Maple Orange Coffee Cake

A perfect potluck brunch item, or dessert, this cake is the most beautiful balance of warm and cozy and bright and fresh.

You’ll definitely want to make this over and over again.

Something about a fresh slice of coffee cake in the morning is the height of luxury for me. Even on the days I have to go into work, this coffee cake and a cup of Café Bustelo makes me feel like I’m on vacation. If I have the day off, it’s the perfect thing to snuggle into the couch with before a day of Netflix bingeing.

Let’s be real, there really is no occasion that isn’t automatically enhanced by cake.

Maple Orange Coffee Cake

Time: 25min active, 2 hrs 25min total

Yield: 6-8 servings

For the cake:

1/2 cup butter (melted and cooled), or canola oil

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp orange zest

1 egg

3/4 cup milk or milk alternative (I usually use almond)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 cup flour

Filling:

3 tbsp butter (softened)

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

Crumb Topping:

5 tbsp butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp orange zest

3/4 cup flour

Glaze:

2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp orange zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 farenheit.

For this recipe I have used both an 8” round and a 9x9 baking pan with the same success, but whatever route you take, make sure to line the dish with parchment paper!

Start by making the batter. In a large bowl, combine your butter (or oil), sugar, vanilla, egg, milk and orange zest. Mix until fully combined, then add in your flour, baking powder and salt. Stir until fully combined. The batter should be thick, and may look like you don’t have enough to make two layers—I promise, it’s enough.

In a medium bowl, prepare the filling. Add all ingredients to the bowl, and combine. For this, I like to use a fork and a mashing technique. The texture you’re aiming for is similar to wet sand. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, make the crumble topping. Add in all the ingredients and using the same fork mashing technique as before, combine all the ingredients until the desired texture is achieved. I like to also use my hands to pack together small fists of the crumble to make those nice large crumbs.

Once you’ve got your three bowls of batter, filling, and topping, it’s time to assemble.

In your parchment-lined baking dish, add in half of the batter. Spread it out so that the batter is touching all edges on your pan. Then, sprinkle your filling over the top of the first layer of batter. Using your hands, gently press the filling into the batter and continue to spread it evenly across the dish. Evenly spread the remaining batter over the layer of filling. Finally, sprinkle your crumble topping in an even layer across the filling. You may want to gently press and spread the batter to ensure the entire layer of filling is covered and the second layer of batter is even.

Now, your cake is ready for a trip to the oven. Place your cake on the middle rack in your oven, and let it bake for 40-50 min. You’ll know it’s ready to come out when the cake has fully risen, the cake is set to the touch, and an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean. Remember, your cake will continue to cook for a bit in the tin after it’s removed from the oven.

While the cake bakes, make the glaze.

Combine the orange juice, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and zest in a medium bowl. Whisk until combined. Add in the salt and powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. The consistency should be smooth and easy to drizzle, for a thinner glaze, you can add more orange juice or a bit or milk until you achieve the desired consistency. Set aside.

Once the cake is ready to come out, allow it to cool for at least 1 hour before removing from the tin.

Once it’s cool, drizzle as much of the glaze as you like—I always like to be on the more generous side.

Serve slightly warm and with your favorite coffee or tea.

Enjoy!