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The top view of a Orange Ginger Coffee Cake next to a mug of black coffee and a colorful kitchen towel.

Orange Ginger Coffee Cake

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Teatime
Cuisine: European
Keyword: cake, coffee cake, orange
Prep Time: 38 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 33 minutes
Servings: 14 to 16 servings
Calories: 558kcal
Author: Marta Rivera
This orange ginger coffee cake has a tender butter cake flavored with orange zest and sour cream, topped with three types of sliced citrus in a caramel topping.
A 10-cup bundt pan provides 14 to 16 slices, but you can reduce that to 12 by cutting thicker slices.
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • 10-cup bundt pan (or larger)
  • electric hand mixer or stand mixer

Ingredients

For the Caramel Pan Schmear

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter sliced
  • 3/4 cup, packed (170 grams) brown sugar

For the Orange Topping

  • 1 large blood orange peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
  • 1 medium orange Navel or Cara Cara, zested, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
  • 2 medium mandarin oranges peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick

For the Orange Ginger Coffee Cake

  • 2 1/4 cups (320 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons (4 grams) ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon (4 grams) baking soda
  • 1 cup (2 sticks or 226 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups (355 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest from the Navel or Cara Cara orange
  • 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (240 grams) sour cream at room temperature

Instructions

  • Preheat an oven to 350°F (175°C).
    Lightly spray a 10-cup bundt pan with baking spray or grease it with shortening and dust it with all-purpose flour.
    Set the pan aside.

Make the Caramel Pan Schmear

  • Add the butter to a 10 or 12-inch saucepan and melt it over medium-high heat.
  • Sprinkle the brown sugar into the pan and use a whisk to stir it into the melted butter.
    Cook the butter and sugar together, constantly whisking, for 2 minutes.
  • When the brown sugar dissolves, and the mixture in the pan resembles lava, pour the caramel into the greased bundt pan.

Arrange the Orange Slices

  • Decoratively arrange the orange slices in the prepared bundt pan. Try to arrange the orange slices in an ombré style or random color patterns.
    Set the pan aside while you prepare the orange ginger coffee cake batter. 

Mix the Orange Ginger Coffee Cake Batter

  • Sift the all-purpose flour, ground ginger, baking powder, and baking soda into a mixing bowl.
    Set the dry ingredients aside after sifting them together.
  • In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), beat the room temperature unsalted butter, granulated sugar, orange zest, and kosher salt using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer set to low speed.
    Increase the mixer to medium speed after the butter and sugar form a paste.
  • Beat the butter and sugar together for 3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the bowl and the beaters (or the paddle attachment) halfway through the mixing time.
    Stop the mixer and add one egg to the butter mixture.
  • Blend the mixture at low speed until the egg is fully incorporated.
    Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters.
    Continue to add the remaining eggs, adding the vanilla extract with the final egg. 
  • Increase the mixer to medium-high speed once all the wet ingredients are mixed in.
    Whip the mixture for 3 minutes, until it is nearly white in color, scraping the bowl and beaters down once during this period.  
  • Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture into the bowl and blend it in at low speed just until it's no longer visible. Scrape down the bowl and beaters.
    Next, add half of the sour cream to the bowl. Blend this in at low speed until only streaks of white are visible in the batter. Scrape down the bowl and beaters.
  • Add another third of the flour mixture, the rest of the sour cream, and lastly, the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl and beaters after each addition is mixed in.
    After you add the last of the flour mixture, use the rubber spatula to fold this in instead of the mixer.

Bake, Then Serve the Coffee Cake

  • Carefully scoop the batter into the lined pan ensuring you don't disturb the orange slices arranged in the pan.
    Smooth the top of the cake batter, then gently tap the pan against the countertop to dispel any air bubbles.
  • Bake the orange ginger coffee cake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown on top.
    A cake tester or toothpick should come out clean when inserted into the middle section of the cake.
  • Remove the pan from the oven and allow the coffee cake to cool in the pan for 3 minutes.
  • After 3 minutes, invert the cake onto a wire rack set over a sheetpan to catch spills. Allow the pan to sit, inverted, over the cake for 10 minutes to allow lingering orange slices and caramel to drip out of the pan onto the cake.
  • Remove the pan after 10 minutes and let the cake cool completely, or serve it while it's still warm.
    To serve this orange ginger coffee cake, slice and serve.

Notes

Swaps and Substitutions:
  • You can use light or dark brown sugar for the caramel pan schmear.
  • Replace the Navel or Cara Cara orange with Valencia or Lima oranges. Swap the Mandarins for Tangerines or Clementines. Replace the blood orange with Ruby Red Grapefruit or Pomelo (you might be able to fit only half of the grapefruit slices in the pan).
  • Swap the vanilla extract for almond or orange extract.
  • Replace the sour cream in this recipe with plain Greek yogurt, whole milk, or buttermilk in the same quantities.
Make-Ahead Instructions:
  • You can prepare the caramel pan schmear a day or two before you bake the cake and store it in a jar or covered container in the fridge after cooling it completely.
  • Just before using the pan schmear, reheat it for 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave. Stir it until smooth, then pour it into the prepared bundt pan.
Tips and Techniques:
  • Because of this cake's density, you need a bundt cake pan or a pan with a tube to bake it properly.
  • As the fruit slices sit in the caramel topping, they'll develop an orange syrup. This is normal and will add more flavor and moisture to the batter as the cake bakes.  
  • Hand-mixing the last of the dry ingredients into the orange cake batter prevents the development of too much gluten, which causes cakes to become tough and chewy.
  • The top of the cake will spring back, and the sides will pull away from the pan when properly baked.
  • This coffee cake tastes better as it sits. 
Storage Instructions:
  • Store leftover orange ginger coffee cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
  • You can also store it in the refrigerator for 4 days.
  • Give the leftover coffee cake a freshly baked taste by heating it in the microwave for 20 seconds. 
Freezer Instructions:
  • To freeze the orange ginger coffee cake after baking it:
    1. Allow it to cool completely, then wrap the cooled cake in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
    2. Freeze the coffee cake for up to 3 months.
    3. To thaw the coffee cake, remove it from the freezer and discard the foil and plastic wrap. Thaw the cake uncovered at room temperature before covering it to keep it from going stale.

Nutrition

Calories: 558kcal | Carbohydrates: 77g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 211mg | Potassium: 178mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 954IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 2mg