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Sourdough Carrot Coffee Cake Muffins

Sourdough Carrot Coffee Cake Muffins

Joselyn Buehler
These Sourdough Carrot Coffee Cake Muffins are soft, moist, and warmly spiced with the most delicious brown sugar ripple and buttery crumble to top them off. Finished with a sweet cream cheese glaze, they combine the cozy flavors of carrot cake and coffee cake into one irresistible muffin.
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Fermentation time 12 hours
Servings 12

Equipment

  • Standard 12-cup muffin tin - for baking muffins. I love these pans from USA Bakeware linked here.
  • Muffin liners - to avoid burned edges. I love these bakery style parchment muffin liners linked here that are non-stick.
  • Microplane or zester - for zesting orange. I love this hand held zester linked here.
  • 2 Tablespoon scoop - for scooping batter. I love this scoop for muffins linked here.
  • Measuring cups and spoons - if not using a scale, and for smaller ingredients.
  • Cheese grater or food processor - for grating carrots.
  • Kitchen scale (optional) - for accurate measuring, especially helpful with sourdough baking. I linked the one like here.
  • Mixing bowls - for batter, crumble, ripple, and glaze.
  • Hand mixer or sturdy whisk - for mixing batter.
  • Cooling rack - to cool muffins.

Ingredients
  

Wet Ingredients:

  • ¼ (57g) cup unsalted butter melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ¼ (50g) cup avocado oil
  • ¼ (75g) cup sourdough discard
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp maple flavoring optional
  • ¼ (60g) cup granulated sugar
  • ½ (120g) cup packed brown sugar
  • ⅓ (70g) cup whole milk
  • ¼ (60g) cup sour cream
  • 1½ tsp orange zest
  • 1 (110g) cup carrots finely grated

Dry Ingredients:

  • 2 (250g) cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ginger
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ⅛ tsp cardamom

Crumble Topping:

  • ½ (60g) cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ (50g) cup brown sugar
  • ¼ (50g) cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ (57g) cup unsalted butter melted
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ginger
  • 1/8 tsp salt pinch

Cinnamon Sugar Ripple:

  • ¼ (50g) cup brown sugar
  • ¼ (50g) cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 (16g) tbsp flour
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom optional

Cream Cheese Glaze:

  • 1 (28g) oz full-fat cream cheese softened
  • 1 (14g) tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • ½ (60g) cup powdered sugar
  • 4 (60g) Tbsp whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt a pinch

Instructions
 

Step 1: Grate the Carrots

  • Wash and dry the carrots, and trim the ends. Using the fine side of a box grater, grate the carrots until you have very small shreds. I recommend grating them fresh rather than using pre-shredded carrots because the finer texture blends better into the batter and prevents large chunks in the muffins.
    1 (110g) cup carrots
  • Transfer the grated carrots to a clean lint-free kitchen towel or a paper towel, and gently squeeze to soak up excess moisture. This quick step helps keep the muffins light and prevents the centers from becoming too wet or dense. Set aside the carrots while you prepare the batter.

Step 2: Mix the Muffin Batter

  • In a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter, avocado oil, egg, egg yolk, sourdough discard, vanilla extract, white sugar, brown sugar, milk, sour cream, maple flavoring (if using) and the zest of an orange.
    ¼ (57g) cup unsalted butter, 1 large egg, 1 egg yolk, ¼ (50g) cup avocado oil, ¼ (75g) cup sourdough discard, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ½ tsp maple flavoring, ¼ (60g) cup granulated sugar, ½ (120g) cup packed brown sugar, ⅓ (70g) cup whole milk, ¼ (60g) cup sour cream, 1½ tsp orange zest
  • Whisk together the wet ingredients until smooth and combined.
  • In a separate mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom. Whisk the dry ingredients together until combined.
    2 (250g) cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ¾ tsp baking soda, ¾ tsp salt, 1½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp nutmeg, ⅛ tsp cardamom
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk the batter until just combined and no streaks remain. It's important to avoid overmixing the batter at this stage, or you'll overwork the gluten and have a tough muffin.
  • Add the shredded carrots to the muffin batter, and gently fold into the muffin dough with a spatula until the carrots are mixed in.
  • Overnight Ferment Option: At this point you have the choice to ferment the batter overnight. If fermenting the batter overnight, cover the bowl with plastic and transfer to the refrigerator overnight.

