I am so happy to bring this amazing lemon coffee cake into your life. It’s dense and moist just like a classic coffee cake, but is baked with lemon cream cheese, tart lemon curd, and a fine crumble topping. This cake is creamy, sweet, tangy, crunchy, and just so delicious. It’s what every brunch needs.
WHAT YOU NEED Crumble granulated sugar all-purpose flour kosher salt unsalted butter Lemon Cream Cheese full-fat cream cheese granulated sugar lemon zest large egg Lemon Cake granulated sugar lemon zest unsalted butter large eggs + egg yolk sour cream or greek yogurt fresh lemon juice vanilla extract baking powder baking soda kosher salt all-purpose flour lemon curd
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, and salt. 2. Toss in the cold and cubed butter and use your fingers to mush it into the dry mixture to create a very fine crumb. The mixture will overall appear very dry which is what we want! Store in the refrigerator.
Crumble
1. In a medium bowl, mash together the cream cheese and sugar with a fork and mix until smooth. Then mix in the zest and egg. 2. Switch to a whisk to mix out any lumps and once smooth, set aside.
Lemon Cream Cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease the inside of a 9” springform pan. Remove the ring and lay down a sheet of parchment paper over the bottom plate. Return the ring to create a fully covered bottom. 2. In a large bowl using a hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the sugar and zest and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar, releasing even more flavor. 3. Then add the butter and mix on medium high speed until smooth and pale. 4. Mix in the egg, egg yolk, sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth.
Lemon Cake
5. Scrape down the bowl and mix in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 6. Once combined, mix in the flour until smooth. 7. Spread the batter into the pan. Then carefully spread the cream cheese on top in an even layer, leaving a ½ inch border around the edge. 8. Carefully spread the lemon curd on top, also leaving a small ½ inch border, and then top with all of the crumble.
9. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is lightly golden with darker/wrinkly edges and the cake is jiggly (not liquid) in the center. 10. Allow to cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely, about 2 hours. 11. Once chilled, it’s ready to slice and enjoy!