This orange coffee cake is bursting with citrus orange flavor, topped with a light cinnamon streusel and drizzled with a citrus orange glaze.
Coffee Cake
Coffee cakes, like this orange coffee cake, have been around since it seems like the beginning of time in some shape or form, although they didn’t start becoming popular to serve with coffee in the U.S. until the late 19th century. Today, you can open any vintage cookbook and find several (if not a dozen!) recipes for a coffee cake. They are usually easy to make with simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand. You can’t go wrong with a good coffee cake!
This citrus orange coffee cake recipe is straight out of the 60’s…back when coffee klatches AKA coffee and gossip time ruled both suburban and urban kitchens. We may not call it a coffee klatch anymore but this coffee cake is still good enough to grace your table the next time your friends come over for some coffee and gossip.
About this Recipe
This particular recipe for orange coffee cake is from a cookbook of my Grandma’s dating to the 1960’s. It stuck out to me since it contained a fair amount citrusy orange juice and zest when I was looking to do some baking during winter citrus season. A cinnamon spiced streusel is sprinkled on top of the coffee cake prior to baking and then it is paired with a citrusy powdered sugar glaze. It is simple to make and doesn’t require any special ingredients.
This coffee cake also comes together quickly: butter and sugar are combined, followed by a beaten egg. Then, freshly squeezed orange juice and milk are added, followed by orange zest and the sifted dry ingredients of flour, baking soda and salt. The streusel mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, flour and butter is sprinkled on top before baking. After the coffee cake has cooled after baking, a citrusy orange powdered sugar glaze is drizzled on top before serving.
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Orange Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 8" round cake pan
- parchment paper
- mixing bowls of various sizes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour,
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Topping
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter softened
Glazed
- 3 teaspoons orange juice
- 2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Line cake pan with parchment paper cut to size of pan and grease well.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift or whisk the1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, with the 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Add in 1 large egg and 2 teaspoons orange zest.
- Add in half of the dry ingredients, followed by the 2 tablespoons milk and 2 tablespoons orange juice and then the other half the dry ingredients last. Only mix until combined.
- Spread batter into prepared cake pan. In a small mixing bowl, combine the 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour with the 2 tablespoons brown sugar,1 Tablespoon granulated sugar ,1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter. Mix until crumbly and then sprinkle on top of cake.
- Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes, or a until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool on wire rack in pan for 15 minutes; then run knife around edges of cake and remove cake from pan. Allow to cool completely on wire rack before removing parchment paper.
- Whisk remaining 3 teaspoons orange juice with the 1 cup powdered sugar and remaining 2 teaspoon orange zest. Drizzle over cake; allow to set slightly before serving.