
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Cream Cheese Layer
- 16 ounces block style cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Coffee Cake Batter
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest, from one large lemon
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Glaze Topping
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Crumb Topping
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick baker’s spray and set aside.
- To a small bowl add the melted and cooled butter, all-purpose flour, and granulated sugar. Stir together with a fork until all the flour is moistened and crumbs roughly the size of peas form. Place the crumb mixture into the refrigerator to chill and harden while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Cream Cheese Layer
- To a medium bowl add the cream cheese and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed using a handheld mixer until smooth. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract beating again just until fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Lemon Coffee Cake Batter
- Sift together in a small bowl the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, combine the milk and lemon juice. Set aside.
- Cream together in a large bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium-low speed, the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest for 2-3 minutes or just until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, followed by the vanilla extract.
- Add a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed just until combined.
- Add half the milk mixture, mix until fully incorporated, followed by another third of the flour mixture mixing just until incorporated.
- Add the remaining milk mixture followed by the remaining flour mixture. Be sure to combine each addition just until fully incorporated.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- Add the cream cheese mixture and gently spread to an even layer, leaving about a half inch of the cake batter around the edges uncovered, being careful not to mix the layers.
- Remove the crumb topping from the refrigerator and evenly sprinkle over the top of the coffee cake.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until lightly browned and the center is fully set. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool completely at room temperature before adding the glaze.
Glaze Topping
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and lemon juice until smooth.
- Drizzle over the cooled lemon coffee cake. Allow the glaze to set for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- You can refrigerate your baked and cooled coffee cake for about an hour to allow the cream cheese layer to firm up before glazing for nice clean slices if desired.
- Be sure to wash your lemons well to remove any waxy coating before zesting for the recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 571kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 410mg | Potassium: 242mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 60g | Vitamin A: 596IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 194mg | Iron: 2mg