Step 3: Prepare the Crumble and Cinnamon Ripple

  • In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter for the crumble for 30 seconds. Whisk to combine.
    ¼ (57g) cup unsalted butter
  • Add the brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt to the butter. Mix together with a fork or spoon until a crumbly mixture forms.
    ½ (60g) cup all-purpose flour, ¼ (50g) cup brown sugar, ¼ (50g) cup granulated sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp salt
  • If the mixture looks too wet, add 1-2 Tablespoons of flour and combine until the crumble is clumpy and sandy. Set the crumble aside until you're ready to assemble the muffins.
  • In a separate small bowl combine the brown sugar, white sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and salt for the ripple. Set aside for later.
    ¼ (50g) cup brown sugar, ¼ (50g) cup granulated sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 2 (16g) tbsp flour, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp cardamom

Step 4: Assemble and Bake the Muffins

  • If you're batter was fermenting in the refrigerator overnight, allow to rest at room temperature for an hour to warm up. Gently fold the batter after it has warmed up to pop any gas bubbles before scooping. Skip this step if you aren't fermenting the batter overnight.
  • Preheat your oven to 425°F (175°C).
  • Line a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment papers, and lightly spray with oil to avoid muffins sticking to the parchment.
  • Using a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop (or you can measure 1/8 cup), fill the bottom of each lined muffin cup with the carrot cake muffin batter. If needed, smooth out the batter with a spoon to make sure it's filling the bottom of the muffin pan.
  • Sprinkle 1 spoonful of the cinnamon sugar ripple on top of the batter.
  • Scoop another 2 Tablespoons or 1/8th cup of muffin batter on top of the layer of cinnamon sugar. If needed, smooth the batter to reach the edges and cover the ripple.
  • Continue this step until all of the muffin tins are filled with batter.
  • Sprinkle the tops of the muffins generously with a spoonful of the crumble topping, and gently tap the tops with your fingers to make sure the crumble sticks to the muffin tops.
  • Bake for 6 minutes at 425 F, then drop the heat to 350 F and bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely while you prepare the glaze.
  • Note about baking temperatures: Baking for 5 minutes at a higher heat gives muffins a more domed, bakery-style appearance. If you would like to skip this step, you can bake your muffins at 350 F for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Step 5: Glaze the Muffins

  • Make sure your cream cheese and butter are room temperature. Transfer them both to a mixing bowl, and using hand beaters beat the butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy.
    1 (28g) oz full-fat cream cheese, 1 (14g) tbsp unsalted butter
  • Add the powdered sugar to the glaze, and mix on low with the hand beaters.
    ½ (60g) cup powdered sugar
  • Next, add the vanilla, salt, and milk to the glaze. Whip on low to combine, then increase the speed to high and beat the icing until it's formed a smooth consistency.
    1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp sea salt, 4 (60g) Tbsp whole milk
  • You want a glaze that drizzles off the spoon, if needed microwave the glaze for 30 seconds and beat again to thin the glaze and reach the desired consistency. Repeat this step until the glazed is the consistency you like.
  • Drizzle the cream cheese glazed over the tops of the cooled muffins, and allow the glaze to setup for 15-20 minutes to harden.
  • Yields 12 large muffins

Notes

How to Store:
Room Temperature- Store muffins in an airtight container on counter for up to 1 day. The cream cheese icing requires these to be refrigerated after that time.
Refrigerator: Store muffins in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to five days. Gently warm to enjoy.
Freezer- Freeze muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw and gently reheat in oven or microwave to serve.
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