Orange Crumb Cake
Need an easy, but tasty dessert recipe? Put this Orange Crumb Cake on the list! This cake would be great for dessert or a weekend brunch.
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I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get in the mood to make a stunning dessert. I’m talking about those desserts that have folks ooh’ing and aah’ing when you carry it out of the kitchen. This Charleston Coconut Cake is a good example – it features 6 layers of cake, 5 layers of coconut cream filling and a coconut cream cheese frosting. It’s a showstopper cake for sure! It also takes hours to make.
These Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Stuffed Brownies fall into the same category. There’s a layer of brownies. Then edible cookie dough. Then another layer of brownies. Then a chocolate glaze. Oh, and don’t forget the peanut butter frosting. Amazing dessert, and it will have folks ooh’ing and aah’ing for sure. But it requires 4 different recipes.
While I have absolutely no issue with dessert recipes that require a bit more attention, there are also times when I just need an easy cake. Enter this Orange Crumb Cake.
Orange Crumb Cake
This Orange Crumb Cake is light and delicious…and it literally takes 10 minutes (if that) to mix it up. Come to think of it, it probably takes 10 minutes to make this cake and clean the two bowls. But don’t let that fool you – this cake is still mighty tasty!
I’ve always loved a good crumb topping on cakes, and I suspect this is why coffee cakes will always rank up there among my favorite desserts. For coffee cakes, I always make a quick streusel topping that gets sprinkled on top of the cake before baking. This Orange Crumb Cake also has a crumb topping…but the topping is even easier than my go-to streusel recipe.
For the crumb topping on this cake, you simply reserve ½ cup of the dry ingredients. Then you mix in some cinnamon, cardamom (my secret crumb topping weapon!) and chopped pecans. Crumb topping done!
This Orange Crumb Cake is perfect for those times when you want something sweet, but don’t want to spend a bunch of time baking. I’m thinking this cake would be great for brunch when you have overnight guests in town. Or this cake could also serve as dessert for when you have friends stop by on short notice – remember, this cake takes all of 10 minutes to mix together!
On a side note, this cake does use ½ cup of orange juice. I’m kinda thinking it would be fun to use other liquids next time. What about lemonade? Or perhaps another juice – cranberry juice maybe? Stay tuned…I might just have to try a variation on this cake sometime soon. Either way, I hope you enjoy the orange juice version of this cake as much as we did!
Did you make this Orange Crumb Cake at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Orange Crumb Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease and flour an 8” square baking pan; set pan aside.
- Using a medium bowl, add sugar, butter and flour; stir until well combined.
- Remove ½ cup of this mixture and place in a separate bowl; set that bowl aside. (Note: This will be used to make the topping later.)
- Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt to the main cake mixture; stir until well combined.
- Add the egg and orange juice; stir until well combined.
- Transfer batter into prepared baking pan.
- Using the reserved cake mixture (from above), add the cinnamon, cardamom and chopped pecans; stir until well combined. Sprinkle this mixture evenly on top of the batter.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out mostly clean.
- Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes before serving.
Looking for more tasty cake ideas? Check out these other favorites, too:
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use vegan butter i never had orange crumb cake before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Yes! You can definitely use vegan butter in this recipe, Ramya. It’s a super easy cake – perfect for weekend breakfasts or dessert…or both! 🙂
Oooh look at that crumb topping! Wow! And seeing this cake has all that orange juice in it means I can justify 2 servings, right?! I cannot wait to see the other variations you come up with with those different juices! I love a crumb topping so thrilled to try this recipe out soon!
This cake was SO.EASY to make, Shashi! It’s almost embarrassing how quickly it came together. But I do think other juices could make their way into this recipe. Maybe apple for fall??
I’ve been watching a YouTuber lately who just chucks everything into a baking dish and bakes! So her fave seems to be throwing a cake mix from a box with strawberry Fanta ? never heard of that! – or some other kind of lemonade/soft drink and mixing it up with whatever else she has lying around the kitchen. Hilarious really! But your cake sounds delightful David!
Boxed cake mix with Fanta? Hmmm. I do like using soda/soft drinks in pound cake recipes, but I’m not much for boxed cake mixes. With that said, I bet Fanta would work in this recipe! I’m not sure how else to bring a strawberry slant to this as I’ve never seen strawberry juice…hmmm…
This looks good. Like, I’d love it with my coffee right now. And I totally think I’m capable of making it!
I think you can definitely make this one, Mimi! It’s quite possibly the easiest baked good I’ve ever made!! (And, yes, it goes well with coffee…)
Love that generous topping of streusel on this orange crumb cake!!
And the best part is that streusel is just extra cake mix – this recipe is SO easy to make, Michelle!
While I love to enjoy more complex desserts with many different layers, textures, and flavours, I don’t enjoy that much spending hours to make it (you know, you really need to be in the mood for that!) Not to mention the cleaning part because I can end up having a full sink of stuff – even if I’ve just made something super basic, requiring a bowl and a spoon for a normal person.
So, 95% of the time I prefer something simple yet still perfectly delicious. Just like this crumb cake, flavourful and cozy and with this lovely crumb topping.
You’re totally right, Ben. If I’m in the mood for a complex dessert, I don’t mind it one bit. But I have to be in the creative mood to spend the time in the kitchen. This crumb cake is perfect for all of the other times – it was so easy to make!!
I love any dessert that has a crumb topping and love the idea of a citrus spiked cake! This one is definitely calling my name, David!
I’m with ya, Marissa – I hear crumb topping, and I know I’m gonna love it! The orange flavor in this cake was really great, too. 🙂
I agree that sometimes it’s nice to have a dessert recipe that doesn’t require a ton of effort or multiple recipes to make. The crumb topping on this cake was definitely a highlight for me – it added a nice texture and flavor to the cake. And I love that the recipe suggests using cardamom as a secret weapon for the topping! I’m definitely going to have to try that out next time I make it.
I am always a sucker for any sort of baked good with a crumb topping! This cake was absolutely delicious…and so easy to make, too! And, yes, definitely try a bit of cardamom next time you make a crumb topping. It’s pretty fantastic!