Tender, rich, citrusy and sweet Orange coffee cake topped with a delicious Almond and Coconut Streusel topping.
Apparently, I don’t have time to get dinner to the table, but I sure do have 2 hours to make a cake…
See, what I like about us – us, as in you and I – is that I can tell you about my stressful days that resulted in a Sandra Lee semi-homemade-ish dinner and you completely understand! How else was I going to pull off those Sweet Korean BBQ Beef Tacos in the middle of moving. Semi-homemade is sometimes the way to go.
But, that’s why we also have those other times… those times when we can focus two hours on making a delicious coffee cake with oranges and almonds.
There’s also a fundamental difference between cooking and baking. Cooking is what I do because I have to keep the people in this house alive…
Baking is what I do to relax and keep my soul happy.
Weird as it may sound, only people that enjoy baking can understand relaxing while measuring flour and creaming butter and sugar. It’s my favorite pastime. Well, that and eating.
The very best thing about baking is the learning process. I can’t tell you how many cakes – and muffins and breads – I’ve made that didn’t turn out quite as they should have. By the time a baked recipe makes it to the blog, you better believe that there’s been at least 3 test-runs before your eyes landed on it.
This lovely coffee cake was in my “test kitchen” 4 times before I *think* I nailed it. She was such a diva throughout the entire process. The oranges weren’t sweet enough, the coconut wasn’t wet enough, the sour cream wasn’t fat enough… I’m telling you, I had a field day with this one.
Thing is that the cake was always edible…very, very edible. The problem was in the texture; it wasn’t dense enough. Or as dense as a coffee cake should be. Finally, after adding some fatty sour cream to it, it all came together. And sweeter oranges. Can’t tell you how much that matters in this cake. Make sure you use very sweet oranges, like Ortanique or mandarin oranges; those work the best.
If you don’t have two hours to spare, could you try to find the time and make this cake? Scouts honor, you will love it! And so will your belly.
ENJOY!
Orange and Almond Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- butter and flour for cake pan
- 2 small sweet oranges (Ortanique, mandarines)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- zest of 1 small orange
- 6 tablespoons butter , softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup sweet angel flake coconut
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons butter , melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter and sprinkle with flour; set aside.
- Segment the oranges by cutting off the top stem-end and bottom stem-end of the orange just until the flesh is exposed.
- Stand the orange up on one of the flat ends.
- Working from top to bottom, cut away the peel and pith by following the curve of the fruit.
- Slice out each orange segment by cutting in towards the center of the orange, following the connective membranes. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and orange zest. Set aside.
- In your mixer’s bowl, cream together the butter and sugar; beat until creamy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Beat in sour cream and vanilla and continue to mix until thoroughly combined.
- Keeping mixer on low, slowly add flour mixture and continue to mix until well incorporated.
- Pour the batter in prepared cake pan and using an offset spatula, spread the batter evenly and smooth it out.
- Top with one layer of previously prepared oranges.
- Set aside.
- Prepare the streusel topping by combining all ingredients in a bowl; stir to combine.
- Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over cake batter and oranges.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan for 30 minutes and serve.
- Cake will last for 3 days, covered, at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Must the orange segments be fresh? Can canned mandarin oranges be used if fresh sweet oranges can’t be found?
Hi!
I haven’t tested this cake with canned mandarin orange, but I definitely think it will work.
Hmm, no I have not made it yet. BUT yes, I plan to in the next day or two. Wondering… did you considering using almond flour too, just a small portion, maybe 1/4 c? Just a thought because you said in your comment above that it was “not dense enough.” But your pic is awesome and I am looking forward to making this! 😋
In the oven now smells good. Batter is very thick. I used wheat flour and blood oranges hope it comes out. I’ll update how it turned out
I live in a rural area and everything is limited as far as variety goes. If I cannot find these types of oranges, could canned mandarin oranges be used? I know it would not be as good as fresh but I am not sure I have seen mandarin oranges in the stores. Thank you.
Thank you so much for sharing another wonderful recipe. I love your recipes but hate wading through all the knee-deep ads Very very irritating that that they mess up such a good site.
Yes, the cake is gorgeous & looks delicious, BUT has anyone other than Katerina made it?! I want to make it for Thanksgiving and nobody else seems to have commented on the taste! I’m still going to give it a try, but I’d feel a lot better about it if there was more than one opinion! No offense intended!
None taken! 🙂 It’s easier when there’s reviews. I was trying to find one for you on Pinterest because that’s where I saw them, but it seems impossible to find it. My advice is to make sure the oranges you use are sweet and cleaned. Let me know if you try it. Happy Thanksgiving, Liz!!